Tiles With A Pulse: How To Use Bold Tiles On Floors, Walls, Curves And Splashbacks
Stop playing it safe with white subway tiles and start using tiles as architecture, artwork and attitude.
Tiles are where the renovation stops being polite and starts being interesting. Forget “just a floor” or “just a splashback”, tiles are architecture, artwork and attitude rolled into one. In this first installment of five in our finishes series, we’re turning tiles into the main character of your home, not the understudy.
Think colour‑soaked floors, moody walls, hero splashbacks and curves that actually look intentional. If your tiles are boring, your renovation will be too, so let’s make them behave badly in all the right ways.
Why Tiles Are Your Secret Architecture
Tiles are one of the few finishes that do triple duty: surface, structure and mood in a single move. Get them right and your renovation looks custom; get them vanilla and the whole space feels value-engineered.
Academy Tiles push colour and texture from clay-like matt porcelains to tiny architectural mosaics, so you can dial the drama from subtle to “who is your designer?”.
Zellige from Tiles of Ezra is handmade, imperfect and gloriously alive – the opposite of flat, mass-produced wall filler.
The “safe” choice is usually the most expensive mistake, because you’ll be bored of it long before it wears out.
All images from the portfolio of Plush Design Interiors - all interior architecture, design documentation, interior design, and renovation management by Plush Design Interiors. All images by Claudine Burgess Photography.
Floors That Flirt, Not Apologise
Floors are your biggest canvas, so stop treating them like beige background noise. Think of the floor as the opening line of your home’s story, not the footnote.
Use full-body porcelain in rich clay tones like Academy Tiles’ Khroma to get that natural, earthy feel with serious durability under pets, kids and stilettos.
Channel European hotel energy with terrazzo-style designs like Greg Natale’s Città collection, inspired by “lost cities” and made in Venetian terrazzo – glamorous and graphic in one hit.
Imagine walking into a kitchen where the floor is a jewel-toned checkerboard that looks like a Milan gallery, but you chickened out and chose greige “because resale”. Which house do you think buyers remember?
Delicious use of tiles on the floor (and elsewhere) in this Mosman home with interiors by one of my fave Australian designers, the very talented Greg Natale. Greg has his own range of Greg Natale tiles which are largely bold geometric but also intriguing mosaic and stunning marble.
Walls, Splashbacks and Curves with Attitude
Tiles should never just “finish the wall”; they should be the wall’s personality. This is where colour, texture and shape do their best work.
On splashbacks, hand-made Zellige catches the light and throws it back as movement and depth, which is why it’s always the first thing guests comment on.
On feature walls and curved nibs, small-format mosaics from Academy Tiles hug radius walls, columns and shower curves, turning awkward junctions into sculptural moments.
Patricia Urquiola’s Tierras tiles for Mutina riff on Mediterranean craft and sedimented colour, giving you that layered, contemporary-but-warm surface designers obsess over. Use them where you’d normally go “plain white, thanks” and watch the room wake up.
We are using Patricia Urquiola tiles in our Parkside renovation project for the bathroom and also to fully tile a fireplace. Our photoshoot will happen soon and you won’t want to miss it! The project is dark and moody highlighted by metallic tiles, insane wallpaper, and dramatic lighting.
Monochromatic bathroom with curved wall (LHS) and bathroom with feature geometric emerald tiles from Homes to Love. Minimalist Japandi bathroom (RHS) with curved wall tiles designed by Plush Design Interiors.
Tile Inspiration: Five No-Vanilla Tile Project Ideas
Tiles of Ezra – Design Down Under, Montrose House “Cedarwood Charmer”
Greg Natale – Glamorous Pink Bathroom with Decorative Mosaic Walls for Bisazza
Plush Design Interiors - Moroccan Kitchen Splashback Tiles that Add Colour and Pattern to an Adelaide Hills Family Kitchen
Simone Haag - Design Influencer who Uses Bold Tiles in Interesting Ways
Homes To Love - Bold Patterned Tile Bathrooms Roundup
Each of these shows tiles doing the heavy lifting of mood, not just maintenance.
How Can I Be Sure I’m Choosing The Right Tile?
So, here’s the thing: tiles were never meant to be the quiet, well‑behaved background of your renovation – they’re the attitude, the architecture and the instant mood upgrade. When you choose them with intention (and a little bit of courage), your stylish tile floors, feature tiled walls, handmade Moroccan Zellige splashback tiles, and curved wall tiles stop looking “newly tiled” and start looking custom, curated and deeply you.
If your Pinterest board is full of bold bathrooms and colour‑drenched kitchens but your shopping cart keeps slipping back to “just white”, that’s your sign to pause and push harder.
This is only part one of my finishes series – tiles are the opening act, with wallpaper, metal, natural stone and wood veneer all lining up to join your no‑vanilla toolkit.
If you’re ready to ditch builder-basic and design a home with a pulse, not a paint chart, here’s your move:
Save this post to your renovation folder.
Share it with the partner/friend/parent who keeps saying “but what about resale?”.
Then, when you’re serious about planning a space that doesn’t bore you in three years, get in touch and let’s make your tiles misbehave in all the right ways.
Your home doesn’t need more beige. It needs more YOU – and your tiles are the perfect place to start.
Love, Penelope xx
Interior Designer + Author of ‘Don’t Get Ripped Off By Your Reno’ and ‘A Home With A Pulse’. Both available on my e-book interior design and renovation resources page on my website.
Plush Design Interiors uses AI‑generated imagery to help illustrate design concepts and possibilities in a fast, flexible and cost‑effective way. These images are inspirational visualisations only and may not represent final selections, exact colours, finishes or products available in Australia. All real‑world Plush Design Interiors work, including all design, specifications, selections and purchases, are curated by a human interior designer and are confirmed with clients using accurate samples, supplier information and detailed documentation before any work proceeds.
How To Use Tiles FAQ ‘s
Are bold tiles going to date my renovation?
A: Beige is what dates a renovation, not personality. Strong colour and pattern feel timeless when they’re aligned with your vibe and the architecture, not whatever was on the discount pallet.
Can I use the same tile on floors, walls and splashback?
A: Yes – and it often looks incredibly intentional – as long as you vary the scale, layout or finish. Think matt on the floor, gloss on the wall, herringbone on the splashback.
Are handmade tiles worth the investment?
A: Handmade Zellige or artisan-style pieces cost more per square metre, but you need less to make an impact. One feature wall or splashback can elevate an otherwise simple fit-out.
What tile finish is best for a family home?
A: Porcelain with a slip rating (like P3-rated collections) gives you family-friendly practicality without sacrificing looks. Use textured or matt finishes in wet zones and higher-traffic areas.
Can tiles work on curved walls or niches?
A: Absolutely – smaller mosaics and slim formats wrap curves beautifully and look custom. They turn an “expensive detail” into a hero moment.
How do I choose tile colours that won’t scare buyers?
A: Aim for confident, not chaotic. Earthy greens, rusts, blushes and inky blues feel sophisticated and photograph beautifully, which is exactly what buyers respond to.
