12 Craftsman Kitchen Tile Ideas

Beautifully crafted, rustic-looking kitchens are homely and durable and installing a bespoke, handmade kitchen is one of the most elegant ways to enhance your living space.

Handmade kitchens are rapidly growing in popularity. They’re a perfect way to create a dream kitchen that contains everything you need, they can be designed to your exact specifications and, best of all, each one is unique.

Keep reading to find out what defines a craftsman kitchen and discover the most beautiful tiles to complement this artisanal style.

Create your bespoke kitchen to your own specifications and add your unique stamp on it with your choice of inspiring tiles from the vast range of shapes, colours, designs and sizes available now

Image credit: @airy_kitchens

Recommended Tile: Kesha Bottiglia

What is a Craftsman kitchen?

Also known as American Craftsman, this earthy, rustic style took its name from the design-led Craftsman magazine.

Craftsman kitchens combine natural materials and are typically made of unpainted wood like oak, maple or cherry. Often simple and understated, craftsman kitchens are known for the following characteristics:

• Handmade, solid wood cabinets, often with feature details like frames, dovetail joints and simple carvings
• Stone or wooden worktops
• Rustic, earthy colours
• Attractive artisan elements like tiles and stone worktops

What tiles can I use in a craftsman kitchen?

Craftsman kitchens are one of the most attractive kitchen designs and often the beauty of their cabinetry requires nothing more than a simple tiled floor or splashback to complement them.

Because craftsman kitchens utilise natural materials, they provide the perfect backdrop for almost every tile type. Whether you prefer an earthier look or want to introduce a pop of colour, there is a vast range of tile sizes, shapes, colours and finishes to choose from.

Some of our favourite tiles include:

• Natural stone tiles, particularly rustic stones like slate and limestone
• Wood-effect porcelain tiles
• Classic metro tiles
• Square porcelain tiles
• Patterned tiles

Craftsman kitchen tile ideas

If you’ve decided to take the plunge and install a handmade wooden kitchen or have inherited a craftsman-style kitchen and want to revamp the tiles, keep reading to uncover our pick of the best craftsman kitchen tile ideas:

White wall tiles

Handcrafted wooden kitchens certainly know how to pack a style punch, so sometimes it’s easiest to let the cupboards take centre stage and choose simple, understated tiles.

Although plain white tiles might not seem very adventurous, they’re subtle and elegant and you’ll never go off them. They’re also one of the most budget-friendly tiles to choose which can be welcome news after fitting an expensive bespoke kitchen.

Enduring and timeless white tiles are also inexpensive and create an ideal background for your craftsman kitchen as they can be easily combined with any bespoke style you chose.

Image credit: @airy_kitchens

Recommended Tile: Rio Blanco 

Patterned floor tiles

Plain wooden kitchen cabinets provide a wonderfully neutral backdrop, so if you’re a lover of pattern, filling a floor with boldly patterned tiles can provide an attractive and welcome contrast in a craftsman kitchen.

Moroccan-style and handpainted kitchen tiles will suit the rustic, handmade craftsman look.

Create a statement with patterned floor tiles, the options are endless.

Image credit: @handmadekatie

Recommended Tile: Damask Series Decor 7

Slate floor tiles

Natural materials such as wood and stone are staples of the craftsman look so it makes perfect sense to choose natural tiles for a handcrafted craftsman kitchen.

Slate is extremely versatile, working well in modern and more rustic-style kitchens. You can choose natural slate tiles with their attractive natural variations or opt for realistic slate-effect porcelain tiles.

For your natural craftsman kitchen, combine realistic slate effect porcelain, which is multifaceted and easy to maintain with any natural stone or wood worktops and cupboards, giving a beautiful finish every time.

Image credit: @airy_kitchens

Recommended Tile: Welsh Porcelain Slate

Decorative splashback tiles

Create a striking centrepiece above a large oven by fitting patterned tiles or laying plainer tiles in a distinctive pattern.  Tiles provide the perfect opportunity to experiment with texture and colour, creating a dazzling contrast between the different materials.

A charming feature wall can be created using patterned tiles or laying plain tiles in a unique way.  Tiles are ideal to experiment with texture, colour and size.

Image credit: @jghollinsbuilders

Recommended Tile: Emilia Sage

Metro tiles

One of the most versatile tile styles, metro tiles are a great solution for all sizes and styles of kitchen.  With the ability to add a contemporary or traditional touch to any space, you can find metro tiles in many different types of stone as well as glass and porcelain.

