Add a Slice of Holiday to Your Home Renovation
There’s no denying it, the post-holiday blues are a real thing. Especially if you’ve just come back to rainy old Ireland from somewhere sunny, hot and tranquil, like the Mediterranean.
We’ve all experienced it! One moment you’re surrounded by gorgeous architecture, blue skies, silver sands, AirBnBs or hotel rooms to die for, and the next you’re back in the cold Irish climate, looking at your plain grey kitchen tiling…
If you’re intrigued by the idea of reviving a worn out colour scheme, and bringing the Mediterranean to your home renovation project, then we’ve got some good news.
Read on to discover the full range of Mediterranean tile options available to buy in Ireland.
When we think of ‘Mediterranean tiles’, we’re thinking of bright, bold colours and eye-catching patterns. We’re thinking of cool kitchen floors, hallways and bathrooms pleasing to the eye.
In fact, what we think of as Mediterranean tiles are largely inspired by the artistic traditions of the Islamic Moors – medieval residents of Mediterranean countries on the African continent, like Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria.
A thousand or so years ago, Arabic Muslims moved through the Mediterranean, conquering as they went, and in their wake they left generations and generations of artists inspired by the pattern-oriented approach to art and architecture for which Islam is still famous to this day.
The process of creating Moorish Mediterranean tiles – known as zellīj – is so complex and involved that, traditionally, masters would begin teaching the next generation of tile-makers from as young as 5 years old.
The tiles you were admiring recently on your holiday to Spain, Morocco, Italy, France or Portugal are, you guessed it, direct descendents of zellīj. Luckily for you, you don’t have to live in the Mediterranean to replicate its vibe
At first, you might be a little surprised to learn just how effective Mediterranean tiles in Irish home renovation projects can be. After all, we’ve become so used to neutral tones, minimalist styles, and inherited taste from starker days, that it’s easy to dismiss bringing colour and pattern to your home as something that just wouldn’t work.
But that’s where you’d be wrong. In fact, just recently, Tile Merchant supplied tiles and other materials to a number of super exciting renovation projects in Dublin and Kildare, and watched as these proud Irish homeowners transformed their gardens into Mediterranean oases.
Because the truth is, you can really use Mediterranean tiles anywhere you like in the home (or garden!), regardless of the fact that we’re in Ireland. Just because the weather can often be dreich doesn’t mean our homes also have to be.
Tile Merchant offers a wide range of tiles for use in every room in the house. When using pattern tiles, hexagon tiles, or Mediterranean-style tiles, however, we recommend that you balance out these strong patterns with something else more relaxing to the eye.
For example, if you were to install a kitchen floor using Mediterranean tiles, we’d typically suggest you opt for a neutral toned large tile or paint colour for the walls.
We’re confident that if you give colour and pattern a try, you’ll even notice a positive change in your day-to-day mood.
Tile Merchant is one of Ireland’s premium home and garden suppliers. We’re truly passionate about helping our customers turn their houses into dream homes, and embarking upon DIY or professional renovation projects which add flair, class, substance and style to the Irish home market.
We stock three particular types of tile which replicate the Mediterranean style most accurately, and which have proved extremely popular with Irish homeowners seeking to bring a slice of holiday back home with them.
To order free samples of any of the below tile styles, just head to the product page on our website and select the Free Sample option! Alternatively, pop into one of our three showrooms (two in Dublin, one in Ashbourne, Co. Meath) for a tour!
The hexagon shape is the most instantly-recognisable of all Mediterranean tiles. Interlocking on each of their six sides, our hexagon Mediterranean tiles create a web of alluring patterns wherever they’re installed.
We find that our hexagon tiles are particularly effective in bathrooms and toilets (typically small spaces, which benefit from a splash of colour and pattern), as well as for kitchen floors and splashbacks shaped unconventionally.
Featuring 24 different face designs, our most summery and bright hexagon tiles have to be the mixed colour Kasbah series, perfect for bathroom, kitchen and sunroom floors.
If, however, you’re going for something a little quieter, we recommend checking out our Lilypad range, with colours ranging from warm orange to cool Mediterranean blue.
We’re extra-specially proud of our patterned tiles, here at Tile Merchant, simply thanks to the incredible range of tastes, styles, decor-matching and colour palettes they offer the Irish homeowner.
Including our hexagon tiles, our pattern tiles are most-commonly square or rectangular, and are the most varied in terms of design. This also makes this category of our tiles the most diverse in terms of potential use.
Whether you want to throw up a tiled feature wall in the master bedroom, decorate the hall floor, revamp the patio or bring some Mediterranean levity to the kitchen, our pattern tiles will help you achieve the vision in your head.
We’ve got Décor Hydraulic tiles, multi-patterned and immediately reminiscent of a Spanish castille. They’re simply beautiful, combining a mix of rust & taupe shades with sky- and sea- blues on a matt surface of Spanish porcelain.
For a simpler, more uniform yet equally bold style, you could always turn to our Stella Azul Porcelain matt tile. Or, for a punchy black-and-white statement piece, why not check out our Devonstone satin tiles instead.
Last, but most certainly not least, is our Laura Ashley designer range of Mediterranean tiles for the Irish home improvement market. Sourced from the ever-popular Laura Ashley catalogue, we’re excited to stock this curated range of six different designer tile patterns.
If you love the Mediterranean style, but feel it’s too “loud”, “bold”, or “colourful” for your home, then we highly suggest you check out this selection. With simple star patterns forming their core, the Laura Ashley Mediterranean tiles we have in stock are a much quieter choice, and come in generally-muter colours than our other Mediterranean tile options.
There’s the Mister Jones Midnight series, for example, which could look great in a laundry room or larder. And then there’s the Dove Grey Wicker pattern tiles, which remind me of a sandy beach, and can gently raise the brightness and temperature in any room (but especially a small one!)
Your annual holiday to Tenerife, Palma, Porto or Sicily, Marrakech, Algiers, Malta or Marseille, should not be the only time a year you get to feast your eyes on the artistic splendour, colour and warmth of the Mediterranean world. Now, you can bring the Mediterranean back to Ireland with you by factoring in Mediterranean tiles to your Irish home renovation project.
Tile Merchant stocks a huge range of hexagon, pattern, and Laura Ashley designer Mediterranean tiles which we can deliver to any home in the country. You can even try before you buy with our free sample service. If you’ve got any questions, just pop into one of our showrooms, or give us a call. We’re here to help!
We offer extremely competitive pricing on our entire range of tiles and likewise. We stock a huge range of wall and floor tiles and our prices are competitive for retail and trade. Our stock is widely available in our showrooms in Dublin and Ashbourne (Co. Meath) which are open 7 days a week
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Alternatively, if you’d prefer to shop our tiles online, we can supply you with samples delivered for free.
Blog by Calum
Tile Merchant
Cal Bannerman is a freelance writer, editor, podcaster and voice actor from the Scottish Borders. They run the storytelling podcast “Stories from the Hearth”, and live in a wee Glasgow flat with their partner and cat.
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