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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
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Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

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  • Kitchen + Backsplash
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2023 img hi res full usage design Atypical design Studio photo jordan Layton wainscott offset cardamom 3x9 floor tile iron ore 2 hexagon FC596427 1

Original Ceramic tiles showcase handmade qualities with unique variations in color, crazing, and finish.

  • All Original Ceramic Colors
  • Studio Glazes New
  • Ceramic Stains New
  • Shop Shapes
  • Shop Patterns
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Resources
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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT BROWSE ALL SAMPLES
2024 residential full usage 4x4 terre verte satin red jasper satin indigo satin 2x2 red jasper satin bathroom checkerboard straight set 6x12 cove base indigo satin Pluck Architecture Leonid Furmansky FC796720 2

Our budget-friendly ceramics line, Natural Press is made with your largest indoor and outdoor projects in mind.

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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

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Modern blue subway wall glass tile 2

Our radiant Glass Tile provides a freshness that pairs perfectly with today’s modern designs indoors or out.

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Glazed Thin Brick Destination Eichler Blue Brick Fireplace

Brick’s hand-mixed glazes enrich its surface, delicately exposing its unique textures and variations with the colors of the environment around us.

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2022 img hi res full rights residential photo design plural design studio bathroom floor tile mini star and cross antique white grout FC 407104 2

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As a member you’ll receive exclusive access to new products, a professional discount, plus personalized service from our trade team who can help bring your vision to life.

Learn More →
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Enscape 2025 04 08 12 57 54

Visualize our tile in your space with our comprehensive design packages.

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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
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  • Tile School
Gallery
  • All Gallery Entries
  • Bathroom
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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
  • Project Spotlight
  • Tile School
Gallery
  • All Gallery Entries
  • Bathroom
  • Kitchen
  • Commercial
Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
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  3. Tile by Style: Transitional Kitchen Inspiration

Design Trends

Tile by Style: Transitional Kitchen Inspiration

By Pearl

Transitional Kitchen Real Simple Home Brick Kitchen Backsplash

Like your favorite button-down shirt, transitional style takes all the design elements you know and love and translates them into modern living. Transitional style is all about striking a balance between traditional and contemporary design–it wants to be elegant without feeling overdressed.

Classic yet casual, timeless yet versatile, transitional style’s staying power lies in its ability to please anyone. And while transitional style is often expressed in living rooms or bedrooms, we’re going to show you how easy it is to incorporate this flexible style into your kitchen using real-life examples.

Kitchen with gloss and matte blend glass tile backsplash, wood floor and island, white cabinets

Tile: 4x12 in Sparrow Gloss and Sparrow Matte // Design: Megan Warren // Image: Kathryn MacDonald

When it comes to a transitional palette, neutral colors dominate. White, taupe, cream, and grey all feel at home in a transitional space, often with a splash of an earthy, muted non-neutral to add a pop to your color story.

A tile backsplash is a perfect way to add that earthy color to your transitional-style kitchens, and we’ve put together our favorite transitional tile picks to make it easy for you! Sample them all here.

Try layering different neutral shades in a variety of textures to give a room extra dimension–or simply mimic the kitchen below with a Handpainted Tile backsplash in a muted palette. Reminiscent of a stained glass window, the pattern subtly pops between off-white shaker-style cabinets.

Warm white and wood kitchen with neutral-colored handpainted tile backsplash

Tile: Denver in Yellow Motif // Design: Bonnie Wu Design // Image: Leslie Murchie Cascino

The more examples you see the more you’ll realize that there aren’t many rules when it comes to transitional kitchen design, as long as you’re blending modern and traditional styles to your liking.

If you’d rather feature color in your transitional kitchen instead of neutrals, go for it! The kitchen below beautifully demonstrates how to layer soft and deep blues while staying in the realm of transitional thanks to the traditional island, range hood, and cabinetry with modern pendant lighting and stools.

