Decorator's Address Book is a monthly series in which our Interior Design team finds out where designers like to browse and shop for their projects. Each edition focuses on a different element of home decor to bring you the best expert-recommended stores.
From shiny zellige to retro patterned tiles, sleek modern slabs to handmade mosaics, the options for kitchen tile ideas are endless and pretty overwhelming. So to help you narrow down your search, this month's Decorators Address Book is dedicated to helping you find the very best tile suppliers for your kitchen walls or floors.
Serving as a practical wall covering to prevent splashes and spills from ruining your walls, tile can also introduce color, texture, and print into your kitchen in a way that no other materials can so it is important to not see your tile choice as an afterthought. Speaking to expert interior designers who do this for a living, we've asked them to share their favorite tile stores and suppliers with us to create a bank of inspiration and recommendations for you.
1. Zia Tile
Abbie Naber, owner and principal designer of A.Naber Design
'We love using Zia Tile in our kitchen designs for a multitude of reasons. First off, they have such a great variety of offerings and selections fit for every type of kitchen imaginable. I love the versatility of their neutral zellige tiles as they are great options that stand the test of time. Lastly, Zia's customer service is exceptional and they're based in California where we are making them a very sensible company to partner with.'
Luis Carmona, owner and interior designer at VERDE Interior Design
'Zia Tile is one of our favorite places to shop for tile. Our design aesthetic is more minimal with the use of muted tones and Zia Tile fits our design profile to the T. They have a great assortment of indoor and outdoor tile that has worked great in bathrooms and kitchens alike. More than the neutral color palette and more muted tones, we love that their tile has a slight matte texture to it which adds to the versatility of the tile. It makes it perfect for use in outdoor kitchens and fireplaces.'
2. Fireclay Tiles
Mollie Ranize, lead interior designer and founder of Dmar Interiors
'As a designer, tile is one of the most fun (and overwhelming) surfaces to shop for because the options are endless. One of our favorite vendors is Fireclay Tile. We love them because they have so many specialty products like these hand-painted tiles that we used in this Spanish Revival home in Santa Barbara. It's so unique not only in its color but texture. They also have every color, size, and shape of tile you could dream up, which makes sourcing for various types of projects that much better.'
Rebecca Ward, principal designer and founder of R Ward Design
'When I need something custom, I turn to Fireclay. The fact that they’re a B Corp and very sustainably focused, makes me feel good about specifying their products. They offer a refreshing variety of shapes and sizes, and their custom color program has proven incredibly helpful when I just had to have the kitchen tiles to match the paint color of the front door for my client.'
Dijana Savic-Jambert, co-founder of Maredi Design
'Our absolute go-to is definitely Fireclay Tile. They are hard to beat for so many reasons, most of all they have really outstanding and quality products that are durable and timeless. But immediately after that is the fact that they are a B-Corp company, something that is extremely important to us when we vet the vendors we choose to work with. Additionally, their products are created thanks to a lot of sustainable practices, including being handmade in the US and offering product transparency disclosures, including Health Product Declarations (HPD). These types of disclosures and transparency labels have never been more necessary in the design world where greenwashing is a common practice among so many brands. It’s companies like Fireclay that really stand out.'
3. Akdo
Young Huh, founder of Young Huh Interior Design
'With tile, I love patterns and patterns that you can play with. I feel like the Kaleidoscope collection from Akdo is for designers to use and manipulate in their own way. Black and white is so timeless, it’s modern and chic and everybody loves it.'
4. Tile Bar
Rebecca Ward, principal designer and founder of R Ward Design
'Tile has always impressed me with the breadth of application and style it can offer to interiors. It’s a timeless material that can truly define a space. One of my go-to suppliers when looking for tile is tilebar.com. Not only do they offer a wide variety of both staple and unique tiles, but their customer service is also excellent. They’re quick to respond, and over the years, I’ve curated a lovely relationship with them.'
5. Ann Sacks
Andrea Lackie, founder of Andrea Lackie Design
'Ann Sacks has a wonderful range of tiles to choose from. Whether you are looking for natural stone, unique patterned ceramic tile, or durable porcelain tile, you can find it all at Ann Sacks. Plus they have great customer service!'
6. The Tile Shop
Briana Gershenzon, partner and chief of design at Renovation Sells
'We love The Tile Shop because of its readily available classic options and featured designer collections, each with a distinct style. One of our go-to’s for kitchen backsplashes is Royal Satin marble. Try it in a 2” x 8” size for an updated proportion.'
7. Nemo Tile + Stone
Arianna Rosenberg, co-founder of Studio Y&A
'We love this elongated subway tile [seen above] from Nemo Tile + Stone. The Bond line in colorway Cotton has the right amount of texture and depth while keeping the space looking neat. White can get boring, but the Cotton when you look up close has granularity in the glaze and the glossy finish leaves a clean appearance. Sometimes we get creative stacking the tiles in different directions, but for this project, we choose to offset them in the standard brick pattern. We love working with Nemo, their products are always durable, well stocked and you can't beat the price point.'
8. Floor & Decor
Briana Gershenzon, partner and chief of design at Renovation Sells
'Floor & Decor is our best-kept secret for kitchen tile because they carry a range of in-stock natural stone options at reasonable price points. If natural stone is out of budget for your countertops, use it on your backsplash instead to get the same effect and variation in color. Statuario marble tile is super impactful with its distinct gray vein. Pair it with a leathered Absolute Black granite countertop to instantly elevate your kitchen.'
8. Heath Ceramics
Sarah Jefferys, principal at Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors
'Quality tile instantly elevates the overall look and perceived value of your home. We turn to our trusted brands like Heath Ceramics and Poham Tile for their variety of tiles from sophisticated elegance to vibrant, playful tile and color options. These brands also offer custom configurations, allowing us to be creative with geometric designs.'
9. Daltile
Luis Carmona, owner and interior designer at VERDE Interior Design
'Daltile is one of our go-to resources for tile. They are accessible with a showroom in the Design District of Dallas and have a wide selection of both indoor and outdoor tiles in all price ranges. We work on a lot of bathroom and kitchen remodels so having a reliable and efficient tile partner is key. Lately, we have been using their large-scale tile in our bathroom projects for both flooring and walls. We love the clean aesthetic of a large tile and the client loves the lack of grout lines that a larger tile provides. It gives the space a bit more of a cleaner look with less hassle of cleaning that stubborn grout.'
10. Bedrosians
Briana Gershenzon, partner and chief of design at Renovation Sells
'The quality of the tile from Bedrosians speaks for itself! With their variety of color options and coordinating components like tile liners and matching mosaics, it’s easy to curate your design scheme. Pair the 2.5” x 5” Marin Ceramic Tile in Aloe Green Gloss with the coordinating liner for a refined and fresh look.'
11. Villa Lagoon
Alexandra Azart, founder and designer at Plaster & Patina
'We love Villa Lagoon! They have a huge number of patterns you can choose from and a customizable platform where you can utilize nearly any color combination to make this tile your own!'
12. Decorative Materials
Kristin Dittmar, founder of Kristin Dittmar Design
'I have a deep appreciation for natural stones; there's something truly special about using products crafted by Mother Nature herself. When it comes to sourcing, I love working with Decorative Materials in Basalt, Colorado. Their exceptional selection and knowledgeable team make the process effortless, and they truly understand how to highlight the beauty of these timeless materials.'
Whether you're planning an entire countertop-to-ceiling tile hanging or a small backsplash, these tile recommendations from the experts are sure to point you in the right direction. After all, it's an expensive purchase to get wrong, so starting with these 5* suppliers should save you stress and money.
