Top 5 Tips for Luxury Tile Design on a Budget

Ready for a reno, but worried about the cost? Sometimes our dream space feels constrained by our real-life pocket-book, but with the right approach, you can get a look you love without breaking the bank. Here are our top five tips for achieving a luxury design on a budget.

1. Enhance the Spaces that Elevate Your Day

When approaching any design, it’s important to assess what you value so you know where to invest. If you don’t have the budget for a whole-home makeover, start with the spaces where you start your day, or the rooms where you spend the most time. You probably begin your day in your kitchen or bathroom, where you make coffee and take a shower. Choosing a design that will invigorate you in the morning will help you start your day off right.

2. Invest In What You Love

Do you adore the look of real marble? Have you fallen in love with a beautiful mosaic or gorgeous pattern? If your budget doesn’t allow for you to use your dream tile throughout your space, try incorporating it in smaller ways, a shower niche or picture frame will showcase a decorative tile in a smaller format.

3. Mix Marble-Look Tile with Real Marble

Wondering how to update bathroom tiles on a budget? Mixing marble-look tile with real marble tile is a great way to achieve an affordable bathroom tile design. This luxurious bathroom features the Volkas marble tile ($23.89/sq. ft.) throughout, but if you’re working within a budget, you can still get this look with the Volkas porcelain tile ($5.09/sq. ft.). The realistic veining and coloring of this tile mimics the appearance of the higher price-point marble tile. You can elevate your design by incorporating real marble trim and accent pieces. The Elia Honed by Alison Victoria tile, used for the accent wall in this bathroom, makes a stunning in a shower niche (as shown in the above photo).

4. Choose an Affordable Alternative

Here’s a budget shower tile idea: choose an affordable alternative to your favorite tile. Compare the Cool Blue tile ($6.99/sq. ft.) in this shower to the Marrakesh Blue tile ($13.29/sq. ft.) used for the kitchen below. Both of these tiles feature the color variation and uneven surface texture characteristic of handmade-look tiles. The difference is the Cool Blue tile comes in a 12″ x 24″ pre-scored sheet, giving the appearance of individual tiles, but making for easier installation. We love how this shower embraces the features of this tile, using wider grout joints between the sheets as an innovative design element.

5. Stay True to Your Aesthetic

Even if you’re working within a budget, you want to make sure you’re staying true to your preferred style. This chic industrial bathroom designed by Kelli Fontana Vogelgesang of West Bay Homes features the Softcement Graphite tile, an affordable floor option at only $5.99/sq. ft. The cement look is perfectly keeping with the moody aesthetic of this bathroom.

Whether you’re looking for budget shower tile ideas, or a kitchen refresh that doesn’t break the pocket book, you’ll find tile for every budget and style at The Tile Shop. Find a local store or schedule a free design consultation to get started on your project! For more advice, watch as our Director of Design Kirsty Froelich explains how to choose tile for your budget.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi! I'm Eimile, Marketing copywriter. What I love about working at The Tile Shop is getting to see all the new design trends. I especially love bright, bold colors and retro designs. When I'm not writing copy, I'm usually reading a novel or taking a walk around my Minneapolis neighborhood.

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