We independently select everything we recommend.
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we → select → everything
Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
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which → buy → work
Tile is breaking out of the kitchen and bathroom.
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Tile → break → kitchen
The familiar finish is moving into living rooms, bedrooms, home offices and entertaining spaces, proving its potential extends far beyond traditional wet zones.
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potential → move → zones
With an extraordinary range of colours, formats and tactile effects available, it can anchor a room, define its architecture or introduce a quiet layer of personality.
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it → anchor → personality
Its durability adds another compelling advantage, meeting the growing desire for interiors that feel elevated yet can handle the realities of daily life.
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that → add → life
“Used thoughtfully, tile becomes part of the architecture rather than simply a surface finish,” says interior designer Jessica Cinnamon.
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Cinnamon → use → finish
A full-height installation can emphasize ceiling height, while a tiled niche introduces depth without taking up valuable floor space.
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niche → emphasize → space
Even a restrained application can give a plain wall greater presence.
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application → give → presence
Slavica Kovacevic, founder and owner of SS Tile & Stone Inc. is seeing porcelain specified more often in principal living areas.
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porcelain → see → areas
Wood-look styles capture the warmth and grain of hardwood while resisting moisture, stains and daily wear.
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styles → capture → moisture
They also work with radiant heating, providing underfoot comfort during colder months.
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They → work → months
That combination makes them well-suited to busy Canadian households, particularly in entryways, mudrooms, and laundry areas where tracked-in water and dirt are inevitable.
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water → make → entryways
Fireplace surrounds have become another major design moment.
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surrounds → become → ?
Large-scale formats can run from hearth to ceiling with fewer grout lines, giving the feature a clean, monolithic appearance.
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formats → run → appearance
Marble-inspired veining adds movement, limestone effects bring softness, and ribbed profiles create gentle shadow.
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profiles → inspire → shadow
The result can be bold or understated, depending on the material and how it is laid.
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it → depend → material
Cinnamon recalls a project in which one porcelain slab extended across the fireplace, adjoining the millwork and integrated shelving.
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slab → recall → shelving
“Rather than reading as tile, it becomes part of the home’s architecture,” she says.
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she → read → architecture
The uninterrupted treatment unified several elements into a single, cohesive feature, allowing the hearth to anchor the room without looking overly decorated.
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hearth → unify → room
A patterned backsplash can distinguish a home bar, dimensional ceramics can animate an entertainment wall, and an inset panel can turn a forgotten alcove into a deliberate detail.
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panel → distinguish → detail
In open-concept layouts, a change in format, orientation or colour can mark the transition between an entrance, dining area and lounge without adding a wall.
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change → mark → wall
Used sparingly, these moments define while preserving a sense of flow.
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moments → use → flow
The latest looks favour warmth over high drama.
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looks → favour → drama
Soft greiges, sandy beiges, earthy browns and muted creams are replacing the cool grey palettes of previous years.
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greiges → replace → years
Stone-inspired surfaces remain popular, but the direction is gentler, with subtle marble veining, chalky limestone effects and richly layered interpretations of travertine and quartzite.
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direction → inspire → travertine
Advances in digital printing have made these reproductions increasingly convincing.
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reproductions → make → printing
Manufacturers can capture mineral markings, tonal shifts, and the irregular movement found in natural stone while retaining porcelain’s strength and ease of upkeep.
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Manufacturers → capture → upkeep
Kovacevic says the current preference for larger formats, matte faces and organic references reflects homeowners’ interest in sophisticated materials without being showy.
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preference → say → materials
“The strongest influence is actually restraint,” says Cinnamon.
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Cinnamon → say → ?
“Neutral palettes, larger formats, matte finishes, soft textures and natural-stone aesthetics complement a wide range of architectural styles and age gracefully.”
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palettes → complement → styles
A quieter foundation also leaves room for furnishings, paint and accessories to evolve, an important consideration when choosing something intended to remain in place for decades.
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furnishings → leave → decades
Texture offers another way to add personality without relying on vivid colour or busy pattern.
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Texture → offer → colour
Fluted profiles catch changing light, honed faces soften glare, and handcrafted-look pieces bring slight variations in shape and tone.
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pieces → catch → shape
Rather than commanding attention, these details reward a closer look.
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details → command → look
In a foyer, they establish a memorable first impression; behind a desk or within a bedroom recess, they add interest where artwork might otherwise hang.
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artwork → establish → interest
Combining hard surfaces with warmer elements keeps the overall composition balanced.
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composition → combine → elements
Wood tempers the cool quality of stone-look porcelain, plaster provides a velvety contrast to sculptural relief, and wallpaper brings softness beside a simpler field.
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wallpaper → temper → field
The connection might come from a shared undertone, a repeated shape, or a similar level of visual intensity.
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connection → come → intensity
The goal is not a perfect match, but a considered relationship between neighbouring finishes.
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goal → consider → finishes
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
