Ann Sacks Penny Tile Bathroom ~ Elinor Get Style

Ann Sacks Penny Tile Bathroom

We're floored by all the beautiful tile we're spotting at restaurants. Here's how to take the trend home.

Image may contain: Restaurant, Human, Person, Cafe, and Shelf — Eric Wolfinger

At Gracias Madre in L.A., tiles sourced from Oaxaca line the bar. Photo: Eric Wolfinger

Patterned Tile

Marrakech. Mexico City. Havana. Patterned tile is the design equivalent of landing somewhere exotic. From sharp, modern graphics to traditional Moroccan, patterns grab the eye, creating a focal point for a room.
Pro Tip: Use judiciously! Though bravado need not be limited to commercial use, at home you're best off laying this tile on a patio or in a small space like an entryway for a jewel-box effect. Have fun with the pattern, but you'd be wise to think of it like a tattoo: You should still want to look at it a year from now. Aim for timeless and unplaceable, says Dolores Suarez of New York's Dekar Design .
Spotted at: Juniper , Austin; Ironside Fish & Oyster , San Diego
Buy It: Clé and Kismet carry both Moroccan and modern.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Apparel, Shoe, Human, Person, and People — Moses Aipa

Hawaiian-influenced restaurant Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco issues a warm welcome. Photo: Moses Aipa

Penny Tile

The LBD of tile: simple, classic, and never goes out of style. The quintessential look for brasseries, bistros, and oyster bars, these itty-bitty rounds are being used on floors in basic patterns or to spell out a restaurant's name (as at Kindred in Davidson, NC). And they look fabulous beneath a bar.
Best for: The affordable tile is great for kitchen floors at home, says Wendy Haworth , the designer behind L.A.'s Gracias Madre . Just make sure to choose a darker grout—penny tile's numerous edges can stain easily.
Spotted at: Le Sel , Nashville; Denver Union Station , Denver
Buy It: Ann Sacks ' Savoy Mosaic line offers multiple colors.

Image may contain: Restaurant, Flooring, Food, Meal, Cafeteria, Furniture, Chair, Floor, and Cafe — Hand-glazed Heath tiles stretch to the ceiling for a dramaticlook at Farmshop in Larkspur, CA. Photo: Mariko Reed, courtesy Common Design

Subway 2.0

With all due respect to Balthazar's Keith McNally , there's more than one way to lay a subway tile. Bold colors, tweaked dimensions, and fresh layouts are redefining this favorite. At San Francisco's Liholiho Yacht Club , it's done big and bright with canary-yellow 4x4s; Chicago's Swift & Sons lays sage-green tiles vertically; and at Farmshop in Larkspur, CA, there are entire walls of textured tiles in a range of greens.
Go for a Spin: Take a cue from Måurice in Portland, OR, and The Mill in SF and put a twist on the classic design—literally: A herringbone-like pattern doesn't look like something you've seen a million times.
Buy It: Fireclay has vivid colors and multiple shapes.

Tile with Style

Want to bring the tile trend home? Here's a little advice from Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic , the co-owners and tastemakers behind Heath Ceramics and authors of the book Tile Makes the Room: Good Design from Heath Ceramics .

Start with the tile. It shouldn't be an afterthought but an integral part of design. We know many people who've had the tile drive the rest of their project.
Take risks. Don't just relegate it to backsplashes. Try extending tile from floor to ceiling—or even using it on the ceiling—for a bit of drama and to unify the space. Use tile to cover the bases for counters, or in place of wainscoting.
Mix finishes. Matte. Glossy. Satin. A single color isn't boring, particularly when you're using a variety of glazes.
Consider the grout. The look of a room is determined not just by the tile, but by the color and width of the grout. Want the shape of the tile to stand out? Pick a highly contrasting grout. Want just a hint of variation? Choose a grout color that's close in tone to your tile.