Fish scale tile is popping up in all sorts of unexpected spaces, and we couldn’t be more delighted. Taking form in our ever-popular Ogee Drop Tile, this playfully scalloped pattern is beloved by all. What’s even better? It looks great no matter how you glaze it. Today we’ve collected some of our favorite fish scale and color combos.
What is fish scale tile called?
At Fireclay Tile, fish scale tiles are called Ogee Drop, named for the shape's Moroccan roots, but fish scale tile is also commonly known as mermaid tile, scallop tile, and fan tile.
Are fish scale tiles trendy?
Fish scale tiles have become very popular in recent years for their unconventional shape and playful personality they provide an installation. But that's not to say these are a flash in the pan as fish scale tiles have been featured in design for centuries, especially in Islamic architecture.
Which way does fish scale tile go?
The direction you face your fish scale pattern depends on your personal preferences. Faced curve up, the tiles can resemble clouds or a crowd of people. Faced curve down gives these tiles the look of choppy waves on the sea. Hung sideways, the tile takes on the flowing motion of a fish gliding through water. There's no right or wrong way to face fish scale tile
Blue Fish Scale Tile
Designer extraordinaire Emily Henderson put our Ogee Drop Tile in the spotlight, featuring it in cool Crater Lake. We think blue is one of the best color choices for these sea-inspired tiles. And there are many shades to choose from.
Tile Shown: Crater Lake Ogee Drop // Design: Emily Henderson // Image: Jess Isaac
A similar installation, this guest bathroom goes a bit darker and more saturated with the shade of blue, carries the pattern down to the floor, and leaves the edges uncut and untrimmed for a more playful look.
Tile Shown: Aegean Sea Ogee Drop // Design: Jennifer Hallock Designs // Image: D Wang Photo
Fish scale tiles are a great way to interpret nature in your interior design. While fish are the most notable influence, this ombre shower reminds us of the feathers of an exotic blue bird.
Tile Shown: Adriatic Sea, Caribbean, Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe & Moonshine Ogee Drop // Design: The Brownstone Boys // Image: Nick Glimenakis
Featured in a single dark blue color, the fish scale tiles featured on this accent wall and shower niche have an unmistakable likeness to waves.
Tile Shown: Adriatic Sea 4x4 & Ogee Drop // Design: Studio 42 Design // Image: Kelley Bedoloto
Paired against the vibrant lemon patterned wallpaper, this Ogee Drop shower still commands attention with its bold color and curvaceous pattern.
Tile Shown: Naples Blue Ogee Drop, Calcite Gloss 3x6 // Design: // Image:
In a cool and refreshing color, we love how the uncut edges of this half wall give the bathroom a scalloped detail against the clean white wall above.
Tile Shown: Glacier Bay Ogee Drop // Design: Lovely Indeed
This powder blue tub surround makes you feel immersed in an inviting ocean with its repeating pattern and inherent color variation of handmade tile.
Tile Shown: Crater Lake Ogee Drop // Design: Melanie Gowen Design // Image: Michael Lucas
Similar color, similar application, but turned around it's takes on a whole different look.
Tile Shown: Caribbean Ogee Drop // Design: Shannon Eddings, Sarah Bullock McIntyre // Image: Katie Jameson
Highlighting the roundness of the shape, this bathroom backsplash specs a circular mirror to sit in front of the scalloped tile backdrop.
Tile Shown: Tiki Blue Ogee Drop // Design: EAG Studio // Image: Malcolm Fearon
Taking this design idea a step further, this similar vanity backsplash features a scalloped mirror to match the tile.
Tile Shown: Caribbean Ogee Drop // Design: Kapan Shipman // Image: Dustin Bailey
A blue backsplash is a great way to add a pop of color to you kitchen and featured with a playful fish scale pattern this design really bounces.
Read more about blue kitchen backsplashes here.
Tile Shown: Adriatic Sea Matte Ogee Drop // Design: Murphy Deesign // Image: Sara Tramp
Because of their overlapping appearance, Ogee Drop tiles work well with with ombres and color blends, like this backsplash that combines two shades of blue with a smattering of white to match the cabinets.
Tile Shown: Waikiki, Caspian Sea & Calcite Ogee Drop // Design: // Image:
This outdoor fountain takes advantage of the sense of flow fish scale tiles bring to a design, smartly featured here in a saturated blue. It makes sense here to point the curves of the tile down to follow the direction of falling water.
