Greek Ceramic Tile Design Ideas

Terracotta tiles are inspired matches with Greek-invented terracotta vases.terracotta image by knirzporz from Fotolia.com

Ancient Greek civilization offers numerous inspirations for ceramic tile designs in the 21st century home. To update any room in your home, you can use mosaics, blue and white color patterns and terracotta tile for your design schemes. Mosaic tile designs can be made from uniform pieces of ceramic tile or from larger pieces cut to your specification.

Scenic Mosaics

One way to bring a touch of the Greek mosaic to your home is to create scenes with mosaic tile patterns. The scene might be from Greek mythology such as a chariot or a horse. Or the scene might be from a later Greek periods, such as an iconic picture of a Christian saint or Jesus. There are endless possibilities for scenes. Begin with a sketch of the scene on the surface you plan to tile. Then plan how to fill the mosaics by color patterns to recreate the scene. This method is not as simple as paint-by-number, but it is possible to achieve realistic scenes with preplanned mosaics.

Another way to use tile in a Greek theme in your home requires only two colors. A blue-and-white backsplash can decorate the area above the stove range.or behind the sink. Your pattern does not have to be simple like a checkerboard. You can use mostly white tiles and add the occasional blue tile for one type of pattern. Or, you can use mostly blue tiles and add a few white tiles for another pattern. Blue and white are symbols of Greek culture; they are the only colors in the national flag.

According to history, the terracotta tile originated in Greece in the eighth century B.C. This long tradition of terracotta remains an attractive feature in home design. If you aren't ready to re-tile your roof in terracotta tiles, you can use terracotta tiles in the backyard. Terracotta tiles come in warm colors like orange, brown and red. They are available at your local hardware store. For example, you can create a backyard patio space with 12 in. by 12 in. tiles in a terracotta color. These tiles can be bordered by another color of tile edging or by a natural border of low hedges. To further the Greek theme, you can even add large terracotta vases to place on the new patio space.