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If you are planning a kitchen or bathroom renovation project, then one of the most important and exciting stages is selecting the tiles. Today, there is a huge range of materials, patterns, colours, shapes, and textures to choose from as modern manufacturing methods mean that the only limit is our imagination.
However, the designs we have available today are also the cumulative result of thousands of years of craftsmanship. Here’s a journey through time to explore how the influences of the past have shaped modern tile trends.
The first examples of hand crafted tiles have been uncovered in the archaeological areas of ancient Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The clay tiles were decorated with patterns and motifs, and were even used to tell stories and myths. This visual method of storytelling was important in an era when literacy levels were very low.
Geometric patterns are currently a highly fashionable and popular design choice, and they have their roots in Islamic culture. This is because Islamic art tends to avoid realistic representations of nature, people, animals, and so on, as this was considered disrespectful to God by glorifying the individual form.
Instead, art focused on abstract geometric designs that were influenced by nature, but were also highly structured and often featured repetitive shapes such as circles, squares and triangles. These shapes often contained a lot of intricate detail within them. The star is a very common feature of Islamic art, as are flower or leaf motifs.
Colourful geometric patterns were (and still are) used to create beautiful wall and floor mosaics. Each tile was individually painted and polished to create a smooth shiny surface.
During the Middle Ages, decorative art forms fell out of favour and interior design tended to be more austere and restrained. However, the Renaissance era from the 15th to the 17th century saw arts and crafts flourish once more.
The tile designs reflected this, with a renewed interest in decorative patterns and motifs, particularly flowers and mythological figures. They were inspired by the Classical art of Ancient Rome, and to this was added expert craftsmanship with stunning glazed enamel finishes and bright attractive colours.
The late 19th century saw the emergence of the Art Nouveau movement. This was partly a reaction to the first age of mass production, when a lot of generic, derivative and poorly executed design and craft work flooded the market. In reaction, there was a renewed focus on incorporating elegant natural forms into artworks.
Designs from this era often featured flowing curves and lines with tasteful muted colour palettes in natural tones of blue, yellow, brown and green.
The mid century modern style brought in the era of abstract minimalism that can still be widely seen in our graphic art today. Modern sleek surfaces such as porcelain and glass were popular.
Contemporary tile design both looks to the future with a dazzling array of textures and materials, and also to the past with an ongoing appreciation for vintage and retro design.
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