Tile can be used to enhance many areas of the home. From kitchens to bathrooms to patios to entryways, we’ve seen our tiles used to add the perfect dose of color and texture in many different settings. However, the area of the home in which we have noticed the most potential for variety and personalization is the bathroom. More so than the rest of the home, bathrooms can be more of a standalone testament to one’s own personal style, as they are often sequestered from the rest of the home, allowing more freedom for differentiation from your home’s overall stylistic direction. Obviously, that doesn’t mean that your bathroom is completely detached from your style, it just means that there’s a bit more leeway to experiment with different colors, textures, and patterns. This potential for unique design is causing a wave of gorgeous, fascinating, and timeless ideas for the bathroom, and Moroccan bathroom tile is riding this wave directly into many homes.
Different Approaches with Moroccan Bathroom Tile
Moroccan tile is a pretty broad term referring to several completely different styles of tile that are crafted in completely different ways. Moroccan bathroom tile might be referring to a specific type of intricate and brittle mosaic tile made of ceramic, the robust and utterly timeless encaustic cement tile, or vibrant and stunning zellige, a tile that has recently seen a massive surge in popularity. Moroccan tile is essentially an umbrella term for any and all tiles with roots in Morocco, but in fact, many of these tiles have been influenced by cultures across the world.
With the exception of our Zellige tile, which is manufactured in Morocco according to time-tested methods, most of what we know as Moroccan bathroom tile borrows stylistic influences from cultures across the world. From Morocco to Spain to Cuba and Mexico , cement tile has been used to craft distinctive looks for many different cultures, each of which create their own spin and variation on the style, a practice that continues to this day.
Riad Tile offers 2 specific types of Moroccan tile: encaustic cement tile and zellige tile. Despite their common Moroccan roots and the fact that both tiles are handcrafted, these two styles couldn’t be more different.
Cement tile is made of a layer of fine Portland cement, a layer of aggregate cement, and a layer of pigments, and is cold-cured for several weeks to ensure durability. All of our cement tiles are handmade by master artisans before their delivery to Dallas, TX, where we carefully inspect each piece for quality and consistency. On the other hand, our zellige tile is hand-sculpted out of terracotta by master artisans in Morocco, before being kiln-fired over olive branches. The method used to produce zellige has been in practice for hundreds of years, remaining largely unchanged.
Stylistically, the tiles differ a great deal. Cement tiles depend on a measure of consistency to provide their signature look, while zellige owes its appearance to the subtle variations caused by their production process.
With zellige, some tiles may be lighter, others darker, some may even have cosmetic chips and cracks. These subtle differences give any zellige application a singular appearance, full of gentle contrasts and rustic charm. Every zellige application tells its own story, ensuring the distinctiveness of any space.
Encaustic cement tile uses repetition to its favor. Each individual tile has its own pattern that, when combined with a number of the same tile, creates an inimitable tapestry of motion, texture, and color. This might seem potentially overwhelming, but we use natural pigments for softer coloration, creating a gentle, soothing effect rather an overstimulating effect. We offer a wide variety of different patterns, giving our customers the opportunity to create exactly the space they want.
Though these two styles of tile differ significantly, their differences can be used in conjunction to create incredibly impressive spaces.
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In this recent creation from one of our customers, you can see both encaustic tile and zellige tile in action in the same bathroom, each tile masterfully playing to the strengths of the other. This bathroom features applications of both our Blush Zellige in 2×6 and Superstar Black cement tile, creating a gorgeous space with ample contrast. The light, rosy Blush Zellige provides this space with an air of soothing levity, adding just the tinge of brightness this bathroom needs. In contrast to the pinkish-reddish hue of the Blush Zellige, our Superstar Black adds a dash of boldness, making for a space that utterly exudes style and the elusive quality of timelessness. This use of Moroccan bathroom tile is an absolutely stunning testament to the creativity of our customers and the power of artistic vision.
Moroccan Tile’s Incredible Diversity
While these Moroccan bathroom tiles exhibit a great deal of amazing qualities, one of their most valuable assets is their versatility. Because of their distinctive style, the idea that encaustic tile or zellige tile is versatile might seem almost counterintuitive. After all, bold design can’t possibly fit in anywhere, right? To some extent, this is correct, zellige and encaustic tile ins’t perfect for every situation, but we’ve found that this only serves to encourage fabulously bold and creative applications from our customers.
Take for example this use of Nola Blue in bright bathroom.
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With stark white tiling and walls, marble countertops, and natural wood tone, this bathroom is perfectly positioned for a dose of vibrant color. This application of our Nola Blue cement tile serves to elevate the interior design while remaining a centerpiece on its own. An application of plain ceramic for the bathroom floor tile may still have created an elegant space, but ultimately would have left the bathroom feeling a bit one-note. The Nola Blue offers complexity, using bold colors to offset the white walls. The marble countertops match the rich blue pigmentation well, acting as a gentle transition between the bright walls and deep, rich coloration of the floors. This is an excellent example of how an application of bold modern tile can be used to elevate the space surrounding it, bringing out the best qualities of the room.
