5 Styles of Fireclay Tile for the Modern House

When I first moved to San Francisco I started to notice a lot of restaurants had insanely gorgeous tile backsplashes in the kitchens and bar areas. It was new to me; even my husband was like, what is going on here?  We wondered, where is this tile coming from? Why does it look so much better than what we were seeing all those years in Chicago and Cleveland? Turns out much of it was Heath Tile, which is beautiful and is the OG gorgeous tile as it was started in 1948. 

But I am not here to talk about them, I want to show off Fireclay Tile. They have been around since 1986, so they also really know what they are doing. I can’t remember how I found them, but I was living in the Mission and their design studio wasn’t very far from my house so we went to check it out and were blown away. Not only do they have some of the most beautiful tile - the variety, the selections, and customizations are endless - the brand as a whole is approachable as a residential customer. They offer a simple no frills design service to help with patterns, color selections, layouts and 5 free samples sent to your house if you aren’t local. It really helps to see the color in your space, set them up, walk by at different times of the day to see how it looks in different light. This is the best example of what to expect from the design service, and this house is decked out with so much Fireclay Tile!

By far the biggest reason I prefer Fireclay Tile is because of their transparent mission to reach zero waste manufacturing. They were the first tile company to become a certified B Corporation. You can read all about it here, but here’s a great summary of why this is so awesome. You aren’t just buying tile with Fireclay Tile, you are supporting a company that is actively working to be good to the environment and helping every single employee who works there. 

Fireclay Tile B Corp Equality & Sustainability Milestones

Source: Fireclay Tile

So, not only are they an awesome company, just look at these style inspirations from the Fireclay Tile blog.

Best Use of Pattern

McGrogan Family Home, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

I honestly don’t know how they came up with this beautiful design. This Scalene pattern uses Right Scalene Triangles and custom Left Scalene Triangles. I still can’t tell if it’s the pattern that caught my eye or the color, but they absolutely nailed it. Take a look at the rest of the house, it’s full of great tile inspo. 

Source: Photo by Matt McGrogan via Fireclay Tile | Architect: Bruce Barth

Best Use of Single Color & Multi sizes

Shavonda Gardner's Master Bathroom

I would have never thought about using varying tile sizes to add dimension to a space. She designed a mostly black bathroom (there’s some great wallpaper to add some color), still feels calming, inviting and not like a cave thanks to her perfect choice of wallpaper and the wood vanity. Around the tub is Basalt in 3x9 while the floor is 3x12 and then she shrunk the shower floor tile down to a 1x6. It’s incredible. 

Source: Photo by Shavonda Gardner via Fireclay Tile

Best Use of White

White Chaine Homme Kitchen

It’s hard to see at first, but look how the light shines to the right of the oven. You can see the subtlety of the H pattern in the tiles. This tile is one of my personal faves that Fireclay Makes, it’s also the initial of my last name so I have been considering it for years and can’t wait to find the perfect project for it. This high gloss has been discontinued to help Fireclay Tile reach towards zero waste manufacturing, which is badass. Don’t worry they have a similar tile that is better for the environment now if you want to achieve a look like this.

Source: Photo by Thomas Kuoh via Fireclay Tile

Best Use of Classic Color Combo

The Nooq: Falcon Glass Tile Bathroom

Maybe it’s because this is such a similar color to the Hennai logo, but I like to think of this as a modern grown up bumblebee. Yellow & black are always a great combo but its hard to find the right shade that isn’t too bright or makes your skin look strange (who would want that when they are in the shower...) They nailed it with this Falcon Matte.

Source: Photo via Fireclay Tile

Best Use of Herringbone

Hygge & West: Herringbone Tiles Kitchen Backsplash

I’m a sucker for a herringbone pattern. It’s one of the few things that have remained consistent as my style has evolved over the years. The boldness of this Tempest tile with the clean white grout is a true showstopper in this mostly white kitchen.

Source: Photo via Fireclay Tile

While Fireclay Tile is an expensive purchase compared to your tile outlets and Home Depot’s of the world, they are handcrafting some of the most beautiful tile available. If you can’t afford decking out your entire bathroom, think about a small backsplash or find ways to high & low your home upgrades. You could even do an Ikea kitchen remodel to save on cabinets to help offset the cost of the tile and still achieve an amazing look and feel for your home.