Blue kitchen with soft blue cabinets and deep blue island, slate blue H-shaped tile backsplash, and modern pendant lights

Tile: Chaine Homme in Slate Blue, 4x4 in French Linen // Design: Benita Cooper Design // Image: Michael Anthony Murphy

You’ll find a mix of manufactured and natural elements layered into a transitional home. Pairing elements like wood and woven fibers or quartz countertops and tile bring texture and dimension to a space, adding to its multifaceted take on design.

Real Simple Home’s stunning open-concept kitchen uses a counter-to-ceiling turquoise Brick backsplash to add texture, creating visual interest against the sleek white base cabinets.

Coastal-inspired transitional kitchen with turquoise brick backsplash, large windows, and white cabinets

Brick: San Gabriel // Design: Gina Rachelle Design // Image: Christopher Testani

If you want to incorporate colorful decorative tile into your transitional kitchen, consider a small area behind your stove top like below. The pop of pink leads the eye to the kitchen’s natural focal point, standing out beautifully among the neutral shaker cabinets and island.

Bright white kitchen with soft blue island, modern barstools, and muted pink scalloped tile backsplash

Tile: Ogee Drop in Mesa // Design: Glew Build & Co. // Image: The Boho House

Or really go for it, like interior designers Meg and Joe Piercy of MegMade who created a transitional kitchen that fit this homeowner’s personality on their HGTV show Renovation Goldmine.

The show-stealing backsplash of Star & Cross Tile in Evergreen provides a regal backdrop to the transitional kitchen features including traditional cabinetry and stunning modern light fixture.

Transitional kitchen with Evergreen Star & Cross Tile backsplash, large kitchen island, and modern light fixture

Tile: Star & Cross in Evergreen // Design: Megmade // Image: Erin Konrath Photography

To find a tile hue that speaks to you, consider the color of your kitchen cabinetry. If it’s light and bright, a tile that’s slightly darker will give your space depth. In the kitchen below, the vertically installed grey tile mimics the hue of the stainless steel appliances while playing nicely against the lighter cabinets.

Bright modern kitchen with vertical grey tile backsplash, white upper cabinets, and light wood base cabinets

Tile: 2x8 in Mist // Image: Rea Creative // Installer: Avex Kitchen Design and Installation

If you’re looking for transitional kitchen ideas, this space by the Brownstone Boys is an elegant example. Original brownstone window frames blend seamlessly with the modern light fixtures and island, and the green cabinetry brings the design right on trend.

We love the way natural stone marble countertops and the attractive H-shaped tile backsplash are paired together in this transitional kitchen, with the crackled glaze helping to add texture and a touch of patina to the crisp space.

Brownstone kitchen with green cabinets, granite countertop and island, modern light fixtures, and H-shaped tile backsplash

Tile: Chaine Homme in Magnolia // Design: Brownstone Boys // Image: Nick Glimenakis

Timelessly fail-proof in the way transitional styles can be, neutrals help homes achieve a comfortable color balance–while neutral specialty-shaped Tile can help to break out of the traditional and freshen up a transitional space.

The beautifully approachable kitchen below uses warm white Star & Cross Tile to add endless interest among the wood shelves and cabinetry.

Kitchen with white Star & Cross Tile backsplash and warm wood cabinets, floor, and island

Tile: Star & Cross in Calcite // Design: The True House // Image: Mino Pro Media Group, LLC

Ready to try transitional tile in your kitchen? Start here with up to 5 free color samples. Our tile experts can help bring your vision to life with free design assistance, including cost estimates and photorealistic renderings.

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Driftwood

Driftwood

Feldspar Matte

Feldspar Matte

Snowy Owl Gloss

Snowy Owl Gloss

Pumice

Pumice

Elk

Elk

Peabody Gloss

Peabody Gloss

Olympic

Olympic

Lake Tahoe Matte

Lake Tahoe Matte

Feldspar Gloss

Feldspar Gloss

Nautical Gloss

Nautical Gloss

Dove Matte

Dove Matte

Wind River

Wind River

Rosemary Gloss

Rosemary Gloss

Sample All Tile Colors

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