A few years ago I was lucky enough to talk with Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola at Cersaie, Italian's largest tile convention in Bologna. She was launching a new line of tiles for Mutina and suggested using them as a headboard behind a bed. I totally forgot about the concept until I saw the photo below running amok on Pinterest and realized it was not a bad idea after all. It got me looking for other unexpected uses of tile. Here's a roundup.
Above: A tiled wall serves as a headboard in this Italian house via Dezeen.
Above: A loft designed by Paola Navone with her own hexagonal tile design that sits atop the wooden floor like a carpet. Photograph by Wichmann + Bendtsen via Dwell.
Above: A coffee table clad in Delft tiles in a Brazilian apartment by Ar Arquitetos.
Above: The dining room of Portuguese hotel Casa do Conto features modern steel tables inlaid with traditional Portuguese tile.
Above: Inax woven tiles that extend to the ceiling on a mantelpiece in a Melbourne apartment. Photograph by Sharyn Cairns for Home Life.
Above: A built-in stucco bench with a tiled seat from Made a Mano.
Above: A tiled shelving niche via La Maison de Anna G.
Above: A wall of Popham Tiles doubles as a headboard.
Above: A tiled French bathroom floor that seamlessly integrates with the adjoining wood floor marking the transition from the wet bathroom area to dry floor. Photograph via April and May.
Above: A bench and wall tiled in Navajo pattern by UK designer Neisha Crosland for De Ferranti.
Above: A patio seating area made from hexagonal shapes from Kismet Tile.
See our post on Patchwork Tiles for more inspiration.