A ceramic wall tile system
Most wall tiles come in one shape and a few colors. This range works the other way: its main glaze colors are repeated across subway, picket, chevron, hexagon, diamond and teardrop shapes. The result is a kit of parts. A shower wall in Caramel subway, a niche in Caramel hexagon and a border in Caramel chevron all share one glaze, so the change of shape reads as a design decision, not a mismatch.
The colors are also designed to sit together, so they can be combined across the palette: Pebble with Midnight, Blush with Coffee, Seafoam with Acorn. Planned mixing across colors and shapes is what this glossy ceramic wall tile system is built for.
Which colors have the fullest set
Not every color comes in every piece. Acorn, Caramel, Coffee and Midnight have the widest choice. Acorn comes in 3x6, 3x9 and 4x12 subway, picket, chevron, Hexagon 5, Diamante, Tear Field and the Hermes. Caramel has subway in 3x6 and 4x12, picket, chevron, Hexagon 5, Diamante, Longest Hexagon and Tear Field, and Coffee has the same set without the chevron but with a 3x9 subway. Midnight comes in subway, picket, chevron, Diamante, Longest Hexagon and Tear Field, plus a matching edge trim. Pebble and Blush follow closely, Pebble with the Tear Field and Blush with the chevron, both with subway, picket, Hexagon 5, Diamante and Longest Hexagon. Seafoam covers subway, picket, chevron, Hexagon 5 and Diamante, Sage Jade comes in subway, Hexagon 5 and Diamante, and Sage in a 3x9 subway and the Tear Field.
Mist, Powder, Sand, Ebony, Cloud and Conch come in the 3x6 subway. Those colors suit a single-shape wall, or work as the quieter partner next to one of the fuller-range colors.
The color palette
The palette leans soft and warm. The greens run from a pale Sage to a deeper Sage Jade; the blues from Powder to Seafoam; the warm neutrals through Sand, Acorn, Caramel and Coffee; and the pinks in a dusty Blush. Pebble and Mist are the soft grays, Cloud a white with a multi-finish face, and Midnight and Ebony the darks.
Glossy is the finish on nearly every piece. A high gloss deepens a glaze color and reflects light back into a bathroom or kitchen, and on soft colors such as Blush and Seafoam it gives the slightly vintage, enamel-like look this palette is designed for. A few matte pieces, such as Conch subway and the Riad zellige look, offer a quieter surface in the same family.
Subway and picket shapes
The subway tile comes in 3x6, the classic proportion, in 3x9 for a slightly longer line, and in 4x12 for an elongated, contemporary wall. All three can be laid in a running bond, a stacked grid or a vertical stack, and the full subway range across all materials is in subway tile.
The 3x6 picket has pointed ends, so the tiles fit together in a row of arrow shapes. Picket tile gives a wall the rhythm of a subway with a more decorative outline, and in a soft glaze such as Blush or Seafoam it reads as a feature without needing a pattern in the glaze.
Chevron, hexagon and diamond shapes
The 2x6 chevron tiles are cut at an angle so that two rows meet in a continuous zigzag, a cleaner version of herringbone with the joints aligned on a center line. The Hexagon 5 is a 5 inch hexagon, a size between a small mosaic hexagon and a large floor hexagon, and the Longest Hexagon is a stretched 3x7 7/8 version whose angled ends give it the outline of a picket.
The Diamante 6x6 brings a diamond outline to the range, the Tear Field at 3 5/8x8 is a teardrop shape whose rows form a scale pattern, and the Hermes at 3x7 7/8 is a shaped tile made in Acorn. These shapes suit a feature wall, a niche or the area behind a range, where a viewer stands close enough to see the outline of each piece.
Zellige look ceramic
A small group of 4x4 tiles, Blanche, Alfiz, Andalus, Riad and Tangier in Cotton, brings the look of Moroccan zellige to the range: glossy or matte glazes with variation in tone and a slightly irregular surface, set in the classic square. They give the handmade character of zellige with the regular body and edges of a manufactured ceramic tile, so the joints stay straight. The handmade side of the craft is in zellige tile.
Finishing the edges
The range includes a Midnight Edge Trim, a narrow 3/8x6 liner strip that finishes an exposed edge such as the side of a niche or the end of a backsplash. In Midnight it can match a Midnight wall or run as a dark outline around a lighter color, Midnight on Pebble for example. For the other colors, an exposed edge is commonly finished with a metal profile or a stone or ceramic liner from the wider tile trim range.
Mixing shapes in one color
A single color across several shapes is the simplest way to use the range. A bathroom might run 3x6 subway on the walls, the Hexagon 5 behind the vanity, and a chevron band at eye level, all in Caramel. The eye reads one color and enjoys the change of pattern.
Mixing two colors works best when they share a temperature: Coffee and Caramel, Sage and Pebble, Blush and Sand. A dark color such as Midnight works as an accent against a light one, in a stripe, a niche or an edge line, more easily than as an equal partner across a whole wall.
Grout with glossy colored tile
On colored glossy tile, grout either disappears or draws. A grout close to the glaze color, a warm tan with Caramel or a soft green-gray with Sage, lets the wall read as one sheet of color and lets the shape of the tile carry the pattern. A white grout outlines every piece, which suits picket, hexagon and teardrop shapes where the outline is the point.
A darker grout under a light glaze, charcoal with Pebble for example, gives a graphic, vintage look. Shaped tiles such as the Tear Field have curved joints, and a matched grout keeps those curves soft while a contrasting one makes them the focus of the wall.
Ceramic wall tile in bathrooms
Glazed ceramic is a natural bathroom wall tile: the glaze sheds water and wipes clean, and the tile is light and easy to cut around fixtures and windows. Walls in a shower, around a tub or as a wainscot all suit this range.
On a shower floor or a bathroom floor, a floor-rated tile is the usual choice, and these glossy wall tiles are made for walls. A common pairing is a glossy colored wall above a matte porcelain or stone floor in a related tone. The wider bathroom range is in bathroom tile.
Color in a small room
Soft glossy colors behave well in small rooms. A pale Seafoam, Powder or Blush wall reflects light almost as well as white while giving a powder room or a small bath a clear personality, and the gloss keeps a mid-tone like Pebble from feeling heavy. Deep colors such as Midnight or Coffee make a small room feel enclosed and intimate, which can be the point in a powder room or behind a bar.
In a small space, one color on the walls with a change of shape for interest usually reads better than several colors. Two colors work best when one covers most of the area and the other is limited to a niche or a band.
Ceramic wall tile in kitchens
In a kitchen, the range suits backsplashes, range walls and open shelving walls. A glossy glaze wipes clean of splashes, and the soft colors suit both white cabinets and wood. The 4x12 subway in a muted green or warm Caramel gives a calm, modern backsplash; the picket or Tear Field shape behind a range creates a focal point; and a stacked 4x12 can run all the way up to the cabinets.
Thickness and handling
Most field tiles are listed at 3/8 inch thick, a standard wall tile thickness. Glazed ceramic is lighter than porcelain and cuts cleanly, which helps on walls full of outlets and corners. The broader ceramic range is in ceramic wall tile.