This subtler example of Moroccan bathroom tile makes use of our Allegro Tile.
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This bathroom is significantly brighter than the last, but despite its white countertops, walls, and tile floor, it doesn’t seem stark or harsh in any way. The designer for this bathroom makes excellent use of the bathroom’s natural light, gently accentuating the white features, but what really serves to soften the whites of the room is the application of Allegro. With its soft grey color scheme, clean background, and intricate design, Allegro has proven to be perfect for adding a slight tinge of texture in just the right places, either lightening up a dim space or, in the case of this particular bathroom, mellowing out brightness.
Moroccan tile isn’t just for the floor, though. This stunning application of our Nola Grey shows how cement tile can be used to create an amazing vanity.
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This application showcases a unique combination of qualities, truly demonstrating how versatile cement tile can be. This space features ample natural light, white countertops, dark wood finish, and a black tile floor. This is a spectrum of extremes, both light and dark, which is where our light Nola Grey cement tile comes in. Its light grey hue serves to unite the different shades present in this bathroom, bridging the gap between light and dark and allowing these elements to work together. This application of Nola Grey unites this bathroom’s natural light and darker materials, creating deep, complex contrast.
Stylizing Your Bathroom
While these bathrooms are positively stunning examples of Moroccan bathroom tile in action, they aren’t necessarily a template for every space. Every home and bathroom is unique, as is each person’s tastes, so while seeing what others have done with our tile can give you ideas, creating applications according to your own personal tastes is always the best way to go.
Though we always encourage boldness and ambition when creating a new space, there are some things you should think about before designing your bathroom. You may want to think over access to natural light, the size and shape of the room, and color of the sinktop and fixtures before considering which tiles to use, because Moroccan bathroom tiles tend to stand out wherever they are placed. Alternately, you can select your tile beforehand and build the rest of the bathroom around your selection. However you decide to approach your bathroom design, we at Riad Tile are thrilled to be a part of your creative process! Even if you are simply revamping your shower, an application of stylish Moroccan tile can elevate your space and provide a distinctive look that is all your own.
Classic Roots, Innovative Applications
Now that you’ve seen some examples of classically-inspired tiles being used to create modern spaces, you might be thinking about creating your own application. Whether your dream space takes cues from mid-century, modern, bohemian, or some other style, Moroccan-style tile can be applied to your artistic vision.
Riad Tile offers a wide variety of unique, handcrafted styles of tile to give you the options need to craft your ideal space. From kitchens to bathrooms, showers to vanities, and porches to foyers, we want nothing more than to help you execute your interior decorating vision. Our handcrafted cement tile is designed locally in DFW according to a combination of time-tested practices and our own high standards. Our master artisans put a great deal of care into each style’s design, taking inspiration from across the globe when crafting each of our original tile designs, before putting equal care into the building of each tile. From mixing natural pigments for our custom colors to hand-pressing each tile individually, you can be sure that with each tile, we are putting our best foot forward.
Our dedication to quality has given our customers the certainty needed to build spaces that they intend to keep for a long time, allowing for ambitious, stylish creations like the ones seen above. We couldn’t possibly be more proud of customers, and we are always thoroughly impressed with what they choose to do with their tile applications. We’ve seen all sorts of color and style combinations, allowing us to both see what the cutting edge of interior design holds and gain a window into our customers’ unique personal taste. Seeing our creations give others inspiration is truly a privilege, and we are proud of the craftsmen and customers that make this possible.
Create Your Dream Bathroom
From modern master bathrooms to quaint, rustic half-baths, Riad Tile is ready to support you in the creation of your perfect space. We offer a wide variety of both cement tile and zellige tile in several different shapes and sizes.
For encaustic tile, we offer both 8×8 tile and hexagonal tile in a multitude of different patterns. Both of these shapes have unique strengths; 8×8 creates a mesmerizing tapestry where repetition creates a unique effect while hexagonal can be arranged in different orientations, making for multiple possible patterns. Both styles add a sense of vibrance to any space.
Zellige’s largest strength is color. These tiles are designed to feature an array of slight variations, which adds a shimmering, subtly textured effect. We offer both 2×6 and 4×4 zellige in a wide array of different colors, from rich emerald green to delicate sky blue.
At Riad Tile, we work hard to provide our customers with the finest examples of new- and old-world inspired cement, zellige, marble, and terrazzo tile. By pulling our offerings from a wide range of different backgrounds, we are able to offer unique styles that can be used in an amazing variety of different settings. So whether you’re interested in revamping your entire kitchen or simply adding a dose of texture to your bathroom, our tile can help further your interior design goals. If you’re interested in seeing our tile in person, feel free to order a sample anytime, or if you are nearby, stop by the PURVEYORhome showroom located in the Dallas Design District and visit our display.