One of the best things about metro tiles, apart from their great looks and sheer range of materials and styles to choose from, is the myriad ways in which they can be laid. From brick bond to herringbone and more contemporary stacked layouts, metro tiles are the perfect partner for craftsman cabinets.

Metro tiles are extremely versatile both in their usage and designs, available in several different types of stone, glass and porcelain. Highly adaptable to contemporary or traditional kitchens

Image credit: @liveedgedetroit

Recommended Tile: Dorset Smooth White 

Patterned tiles

Kitchen splashbacks provide plenty of opportunities to get creative with tiles. Bold patterns and eye-catching designs provide a welcome contrast to warm wooden furniture. One big advantage of neutral kitchen cabinets is that any colour of tile will go with them, it might not help you narrow down your tile choice, but you won’t need to worry about colour clashes.

Bold patterns and designs always add an extra dimension to your craftsmans kitchen, beautifully complementing more natural materials and colours.

Image credit: @kateroosdesign

Recommended Tile: Regal

Shaped tiles

Craftsman kitchens usually feature beautifully designed, framed kitchen cabinets and an attention to detail that is unusual in mass-produced kitchen furniture.

This doesn’t mean that you need to stick to plain tiles, if you’ve got large areas of wall to fill, consider using hexagonal tiles. They’re attractive, easy to fit and perfect for creating subtle interest. Hexagon tiles are becoming increasingly popular so the range of colours and materials is constantly growing.

Hexagonal tiles are delightfully different yet can be subtle and very stylish, certain to add a unique touch to your craftsman kitchen design

Image credit: @gohomebuilders

Recommended Tile: Saona Hexagon

Art Deco-style splashback tiles

Add a traditional twist to a craftsman kitchen with decadent Art Deco-style wall tiles.  Perfect for adding a luxurious touch, elegant tiles will work perfectly next to skillfully designed kitchen cabinets.

Image credit: @neilkellycompany

Recommended Tile: Canyon Mosaic 

Decorative wall tiles

Craftsman kitchens are built from attractive natural woods like oak and cherry, the natural beauty of the wood being part of the characteristic design, but if you’ve got painted craftsman kitchen cabinets, you can pair them with a wider selection of tiles.

The natural textures in real wood provide a huge amount of contrast and visual interest that you won’t get with plain, painted cupboards. This means you can experiment with more detailed tiles like mosaics and unusual shapes and explore different textures like tumbled stone, glass and even mother of pearl.

Image credit: @3adesignstudio

Recommended Tile: Fern Floral Decor 

Contemporary rectangular tiles

Craftsman kitchens are often seen as traditional, but they have a timeless charm and versatility that means they can look contemporary too.  If you’re styling a modern craftsman kitchen, plain tiles are a great choice. Rectangular shapes are perfect for modern kitchens and you can choose from a wide range of colours and tile layouts.

Image credit: @theensuite_brantford

Recommended Tile: Rio Verde

Traditional stone floor tiles

Wood and stone are key elements of craftsman kitchens so choosing stone tiles for your floor is a logical step.

Whether you go for polished limestone, rustic slate or traditional flagstones, stone is one of the most timeless and classic tiling options for your kitchen.

Image credit: @interiors_laura_werner

Recommended Tile: DD Biscuit

Wood effect floor tiles

Wood is certainly one of the most desirable flooring options and looks incredible next to all types of kitchen cabinets. Although real wooden flooring is warm underfoot and hard to beat in terms of natural beauty, it’s not the most practical choice for a kitchen with inevitable spills and stains.

Thanks to state-of-the-art printing techniques, a wide range of colours and realistic textures, wood-effect porcelain floor tiles are an excellent alternative and they’re hard to distinguish from the real thing.

Image credit: @norelcocabinets

Recommended Tile: Wildwood

Top tips for choosing craftsman kitchen tiles

• Look for artisan tiles; handpainted designs and rough textures will work perfectly to help you achieve the homely, welcoming craftsman feel.
• Wood effect and stone tiles will fit in perfectly with the craftsman look, they’re also timeless.
• Natural wood has the advantage of going with all colours of tile but it’s always a good idea to grab some tile samples before you make your final decision.

If you’re searching for the perfect tiles for your craftsman kitchen, Atlas Ceramics has a wide range of natural stone, patterned and porcelain wall and floor tiles. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.