Tile Shown: Lapis Ogee Drop & 2x2 Sheeted, Huckleberry 4x8 // Design: Alisa Block Architect + Design // Image: Steven Brooke Photography
Fish scale tile has a powerful graphic effect, especially if your brand is all about seafood. California Fish Grill clads their fast casual restaurant with well suited fish scale tile in a match of their brand color.
Tile Shown: Adriatic Sea Ogee Drop // Design: Studio MYID
This poke restaurant celebrates their fish similarly with a wall of scalloped tiles. We love the layering of gloss and matte white tile on top of the gloss blue.
Tile Shown: Calcite Gloss, Frost Matte, & Adriatic Sea Ogee Drop // Design: Black Ink // Image: Benny Ho
One person's fish scale is another's ice cream scoop. This non-profit ice cream parlor features a wall of cotton candy blue Ogee Drop tiles like layers of cones ready to eat.
Tile Shown: Glacier Bay Ogee Drop // Design: Rob Bundy, AIA // Image: Alex Ferrec
Green Fish Scale Tile
Just like blue, green is a natural choice for fish scale tile with its vibrance, range and aquatic inspiration. Here teal tile looks like a foamy head of beer on this brewery backsplash.
Tile Shown: Bora Bora Ogee Drop // Design: Young America Creative // Image: Lauren Andersen
The overlapping pattern of Ogee Drop gives it an organic look that takes on a grassy interpretation when featured in a vernal green like this floral bathroom.
Tile Shown: Kelp Ogee Drop // Design: Maroma Interior Design // Image: Michael Radford
Smooth lines and a soft and soothing shade of green are right at home in a relaxing bathroom while making for a memorable accent wall.
Tile Shown: Rosemary Ogee Drop, Calcite Gloss 3x12 // Design & Image: EFE Creative Lab
This deep green colorway can appear black in some settings making for a subtle and sophisticated fish scale pattern, especially the matching dark grout.
Tile Shown: Caspian Sea Ogee Drop // Design: Buck Moorhead Architect // Image: Marcus Brooks
A light grout will accentuate the mermaid tile, and this aqua green hue adds a tropical undertone to the underwater-inspired pattern.
Tile Shown: Lichen Ogee Drop // Design: TRG Home Concepts // Image: Courtney Apple
Layered fan patterns of smooth aerodynamic shapes are quintessential hallmarks of Art Deco design making this fan tile the perfect choice for this lavishly Deco bathroom.
Learn more about Art Deco design here.
Tile Shown: Bora Bora, Amalfi Coast, Naples Blue, Tiki Blue & Waikiki Ogee Drop // Design: Megan Bishop // Image: Pawel Dmytrow
Moving to midcentury design, the color variation found in handmade tile does a masterful job of subtly differentiating the shades throughout the pattern of this dry bar.
Tile Shown: Jade Ogee Drop // Design: Jared Zimmerman & Shannon Badiee // Image: Aerial Canvas
The decorative dark green backsplash in this open concept midcentury kitchen does a great job of drawing you in, giving the expansive space the focal point it needs.
Tile Shown: Tiki Blue Ogee Drop // Design: City Home Collective // Image: Kerri Fukui
Here the pattern brings contemporary appeal, stretching across the bright and spacious kitchen with long ribbons of scalloped lines.
Tile Shown: Amalfi Coast Ogee Drop // Design: Christl Kagiyama
This playful Ogee Drop installation in Chartreuse is all the more whimsical against an imaginative collection of blue and white delft plates.
Tile Shown: Chartreuse Ogee Drop
Red Fish Scale Tile
If you really want to have some fun with this pattern, reds are right up there with the boldest of colors, especially this vibrant reddish orange featured on a simmering tub surround.
Tile Shown: Mandarin Ogee Drop // Design: Meg Braff Designs // Image: David Land, Courtesy of Coastal Living
If the loudest reds are your speed, a soft pink can be very pleasing on the eyes and complemented by the bubbly nature of the scallop pattern.
Read our Complete Guide to Pink Kitchen Perfection here.
Tile Shown: Mesa Ogee Drop // Design: Glew Build & Co. // Image: The Boho House
A blend of both might be best for your project like this artistic ombre shower laid out in a random arrangement that give the installation a feeling of action.
