12 bright and breezy coastal-style kitchen tile ideas
If you love the sound of the ocean, the cool sea breeze and feeling sand between your toes, you’re definitely not alone! Although few of us are lucky enough to live by the beach, coastal-style interiors are as popular as ever due to their laid-back, minimalist vibe. If you’re keen to discover the sea-crets to creating a carefree beachy look, keep reading to find out how it’s done.
What is coastal style?
Coastal style is all about creating a relaxed beachy feel in your home and bringing the outdoors in through clever use of colour and texture. Although coastal home style looks modern, it’s not a new concept. For centuries, people have decorated their beachside retreats with ocean-inspired shades and found objects like shells, driftwood and sea glass.
The casual and relaxed coastal style is easy to adopt. Embrace shades of sea blue and green, and add interest with wood and natural materials. Coastal-style interiors are bright and airy, rather than dark and cosy so keep that in mind when choosing furniture and materials.
How can I get the coastal look with tiles?
If you’re keen to introduce a coastal theme to your kitchen, choosing the right tiles is key to achieving the beachy look.
Using pale-coloured floor tiles and light wall tiles will help to create a bright, open feel. Wood effect and large-format stone tiles are a great choice for floors, whereas glossy wall tiles will reflect light and help to create a feeling of space. You don’t need a palatial kitchen to embrace the coastal look, small spaces can be opened up with bright, reflective tiles.
Colour plays an important role in creating a laid-back coastal feel. Choose shades of sea blue or green for the wall tiles or stick to a lighter theme with white, bright green or paler blue hues. You can also create a beautiful ombre effect by fitting different shades of blue or green along a splashback.
Coastal-style kitchen tile ideas
Take time to explore the range of tiles available and use them to help you create a dreamy, beachy kitchen. We’ve selected our top pick of the most beautiful coastal-style kitchens to inspire you:
Create an ombre feature wall
Bring the colours of the sea into your kitchen with an incredibly striking ombre feature wall. Choose smooth, glossy tiles for the best effect. Metro tiles are always a popular choice as they’re so easy to fit and can be laid in several different patterns.
Fit rustic zellige wall tiles
If you prefer a plainer colour palette, stick to a pale colour scheme and include plenty of wood to add texture and interest.
With their imperfect surface texture, zellige tiles are ideal for adding interest to walls. Keep spaces really tight between these tiles for the best effect.
Lay a seaside-inspired wooden floor
Wood is a key feature in coastal décor and all coastal-style kitchens will feature wood somewhere. Wooden floors are especially popular in coastal-style homes, it’s a neutral, timeless material that adds rustic charm to any room.
Wood-effect floor tiles come in a range of shades and styles, allowing you to create a practical floor that can easily withstand everyday spills, stains and scratches.
Make waves with a feature-tiled splashback
Coastal style is famed for its simple, minimalistic look. White cabinets and wooden floors are the go-to for most kitchens, often teamed with white tiled walls. If you want to break this up a little, consider adding a feature tiled splashback, the small area above the oven is a popular spot.
Choose bold patterned tiles, create a design of your own with multi-coloured tiles or fit beautiful glass mosaics for a welcome splash of colour.
Add colour with a deep blue metro tile splashback
Although coastal-style interiors usually favour light colours, there’s no reason at all why you can’t inject a deeper colour into your design.
Deep, sea-blue tiles make a striking contrast next to white wall cabinets and crisp white grout keeps them looking fresh.
Keep it simple with glossy white metro wall tiles
One of the most classic kitchen tiles, metro tiles are elegant, understated and best of all, budget-friendly. As well suited to high-end Hamptonesque properties as they are in rural cottages, these tiles look good everywhere. Mix it up with different tile layouts and grout colours, or stick with the classic and timeless brick bond.
You can add warmth to a pristine all-white kitchen with wooden floors, furniture and accessories.
Recreate this look: Rio Blanco with Silver Grey Grout
Fit mer-mazing scallop tiles
What better way to bring the seaside into your kitchen than by fitting a wall of fabulous scallop tiles? Get hooked on these beautiful fan-shaped tiles that originate from Morocco and have been used to decorate homes and buildings since the 8th Century.
You can choose from a range of colours and finishes allowing you to keep the look more neutral or add interest with a shimmering splashback of iridescent glass fish scale tiles.
Keep it bright and airy with pale blue wall tiles
Light wooden floors, white cabinets, plenty of natural light and glossy pale wall tiles epitomise the casual and elegant coastal kitchen style.
Using coloured wall tiles is an effective way to add interest and character to a neutrally decorated kitchen and if you choose a light, ocean-inspired shade, it’ll help you to nail the coastal look perfectly.
Mix it up with shades of sea green
If you prefer a soft sea green to a brilliant shade of blue, you can easily work this colour into your coastal-style kitchen.
Creating a statement area above a cooker or tiling an eye-catching splashback behind the sink is a great way to use feature tiles. Be creative with the colours you choose and the way you lay the tiles. A herringbone lay is ideal for a coastal theme as the shape mimics the movement of the waves.
Get a modern coastal look with concrete floor tiles
Although wooden floors abound in coastal homes, there’s a growing trend for more modern concrete flooring. Sleek and rustic, it blends in well with the stripped-back coastal theme.
Porcelain concrete-effect tiles are an incredibly practical choice for a kitchen and you can continue them out onto the patio area for a seamless look.
Be creative with multi-tonal mosaic tiles
Mosaic tiles are ideal for adding interest to nooks and crannies in the kitchen. Mosaics made from shell or glass will reflect the light and add a luxurious touch to the relaxed coastal look.
Fit bright and elegant marble tiles
Cool, sleek marble seems to fit in with just about every style of kitchen and coastal is no exception. This beautiful, natural material can be used to create a high-end luxury look or, if you opt for more rustic tumbled marble, a more casual and relaxed style.
Alternatively you could opt for the lower maintenance marble-effect porcelain tiles which have all the luxurious appearance without the upkeep required for natural stone products.
Top tips for getting the coastal-style kitchen look with tiles
- Neutral colours and natural materials with pops of ocean-inspired colours are the way to go if you want to get an authentic coastal look in your kitchen.
- There is an enormous choice of tiles, especially wall tiles, out there and it can be tricky to know where to start. Pick wall tiles in shades of green or blue or add coastal touches with mermaid tiles or real shell mosaic tiles.
- Wood or concrete effect floor tiles are a key feature in coastal kitchens and are a really practical option.
- If you’re creating a kitchen filled with different colours and textures, it’s a great idea to create a mood board where you can put sample tiles, paint and fabric together to see what works best.
Atlas Ceramics has a wide range of coastal-style wall and floor tiles to help you get the look in your kitchen. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.