Under the spotlight: Tiles in herringbone pattern

When renovating, remodelling, or building a new home or commercial property, you are faced with countless choices. Which roof tiles should I choose? Which bricks will we use? What colour window frames should we get? What colour paint will be on the wall? Which tiles do we choose for the bathroom or toilet?

Lots of choices

It's a process you have to grit your teeth through before you can enjoy the end result. When choosing tiles for a bathroom, a toilet, a floor, the kitchen, or another destination, it's not made easy for you. There is a LOT of choice, and sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees. This often results in opting for standard options to avoid taking too many risks. We believe that with tiles, you should go for the daring, unique option. It creates atmosphere in your home and is often an eye-catcher that can determine how a space feels. When choosing tiles, you don't just look at the type of tile, but also at the pattern in which you are going to lay the tile.

Choose elongated tiles and a herringbone pattern

You could also use some help. In this blog post, we examine the herringbone pattern and herringbone tiles. Hopefully, you'll be as enthusiastic about it as we are, and we can help you with one of the many choices you need to make for your project. We already see it a lot with floors. Parquet is laid in a herringbone pattern to create a classic look.

This classic appearance is therefore often associated with the herringbone pattern itself. However, this is not true! Creating herringbone patterns with tiles can be done in a very trendy way. You can choose crazy colours, different sizes, and different tile motifs.

Herringbone pattern tiles under the magnifying glass

As you can see in photo 1, you create a herringbone pattern by placing elongated tiles diagonally and at right angles to each other. Not only are elongated tiles much cooler than the standard square white ones, but with elongated rectangular tiles, you can, for example, create a herringbone pattern. A herringbone pattern is often confused with a chevron pattern. In the blog post about the difference between herringbone tiles and chevron tiles, we explain the difference between these two.

Choosing elongated tiles for a herringbone pattern

To create a herringbone pattern, you only need one component: tiles. Not every tile is suitable for making a herringbone pattern. Make sure to choose elongated or rectangular tiles. It doesn't matter how long these tiles are. If you ask us: the longer, the better. When you choose long and narrow tiles, you create calm. Fewer lines and fewer joints. The smaller the tile, the busier the pattern appears.

In the third photo, you see a nice example of elongated tiles in a herringbone pattern. These specific tiles are handmade Spanish tiles in the size 5 x 25 cm. You can, of course, vary the size and colour to your taste.

Different tile sizes suitable for herringbone pattern

As mentioned earlier, almost all rectangular or elongated tiles are suitable for creating a herringbone pattern. We have listed the 5 most popular sizes for wall tiles in a herringbone pattern and the 5 most popular sizes for floor tiles in a herringbone pattern below.

5 popular wall tile sizes for herringbone

- 5x25cm tiles
- 6.5x13cm tiles
- 6.5x 20cm tiles
- 7.5x30cm tiles
- 10x30 cm tiles

5 popular floor tile sizes for herringbone

- 60x120cm tiles
- 30x60cm tiles
- 20x80cm tiles
- 30x120cm tiles
- 10x60 cm tiles

Herringbone pattern tiles for optically larger rooms

You wouldn't think so, but a herringbone pattern creates space. At first, you might think that herringbone tiles create busyness and make a wall or floor appear optically smaller. However, the opposite is true. A herringbone pattern on the wall or floor can actually make a room appear optically larger. When you point the ends of the tiles towards the corners of a wall, you also direct the eye in that direction. You no longer focus on a small wall but are automatically guided to other areas in a room.

Different colours and patterns of tiles

For years, it has been a trend to choose anthracite, grey, white, black or other dull colours in and around your home. We at Solza would like to change this trend towards more colour, atmosphere and warmth in your home. Why not choose a striking, unusual colour tile? Or choose a tile with a striking pattern, such as a Portuguese pattern. Nothing is too crazy when it comes to tiles. If you do choose something striking, make sure to create contrast with calm elements in your home. You can do this with the decor of your home or business premises, or you can paint the other 3 walls in your room a calm, neutral colour.

Herringbone tile Inspiration

Now that we've explained everything about it, it's time for some herringbone inspiration. Perhaps you'll see something beautiful and also choose this classic pattern with a new look. Whether you want to buy floor tiles or wall tiles. The herringbone pattern is almost always an added value.