There are many times that a person goes for a walk in the courtyard of a hotel or a public garden and sees a tiled floor that absolutely stunning. Sometimes this flooring can be natural stone, like slate or marble, but other times it is clay tile placed in a unique pattern with other tiles to make a unique design.
This styling is not new for the interior of a home. The southwest motif sometimes has flooring of the outside courtyard coming right into the foyer, and even throughout the home. It begins with a design and then this pattern is repeated so that there is a continuity to the home and surrounding courtyard.
Slate is also a great material for this because no tile is exactly the same but yet the coloring ties the floor together. Beginning with 12″ tiles as the main floor some designs call for bands of tiny 1″ tile squares in strips of 2 – 3. This is made even more striking by the uneven patina of the flooring but it may not be good for women in spiked heels.
Another type of floor design is the cobblestone look. Traditionally, cobblestoned designs are hard to do because some of them are fan-shaped. However, there are larger slabs with cobblestoned imprints which, when grouted are hard to tell from the real floors. If the door is on the same level as the outside this can be run from the sidewalk right into the home, much like the tile or slate mentioned before.
Concrete is also a great medium for this. Stained and stamped concrete can be made into almost any design or color a homeowner wants, even tile and slate without the imperfections. In a ne home this can be poured and run from the end of the sidewalk to the kitchen.
