I love that album!! I think it's the Beatles at their controversial best.
And thanks to Apple (the Mac-kind), marshmallows, and pearls, white remains one of my singularly-favorite colors.
I also feel the same way about white tiles and white spaces. Two of my favorite blogs - Remodelista.com and SFgirlbybay.com - often feature beautiful white spaces that I loooove looking at, at any time. There is something so relaxing to me about predominantly white spaces and architecture.
Say what you want about white being boring. To me it is regal and crisp. Inviting and cozy. Comfy and clean. So obviously, I would have something to say and show about my favorite white tiles and white stones.
If you, like me, are a lover of white (the new black), then please, please send photos of your recent or past favorite white tiles. I would also like to know why they are your favorites.
Once I get everyone's favorite entries, I'll write a post littered with all of them!!
TILE ENVY BASICS-
For now, here are a few of my old-time favorites, and recent favorites- I like to think of these as my white tile basics. They are tiles that I have specified on at least several of my design projects. They are such classics and basics that they can literally be used on nearly every style of design.
THASSOS- An all white marble that only comes from Greece, it actually resembles the granular look of a granite more than a marble- like an all white granite with no black flecks. It is stunning and luxurious. Can be very traditional or modern. Perfect for floors and walls. It can sometimes be tricky to get good quality that's free of gray tones and occasional black blemishes- so be sure to select a good source when choosing Thassos for your project.
Gloss white ceramic was just about the only wall tile out there when I first started selling tiles. There were a handful of companies that were trying to expose the US to color- like Westminster and Latco. But, a good 90% of all wall tiles installed were 4" gloss white ceramic.
I can still appreciate 4" white in the right setting. However, my current favorite is a glossy white ceramic from Italian manufacturer LEA, that comes in 4x16 and 8x16. Great sizes and a great, great look- You can take a new spin on retro and install it as subway tile, or super-modernize it by stacking it. Either way Lea has made it so affordable- that I vote it the perfect classic gloss white tile for wall installations- kitchen and bath. (My good friends at Ceramic Tile Design in San Rafael, Ca. and San Francisco, Ca. carry both in stock! www.ceramictiledesign.net)
White porcelain mosaics- one of the best of the best for floors. Durable, slip resistant, and a long running favorite for fans of the retro look.
You'll recognize a version of this historic form of tiles, at any Noah's Bagels. The famous Noah's Bagels sign is made of this material in various colors and unglazed. For the truest form of these tiles you have to go with the unglazed versions. However, there are now glazed versions which make cleaning much easier than the unglazed tiles, which can be a bit of a scrub especially with black heel scuffs.
I believe that you can get a version of this classic at some of the big box stores. If that scares you- nearly every tile dealer either carries these or knows how to get their hands on some with relative ease.
Installation suggestions- What's great about just these 3 white tiles, is the fact that they can be used together in various ways to create a sparkling clean, classic project that will NEVER go out of style. Here are a few of my fav's-
SLEEK, MODERN, ELEGANT- use Thassos (12x12) on floor and walls in a stacked pattern.
SLEEK, MODERN, AFFORDABLE - use Thassos (12x12) on the floor in a broken-joint pattern and stacked gloss 8x16 ceramics on wall.
RETRO ELEGANCE - Use Thassos (12x12) on the wall in a broken joint pattern and porcelain mosaics on the floor.
MODERN RETRO- Use 4x16 ceramic tile on wall in a broken joint pattern with porcelain mosaics on the floor.
Of course, there are many more versions of the above that can be done- but these would be the 4 installations that I would return to over and over again for my own design projects.