Victorian Tiles Archives - Natural Stone Tile Company & Shop

They say that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. When it comes to your home, this means focusing your attention on the entrance and hallway. Get these key areas right and you and your guests will be greeted by a welcoming atmosphere that sets the tone for the rest of the house. It’s your perfect opportunity to introduce your personal style and your home’s interiors scheme.

That said, entrance foyers and hallways are among the most hardworking spaces of your home. These are high traffic areas that are likely to experience a considerable amount of wear and tear, especially if you live in a busy family home with kids and pets. When it comes to hallway flooring, you need to balance style and aesthetics with the key considerations of practicality, durability and easy maintenance.

Decorative floor tiles are the obvious solution, and here at The Stone Tile Emporium we have a wealth of choice on offer for all requirements. Take a look at our product pages here and pop into our showroom in Reigate where a member of the team will be happy to talk you through all the options.

Here are our flooring recommendations for hallways and entrances.

Victorian Tiles

We supply and install a beautiful selection of Victorian floor tiles in a wide range of colourful and striking decorative patterns. Once reserved exclusively for period homes, the recent revival of Victorian tiles as an interiors trend means these traditional floors are becoming ever more popular in modern homes too.

Victorian floor tiles are ideal for entrance and hallway flooring and they will make a real style statement too. Extremely durable and water resistant, tiles for porches and hallways are an ideal choice for busy areas and they can add timeless grandeur and character to your house, while colour combinations can achieve stunning visual accents.

Opt for classic Victorian black and white checkerboard patterns to turn your hallway from humdrum to high impact, add warmth and colour interest with terracotta-based patterns that make a feature out of your hallway, or choose traditional encaustic tiles for that wow factor.

Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain floor tiles are another excellent choice for hallways and entrance ways. They score high in terms of practicality, being water, stain and scratch resistant and therefore the ideal everyday solution for family homes with pets. A highly durable flooring option with tiles that are extremely easy to keep clean, porcelain tiles don’t require any ongoing maintenance such as sealing, waxing or polishing.

Visit The Stone Tile Emporium for a superb range of porcelain tiles in a myriad of designs and finishes – so you’re bound to find the right flooring solution for your preferred style and colour scheme. What’s more, porcelain floor tiles can be manufactured to imitate other materials including marble, natural stone and wood effect porcelain tiles. For the perfect combination of style, practicality and affordability, you can’t beat porcelain tiles.

Natural Stone Tiles

Original Style Earthworks Viano White polished marble and Nero polished marble floor tiles

If you are looking for a natural flooring material that will stand the test of time, natural stone tiles are what you’re looking for. They are incredibly long-lasting and can help add character to your home, thanks to rustic finishes and unique markings on individual tiles. Natural stone tiles are highly scratch resistant and they’re considered an eco-friendly flooring choice. What’s more, stone is an excellent heat conductor and pairs perfectly with underfloor heating.

At The Stone Tile Emporium, our stone tiles come in a vast range of different shades and finishes including smooth, polished and rough surfaces. Visit the showroom for our collection of Limestone, Marble, Travertine and Slate for an individual look and a long-term investment into your home.

Get in touch

If you are looking for the best floor tiles for your hallway or entrance area, The Stone Tile Emporium in Reigate should be your first port of call. We have a huge choice of products including Victorian tiles, porcelain tiles and natural stone tiles for you to view, and an experienced and knowledgeable team waiting to share their expertise.

We are a family-based business with many years of flooring experience and a highly skilled installation team to put at your disposal. Why not visit our showroom to see what we have on offer and take advantage of our professional advice and guidance to make sure you choose the right flooring solution for your hallway and entrance areas. We are open every day except Tuesdays.

1 – Fireplace as a focal point

The fireplace was key to a Victorian ‘lounge’. Not only was it used to heat the room but it served as a beautiful focal point, with space to show off decorative objects and artefacts on the mantelpiece. If you have a period fireplace in your living room, now is the time to give it some TLC. Restore the marble or cast-iron surround and clean or replace the feature tiles where necessary. There are plenty of online guides to help you do this.

For a professional finish, The Stone Tile Emporium offer a comprehensive tile maintenance service. We can remove and replace damaged tiles, renovate natural stone tiled surfaces and carry out a deep clean of all tiles.

2 – Original architectural features

If you are lucky enough to have other original features in your home, make the most of them. Ceiling roses and mouldings, for instance, should be accentuated and celebrated. If they have been removed, consider reinstating them with modern replicas.

Original flooring in hallways and downstairs living areas are a much-coveted feature in period homes. The Victorians loved geometric designs, and delicate and intricate patterns in different colours. Encaustic tiles first appeared in Europe in the late 19^th century and were used to decorate the floors of palaces and grand houses all over Europe.

Take a look at our Victorian tiles in striking, decorative patterns – perfect as a stylish yet hardwearing solution for many areas of your home.

3 – Rich colours and patterns

Creating a Victorian ‘vibe’ requires the use of colour – no magnolia here! Rich paint and wallpaper colours and patterns were standard in living rooms. From ruby red to forest green, midnight blue, brown and black, rooms were richly decorated in jewel colours and ornate patterns.

If you have high ceilings, consider painting these the same shade as your walls – it can make a large room look dramatic and opulent. Alternatively, opt for a feature wall in a rich colour if you’re not quite brave enough to commit to a full-on colour scheme.

4 – Plenty of texture and interest

The Victorians were big fans of using lots of different textures on walls, floors and soft furnishings. Think dark, dramatic floorboards covered with Persian-style rugs in rich jewel shades. Window dressings should be sumptuous. Heavy curtains and drapes can create a sense of cosiness as well as opulence, particularly when teamed with delicate lace trims.

On sofas and chairs, try layering cushions in velvet or brocade to evoke Victorian luxury. Think daybeds or thick velvet drapes, soft button-back armchairs and a Victorian chandelier as a feature light.

5 – More is more

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of ornamentation in helping you create more Victorian flair in your home. Many eclectic objets and quirky decorative items can be picked up relatively cheaply from second hand retailers such as antique shops and craft fairs, flea markets and charity shops, and of course internet auction sites.

All it takes is a bit of time and an open mind. From bell jars to taxidermy, vases, mirrors, clocks and artworks, why not curate your own collection of curios and proudly display them in your living room.

At The Stone Tile Emporium, we have a wide selection of finest quality natural stone tiles for your home. We specialise in Victorian geometric flooring tiles in a vast range of colours, sizes and shapes – the perfect way to add a touch of Victorian elegance and style to your home. Why not get in touch or visit our showroom to find our more.

Category: Victorian Tiles

Choosing tiles for your entrance and hallway