Cement tiles are something of an obsession for me, particularly the encaustic patterned tiles you see everywhere in Barcelona. Since moving here I’ve developed a habit of snapping every beautiful pattern I see - and there are many – and sharing them with a #tileaddict hashtag (and in this Patterned Tiles blogpost I wrote earlier this year). For those who are interested, encaustic tiles are ones where the pattern is made using clay of different pigments, rather than being painted on the top with a glaze. This means the pattern stays even as the tile wears down.
 
So, imagine my delight when on my trip to London Design Festival I found that cement tiles are having something of a moment. Expect to see this beautiful flooring in more restaurants and homes over the next year. Patterned tiles are back and there are some fabulous colours and prints to choose from.
 
So, for our second dispatch from the festival, here’s a quick round up of some of the companies and tiles I spotted at LDF14:
(p.s. missed the first post? Read it here: LDF14)
 
Tent London
 
Alhambra Tiles are a company based in Spain & England with a great range of traditional Spanish encaustic cement tiles and a range of contemporary tiles with UK designer Manda Clarke.


 
Design Junction
 
Lindsey Lang has a gorgeous collection of tiles in muted colours. Described on the website as a range of encaustic and granito tiles in exchangeable colours which merges traditional craft with contemporary design techniques. Beautiful!


Workhouse Collection had a gorgeous range of encaustic tiles, including unique designs from British designers and a range based on designs by Roy Pegram - a relative of the owners of Workhouse. These had a great graphic style and fresh feel.



(love this patterned tile mix from Workhouse Collection!)
 
Bert & May are a company I hadn’t come across before. They have a beautiful range of encaustic cement tiles and you could actually see them being made at the LDF show! It was fascinating to get this peek behind the scenes at how the gorgeous designs come to life. They are collectors of vintage tiles and can also reproduce the designs for you in any quantity.


 
100% Design
 
Solus Ceramics had a small range of patterned cement tiles in soft colours. These encaustic tiles are handmade and can even be produced in bespoke colours. They also have a broad range of other types of tiles, including some eco-friendly ones.

 
Blueprint Ceramics have a broad range of tiles available including these lovely patterned porcelain ones. They are the “Sole” range described as bringing together the mood of terracotta and patterned cement tiles, but in a porcelain range.

 
So that’s my round-up of beautiful tiles that I want to use all over my home! I think a patterned “rug” of tiles in the hallway would be my first choice, then perhaps a simple pattern in a muted colour in the kitchen and perhaps a few individual vintage tiles could be scattered around the garden or framed on the wall. I could find a ton of uses for these beautiful objects and I’m pleased to see them making a comeback into our homes.

I hope this is a useful round-up of great options for anyone who is interested in getting this look at home, with a good range of options for suppliers you could use. Do you have patterned tiles in your home? How would you use these floor tiles and which range is your favourite?

Thanks for reading!
 
Becky