Tile Shown: Ember, Desert Bloom, Mandarin, Caclite & Calcite Gloss Ogee Drop // Design & Image: EJ Interior Design
A sea of red fish scale tile lends an alluring liveliness to the mix. Reminiscent of koi fish, our Ogee Drop Tile in a blend of Tomato Red and Tangerine is vibrant and full of energy.
Tile Shown: Tomato Red & Mandarin Ogee Drop
Opting for a more subdued but no less striking blend, this eye-catching Ogee Drop mosaic wall shapes the restaurant’s tasteful ambiance.
Tile Shown: Gardenia, Sun Flower, Tomato Red Ogee Drop // Design: Shirin Richens | NOMADIKA DESIGN STUDIO // Image: Brandon McGanty
Neutral Fish Scale Tile
At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with neutrals. With its playful and chic shape, the pattern speaks for itself (plus, you can match it with almost everything).
You can arrange fish scale tile upwards to bring positive energy...
Tile Shown: Calcite Gloss Ogee Drop // Design: Becki Owens
...or downwards to shower your space with waves of calm. Whichever direction you choose, you can't go wrong.
Tile Shown: Frost Ogee Drop // Design: Jillian Harris // Image: Janis Nicolay
If what you wear is an expression of who you are, then what you tile your closet with is too. Ogee Drop is an obvious choice for an original and fun loving designer.
Tile Shown: Calcite Ogee Drop // Design: Studio DIY // Image: Jeff Mindell
On the other hand, neutrals can bring a calming maturity to an installation, giving Ogee Drop a more quiet and elegant appearance compared to some of the vibrant counterparts featured above.
Tile Shown: Magnolia Ogee Drop // Design & Image: Caitlin Shoemaker
Light and contemporary, the fish scale pattern incorporates a beautiful blend of white and light grey shades into this backsplash without looking blocky or checkered.
Tile Shown: Calcite Gloss & Frost Matte Ogee Drop, Jardin Fretwork White Motif // Design: Susan Hall Studio // Image: Emily Minton Redfield
A similar design applied to a shower, this bathroom featured warmer neutrals to match the desert environment and give the space an inviting (and sudsy) quality.
Tile Shown: Ivory & Ivory Gloss Ogee Drop // Design: Sara Combs + Rich Combs // Image: Margaret Austin Photography
Speaking of suds, this laundry room makes choretime more enjoyable with a light to dark ombre design that lends itself well to the space.
Tile Shown: Adriatic Sea, Cardamom, Chateau & Ivory Ogee Drop // Design: Wraith Design // Image: Sen Creative
Matching the range of colors found in the natural stone featured on the floors and counters of this contemporary bathroom, the ceramic shower tile captures every shade of beige in a beautiful arrangement.
Tile Shown: Halite, Feldspar Gloss & Calcite Gloss Ogee Drop // Design & Image: Sarah Lederman Interiors
Lending some glam to this white bathroom, shades of silver and gold blend in with the clean white Ogree Drop tile.
Tile Shown: Calcite Gloss, Frond & Salton Sea Ogee Drop // Design: Sonny Sabhlok, Vijay Prasad, Allen Seol, and Brian Wong // Image: Austyn Moreno
Fitting in with the lush and organic qualities of Jungalow design, this earthy shade of brown with a bold grout line and scalloped edges is pure maximalism and matches the similar pattern of the hand-painted floor tile.
Tile Shown: Cardamom Ogee Drop, Summit Cool Motif // Design: Faith Blakeney // Image: Justina Blakeney
Dark Fish Scale Tile
No-nonsense black and charcoal glazes turn the attitude of Ogee Drop on its head and give a floor in particular a cool cobblestone appearance. With these dark shades finish really comes into play.
Some prefer the flat look of matte...
Tile Shown: Quartzite Ogee Drop // Design: Brad Krefman // Image: Airyka Rockefeller
...while others might look the striking glow of gloss black.
Tile Shown: Raven Ogee Drop // Design: Becki Owens
Like any of the featured Ogee Drop colors? Order 5 free color samples online. Need some help? Simply call, chat, or fill out our Design Assistance Form and one of our talented Design Consultants will get back to you shortly.
