Entryway Tile - How to Design a Stunning Front Entrance

Technically speaking, DIYing your entryway decor with tile is entirely possible. However, from an aesthetic point of view, the whole process can be quite risky.

What mistakes should you avoid to ensure your revamped entryway is appealing? How can you transform a classic-looking space into a one-of-a-kind stunner? You’ll quickly come to understand that hiring a professional tilesetter, if not an artist, can take your front entrance from a standard area to a bold, stunning one. 

How to Design a Stylish Front Entrance Using Tiles

True to its name, the entryway is the first room your guests will take in. Often big and bright, it’s a stunner, sets the tone and ushers people into what they hope will be a warm and friendly setting. 

Choose a style based on the visual effect you’re hoping to instill in your entryway. As such, with XXL tiles, you can make the space look bigger, whereas, with glossy, matte, or satin finish tiles, you can control the lighting.

How About Some Mosaic Wall Tiles Instead of Regular Wall Coverings?

Wall tiles can make all the difference compared to paint and perhaps an alternative to wallpaper, which made a grand comeback during the pandemic.

To uphold that sought-after uniqueness, design according to your preferences. From here, note that you can personalize ceramic tiles with family pictures or create a mosaic.

A lot of Canadian businesses dominate when it comes to designing and laying mosaics. So much so that you can tailor your requests, ensuring they design more elaborate patterns. 

Beyond aesthetics, wall tiles are resilient and low maintenance.

Design Visual Effects Using Different Colours and Shapes

Possibilities are far from restricted to tile styles and textures. Tiling opens up an endless amount of possibilities. With tiles, you can depict a huge 3D visual experience on your walls, or a psychedelic scene if that’s your thing. However, to make a space look bigger, especially one that’s rather narrow, you can opt for something a little simpler to create.

What Modern Trend Ideas to Consider When Designing a Stylish, Tiled Entryway/Foyer? 

If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind tiles, you might have to design your very own pattern. Doing so isn't as hard as it might sound. There are a lot of different types of patterns to choose from: 

1. Ethnic patterns

Ethnic patterns are culture-inspired. It’s a look that calls for travel, a connection between past and present.

2. Geometric patterns

The following series of shapes make geometric patterns: 

• Lines

• Parallels

• Rhombus

• Circles

• Concentric circles

• Ellipses

• And more

This look is incredibly modern and is found in different creative fields like fashion and papercraft.

3. Floral patterns

Flowers are beautiful and valued for what they represent: nature, romance, abundance, and new beginnings. Floral patterns are timeless interior decor features.

4. Figurative designs 

Figurative designs are the art of expressing words on walls through the use of imagery, hence the apparent challenge in using such patterns. As much as figurative designs can be childlike (snails, birds), they can also be profound, or even reminiscent of ribaldry. You have to be sure of yourself, and the result, before depicting such art in your entryway.

Check out this year’s tile trends.  

Mixing and Matching Textures: What Pairs Best with Tiles?

It’s important to consider the current features adorning your home—or those you’re hoping to incorporate—for the perfect tiled setting. We’re talking about features made of:

• Wood

• Metal

• Natural stone

Giving your interior decor some sort of consistency means considering all items, colours, and materials used.

Pairing Tiles with Wood

How best to showcase wood? There are two ways to go about it: 

• Contrast it

• Use wood-look tiles

To create a magazine-worthy contrast between your entryway flooring and the wood coating your stairs and furniture, cement or plain white (no pattern) tiles are must-haves.

If you have no desire to play off contrasting pieces, tiling with wood-like stoneware tiles will give a vintage-like or Zen feel to your entryway. 

Pairing Tiles with Metal

Have you ever heard of metal tiles? They're actually metal-like stoneware tiles with a matte or glossy finish.

Their upsides, you ask? Stunning lighting.

How about downsides? Industrial looks aren’t suited to all sorts of interior decor. However, if your house already has a metal staircase or another imposing industrial-like feature, this pairing can be quite impressive.

Pairing Tiles with Natural Stone

Natural stone is available in a variety of tile designs. 

Marble, granite, and travertine have delicate veining that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. With their colour range, they suit all room styles.

However, such material is rather high maintenance, so tiling a hallway or front entrance with this material is advised against. Moreover, natural stone tiles must be laid by a skilled flooring contractor who will know to coat the tiles in a waterproof sealant. 

Balancing Style and Durability: How to Choose the Right Floor Tiles

Entryway flooring must cope with dirt, mud, dust, and water brought in from outside. Hence, opting for room-specific tiles is the best way to go.

Ceramic tiles benefit from a PEI rating (Porcelain Enamel Institute), which quantifies hardness and durability with a 0–5 rating.

Its downside: It only regards porcelain and ceramic tiles (enamelled), meaning those coated in a liquid, glass-like substance fired at high temperatures. Below is a detailed index: 

As a result, for your entryway, look for ceramic tiles with a PEI rating of at least 3, or even 4 may be best. Given that it’s a high-foot traffic area, your tiles must withstand hard shoe soles with gravel or other abrasive particles stuck under them.

Tiled Home Entryway: Greet Your Guests with Style and Functionality

Decor specially chosen for a tiled front entrance allows homeowners to pair style with functionality. Tips and ideas detailed in this article are essential to create a good first impression, one depicting both warmth and organization. Personalize the space with decorative items that mirror your sense of style and interests, such as inviting colours, rugs, practical storage accessories, and mirrors, making your entryway as unique as can be. 

FAQ Tiled Entryway

What is the best type of tile flooring for a front entrance or hallway?

While stoneware and cement tiles are especially recommended, natural stone is much too fragile to be used as flooring in a front entrance or hallway.  

What type of tile can you use to make a hallway look bigger?

To make your hallways appear bigger, creating a sense of space is what it’s all about. How? By opting for oversized tiles. Large format tiles give off a sense of space that isn’t necessarily there in the first place. Oversized tiles measure at least 23 inches (60 cm). Also worth considering is creating a stark contrast between the colour adorning the walls and that of the flooring.

In a small entryway, your floor space is typically narrow, so consider laying plain white tiles in the middle, and then linking those tiles to the walls with different coloured tiles.

What cleaning products should you use on tiles?

Using harsh cleaning products can be a health hazard and also ruin your floors. When cleaning floor tiles, it’s best to stick to these three types of products:

• Dish soap

• Laundry detergent

• Organic products (white vinegar, etc.)

Avoid using other detergents, acids, degreasers/strippers, and alkaline products. Much like stainless steel wool pads, the listed products damage tiled surfaces, easing wear and tear.