Natural tiles, modestly displayed provide a cutting edge

Ornate is out of style. Simple is "in" - when it comes to tile, at least.

Today's tile work for both walls and floors is trending toward a cleaner, less complicated look, according to Susan Brunstrum, owner of Sweet Peas Design of Libertyville.

"In the last five years or so, tile design was getting very ornate, just like the trend in custom window treatments," she explained. Now the preference is for a neutral palette in which homeowners and designers choose to use the same or similar materials, yet mix the size, pattern, finish and textures of the tiles.

"Tile is not cheap so I advocate that you stay on the neutral side with this expensive material, and then you can bring a pop of color into the room through less expensive items like paint on the walls, fabrics, rugs and seat covers," Brunstrum said.

The other big trend in tile, she said, is the use of natural stone tiles (onyx, travertine, limestone, slate, marble or granite) or ceramic or porcelain tiles that look like those natural stones.

In general, homeowners renovating or building homes today are choosing to have polished natural stone tiles on their walls and honed, tumbled, brushed or antique stones for a warmer, less institutional look on their floors, Brunstrum and her tile supplier, Scott Anderson of Chadwick's Surfaces International of Libertyville, agreed.

Quarries around the world are processing natural stone into tiles approximately three-eighths-inch thick, which can be installed on walls or floors.

And in some cases, stone and tilework from Europe and the Middle East is being recycled here in the United States. For instance, uneven stones from Jerusalem walkways are being systematically replaced with smooth stones that people can more easily traverse, Anderson explained. The old stones (in some cases, ancient stones) are being purchased by American distributors like Chadwick's for use in American homes and businesses.

"The Israelis consider these old clunky pavers an annoyance so they are happy to get rid of them," he said.

One of Brunstrum's Libertyville clients chose to have this reclaimed Jerusalem limestone installed as the backsplashes of her kitchen and butler's pantry, coupled with a honed granite countertop, in order to make her newly built home look like it has already stood the test of time.

"Honed surfaces on countertops and floors hide everything. You don't see every little spill, so people love them," Brunstrum said. "I try to encourage people to use honed or brushed surfaces on backsplashes for the same reason. Then every little spatter won't be seen."

There is usually one element of a home or room that sets the palette for the entire house or room, Brunstrum said. In the case of the Libertyville homeowner, it was the Oriana honed granite slab that she chose for her kitchen countertops. Its veins of gold, green and gray set the colors for her other choices - Cameroon slate on the mudroom floor, gold glass tiles on the stove backsplash, sea grass limestone in the master bath, etc.

"With some people the palette is set by the kitchen cabinets they have to have. With others it is a piece of furniture or artwork they already have. With this client it was the granite she chose for her countertops," Brunstrum said.

Mary Moon, another Libertyville client of Sweet Peas Design, keyed her master bathroom renovation off the polished opaline onyx tile she adored.

"You get in those tile and stone places and one thing is more beautiful than the next," Moon said. But she fell in love with the opaline onyx.

"From that starting point we chose a neutral honed limestone for the floor which would work with the wow factor on the walls. We also added key insets of the onyx into the floor to tie walls and floor together," Brunstrum said.

Since onyx is expensive, they tried to be cost conscious by only wainscoting with tile behind the tub and left the rest of the wall as drywall. In the shower they used 12-by-12-inch tiles of the onyx (installed as squares) on the lower portion of the wall and then used 2-by-2-inch tiles of crushed raffia-colored glass as a border. Above the border the same sized squares of onyx were installed on the diagonal for a different look.

"I love, love, love the randomness of the natural opaline onyx tile. It is a clear white with brown veins and rainbow highlights and very hard to find. So we let the natural beauty of the onyx stand on its own," Brunstrum said.

"I feel that using varied shapes and sizes of one tile in an installation allows the beauty of the stone to come out as the tiles flow together with a nice contiguous look," she added.

Scott Anderson at Chadwick's Surfaces International agreed. "The stone has so much character itself that we like to see it enhanced with only a little subtle molding. It just needs a little relief or a tile shape change partway up the wall."

In terms of stone material, he said right now the company sees the highest demand for limestone, travertine, marble and onyx.

Travertine "is kind of a cross between limestone and marble and it features beautiful veins of bright colors." It is primarily quarried in areas of Italy, Turkey and the United States where there are hot springs.

Onyx is found in the same places, he said, but it is a dressier stone with a mixture of colors like white, green, gold and red.

Limestone is a more casual stone that people like to use in place of hardwood in family rooms, kitchens and bathrooms.

White marble is very hot right now, added Dave Anderson, Chadwick's marketing director.

"People are using it everywhere because we have come a long way since polished marble," he explained. "You are seeing marble honed, tumbled, satin brushed, antiqued and worn so that it looks like it has been exposed to the elements and developed patinas over time. We are also seeing a combination of straight edges, chiseled edges and handworked edges and shapes like rhomboids, hexagons, rectangles and strips."

"We are seeing a movement away from squares in all tiles," Scott Anderson agreed. "They were easy to put in a crate and export. So for many years that is all we saw here. But now that more Americans are traveling and seeing the shapes used in Europe and elsewhere, they are demanding those."

As far as color preferences go, the Andersons said the market has warmed up to stones with gold tonalities, several colors of green including olive, beige with gold running through it, bluish-gray and white with veins of olive and gold.

"These are all considered safe, but not boring," Scott Anderson said.

Grout has also evolved. The trend today is for the grout to match the stone as closely as possible and effectively disappear, according to the Andersons. Polymers have also been added to today's grouts to make them more stain-resistant.

The popularity of radiant heated floors has also made tile floors the choice of many since the gradual release of heat works best under tiled floors, they said.

Damage caused by pets and people is also easily buffed out of most stone.

Those who want the look of natural stone for less money have the option of choosing ceramic or porcelain tile that is manufactured to look like natural stone. Both Brunstrum and the Andersons said there are some very good options available, made primarily in Italy.