14 Vintage Tiles Ideas - Interior Design Inspiration for Fans of Vintage Style

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Vintage and vintage-inspired home decor is hugely popular at the moment. When designing and decorating a room in vintage style, choosing the right wall tiles can sometimes be a challenge. So here we look at some vintage tiles ideas for your interior designs project.

Why do we Love Vintage Style?

There are lots of reasons that vintage home decor is so popular. Firstly, aged and vintage furniture, fabrics and accessories can create a feeling of nostalgia – evoking memories of childhood homes and grandparents’ houses – they take us back to a time when life was simpler.

Vintage and antique furniture and household items have stood the test of time. They were built to last and often made from quality materials such as metal, glass, wood and ceramics – rather than the many plastic items prevalent today. Preserving, re-using and re-cycling furnishings where possible is responsible and environmentally-friendly.

Antiques and old items are also sought after because in many cases they are now scarce – maybe just a few remain or maybe they were never mass-produced in the first place. Some are interesting and have a story, are a family heirloom or are unusual and eye-catching.

With vintage decor, different styles, materials and mis-matching items, furniture and fabrics can all be used together to create eclectic, homely and inviting home decor.

Vintage Tiles vs Vintage Style Tiles

Vintage style decor is ideal in period properties, country houses and cottages, but can work well in any home. Before we talk about tiles in detail, I must point out that the tiles Floral Tiles make are vintage style tiles and not actually old or genuinely vintage tiles.

There are several advantages to vintage style tiles over actual vintage tiles. Vintage style tiles have the benefits of modern processes and conform to modern safety standards (including being tested for the amount of lead released from the tile), while still being made from a material which has been used in homes for hundreds of years and is well-known for it’s durability and longevity.

Another advantage of vintage style tiles is affordability. Suitable genuine vintage tiles can be difficult to source, with limited design options available and vintage tiles in good condition can be expensive.

Vintage Tiles Ideas

When looking for vintage tiles for your re-decorating project, smaller tiles give more of a vintage effect than larger tiles, which are more common in modern and contemporary interior design. The tiles in Floral Tiles’ range are 100mm or 150mm square, both giving a vintage look to a room.

Some of the designs we will look at here are based on antique illustrations and some started out as watercolour paintings. While these styles are both different, each gives a timeless and classic vintage look. As well as single flower tiles, there are also tiles which are patterned all over. Some of these can be placed together to create larger patterns and they can all be mixed and matched with other patterned tiles to create statement patchwork patterns.

Floral Border Tiles

Vintage tiles - red rose border tiles — Border tiles were popular in previous years. These red rose border tiles add a splash of colour and break up an otherwise plain wall

Vintage Tiles - Yellow Roses Border Tiles — Using a traditional style of tiling together with a vintage-inspired image gives a real vintage look (please excuse the untidy digital tiling!)

Scattered Flowers Tile Patterns

Vintage Tiles - Blue Hydrangea Single Flower Scattered Tile Pattern — Another tile pattern often seen in old houses has decorative tiles scatted among plain ones. These blue hydrangea tiles are based on an antique illustration.

Shop Matching Plain Tiles

Vintage Tiles - Pink scattered roses tiles pattern example — Alternatively, the scattered decorative tiles could be a selection of different images, adding interest and variety

Checked Tile Patterns

Vintage Tiles - Pale green roses check pattern — Check patterns have long been popular for tiles. Alternating plain white tiles with decorative vintage-style floral tiles adds an eye-catching look to vintage home decor

Vintage Tiles - Blue and white roses check pattern — For those who like a more eclectic look, instead of designing a check tile pattern using plain white tiles, using lighter and darker-coloured tiles can create a similar effect

Shop Matching Plain Coloured Tiles

Vintage Tiles - Green Fruit Check Tile Pattern — Another way to do check patterns is to alternate plain coloured tiles with single image tiles. This green tile pattern uses vintage fruit and herb designs and would look lovely in a rustic country kitchen, for example.

Seamless Tile Patterns

Vintage Tiles - Seamless Flower Pattern Example — These tiles can be used on their own, or can be placed together to create a larger, seamless (well, apart from the grout) pattern. These tiles would be a cheerful and striking addition to vintage decor.

Vintage Tiles - Green Floral Seamless Tile Pattern — Another vintage-style design rich in colour, which creates a seamless pattern, this time with Hydrangea and Roses

Vintage Tiles - Retro Floral Seamless Tile Pattern — Something slightly different again – a bright and vibrant seamless pattern for fans of retro style

Patchwork Tile Patterns

Vintage Tiles - an Eclectic Patchwork Pattern in Bold Floral Prints — Fans of eclectic decor might like to create patchwork tile patterns, for a bold and interesting addition to a room. This pattern uses bold floral prints.

Vintage Tiles - Classic Blue Roses Patchwork Tiles Pattern — Blues are popular in kitchens and bathrooms and many vintage ceramics have blue and white designs. Here, plain tiles are used as part of the patchwork pattern – this can help break up the pattern so it is less “busy”

Shop Matching Plain Coloured Tiles

Vintage Tiles - Pink Hydrangeas floral patchwork tile pattern — Hydrangeas are very popular in vintage fabrics and prints. Their beautiful huge blooms make them a lovely addition to home decor. This patchwork pattern is made up of pretty pink Hydrangea tiles in differing styles, giving it an eclectic look.

Vintage Tiles - Patchwork Tile Pattern in Pastel Colours — Soft and gentle pastel colours make up this patchwork floral tile pattern

That’s It!

Vintage home decor is so much fun to do. It’s the perfect excuse to spend time pottering around vintage shops and reclamation yards, or hunting for bargains at car boot sales and in charity shops. I hope you create a room you really love and that you have found some vintage tiles inspiration here.

To see all of our tiles, you can visit our online shop. For more tiles ideas and inspiration, you can find more blogs here.