Ever thought of designing your home with Moroccan tiles? What are Moroccan tiles? Where can you buy them and how much do they typically cost?
In this post, we answer all those questions and share 10 Moroccan-inspired home designs that are suitable for homes in Malaysia.
What are Moroccan tiles?
Moroccan tiles are color-embroidered tiles influenced by the Mediterranean culture. The tiles are eye-catching and can instantly add interest to any interior.
Whether it is for kitchen design or the living room floor, Moroccan tiles can easily complement any home style, thus making them a popular choice for homeowners.
Curious about how Moroccan tiles can fit into your home design? See our Moroccan design inspiration below!
10 Moroccan-inspired designs for your home
1 – Add colors to your kitchen wall
Installing Moroccan tiles can be a great way to add a splash of colors to your kitchen design which is usually dominated by black-and-white color subway tiles.
If you are a little adventurous, go with Moroccan tiles when designing your kitchen.
While they work especially well with neutral-colored kitchens, don’t be afraid to match them with colorful kitchen cabinets – if you have them as well.
2 – Spice up the tone of your kitchen
If you prefer a neutral-toned kitchen design, then consider adding Moroccan tiles to the kitchen floor to spice up the vibe in your kitchen.
Adding colors to your wall adds that dynamic touch to a simple design you have on your walls and instills some playfulness in the room.
3 – Dress up your bathroom walls
Bathroom walls usually go hand-in-hand with white subway tiles. But, who says you can’t try something different with Moroccan tiles for a change? Moroccan tiles are a good way to transform the vibe of your bathroom area and even add an exotic style to it, like the design above.
You can go even further to complete the theme by incorporating the same Moroccan tiles design into your countertop and sink area. They work perfectly well together and the outcome can make for a big visual statement.
A simple interior design rule is to pair Moroccan tiles with a neutral-toned bathroom wall. This is because you wouldn’t want the colors to compete or clash with each other visually.
4 – Make your bathroom interiors pop
We usually advise homeowners to install rough (unglazed) tiles for bathroom floors, so that it’s not slippery when wet.
However, certain Moroccan tiles are also textured, making them safe to be installed on the bathroom floor as well. Having Moroccan tiles as your bathroom floor makes a dramatic visual statement.
To create a more harmonized design, be sure to pair the tiles with bathroom decors that are more simple and neutral-toned. This is so that the colors do not create visual conflict.
5 – Add a subtle touch to your bathroom floor
White-colored walls and tiles are known to give off the illusion of a bigger space. That’s why many homeowners prefer painting their walls white.
If you want to make your room, say a bathroom appear spacious and yet want some interest in it, then pairing white Moroccan tiles with an all-white bathroom decor can be an appealing choice.
It makes for a clean and yet elegant design.
6 – Turn walkway passages into a dramatic runway
Most homeowners would focus their interior design and decoration work on rooms. They tend to forget the walkway passages that connect rooms.
Walkway passages don’t have to be boring all the time.
A nice design idea is to turn them into an appealing runway with Moroccan tile flooring. Then contrast it with a dark wooden floor to create a welcoming walkway passage.
7 – Use Moroccan tiles on your feature wall
If you don’t like the idea of filling your room with Moroccan tiles, and think it’s too busy, you can opt to keep it simple by adding only a few.
This presents a cleaner design, that will fit well as a feature wall in your home because of the contrast in color and design. Think about where you’d like to bring someone’s attention when they enter a room and design a feature wall using Moroccan tiles on it.
8 – Wake up to a Moroccan backdrop
Go bold by adding Moroccan tiles to your bedroom wall and wake up every day to a mid-century-influenced backdrop. This is a bolder design choice. However, depending on your personality, the design might strike a chord with you.
A note of caution is to be sure of choosing the right bedroom decor, as it’s quite easy to cause pattern conflicts with Moroccan tiles as a backdrop.
9 – Moroccan-inspired dining table.
Here’s another bold and creative way to incorporate the Moroccan design into your home. The design, again, plays with the contrast between its vibrant pattern and the dark wooden flooring in the example above.
You’ll normally find such bold designs in commercial cafes and restaurants, giving off a contemporary-styled feel like the centerpiece in the dining area.
10 – Moroccan-inspired pool design
Have the luxury of having a swimming pool at home? Add some style to your swimming pool using Moroccan tiles for the pool bed, instead of the usual pool tiles.
If you like it more subtle, add them to the coping area (top lip or the finishing edge of the pool) to create a nice finishing touch.
Or go bolder by installing the pool floor completely with Moroccan tiles, depending on your preference and budget.
By now you should feel inspired, or even excited to start introducing Moroccan tiles into your home. But before you jump straight in, it’s worth understanding the pros and cons of Moroccan tiles.
The good and the bad of Moroccan tiles.
One of the most common questions we receive from homeowners: Should I get Moroccan tiles for my kitchen? Or my bathroom wall?
While there are no straightforward answers to these questions, it is simply a matter of preference and choice. What we usually advise homeowners to do at HOMA2u is to factor in the pros and cons of Moroccan tiles.
Pros of Moroccan tiles
1 – Moroccan tiles are versatile and can complement any home style
As seen in the Moroccan designs we shared earlier, they are very versatile and can be applied in any interior space. From kitchen backsplash to bathroom countertops or even stair rises, Moroccan tiles can easily fit into them.
Whether you’re planning to install them completely or embed them over a wall, their patterns and colors will usually stand out.
2 – Moroccan tiles are durable
Moroccan tiles have a sturdy build and can sustain for a very long time. They are also very easy to clean and wipe down.
Do note that frequent wiping down is recommended especially if the tiles are installed in areas that have high foot traffic or kitchen, where spills and leaks are expected.
Cons of Moroccan Tiles
1 – Easily stained
While easy to clean, Moroccan tiles can be susceptible to stains.
If there are spills and cleaning work isn’t done quickly, yellowish stains can easily accumulate. This leads us to our next point – the maintenance of Moroccan tiles.
2 – Moroccan tiles are considered high maintenance.
Tiles are naturally porous. And with certain Moroccan tiles, its surface isn’t protected by glaze coating.
What this means for you is that Moroccan tiles are susceptible to stain and cannot be exposed to prolonged moisture. So, never allow water or spills to sit on the tiles, as over time, water will seep into them and can cause visual damage to the tiles.
Protip: If you prefer tiles that require less maintenance, then you should opt for other tiles such as porcelain or ceramic tiles.
3 – Hard to install
Installing Moroccan tiles can be a complicated task, from sealing to cutting the tiles. The work will consume a lot of time and skill if you’re DIY-ing. Not to mention, errors in installing them could cost you additional money!
It’s best to hire skilled contractors to get the job done. And not just any tile-setter would do. Make sure they have experience installing Moroccan tiles and are familiar with the process of doing it. This also means you should be prepared to fork out a bit more budget to get better, more reputable contractors.
Lastly, there’s one more thing you need to consider as well – the price of Moroccan tiles.
4 – Moroccan tiles can be expensive
Compared to your regular tiles which usually cost around RM1.96/piece, a Moroccan tile can cost between RM3.50/piece to RM6.00/piece.
But is Moroccan tile really expensive? Considering the design, pattern, and also uniqueness a Moroccan tile offers, you could say that the price is reasonable.
There are hardly any other tiles that can offer the vibe and dramatic effects that a Moroccan tile provides. Plus, Moroccan tiles work well with most contemporary home designs and can help channel that upscale appeal.
Lucky for you, HOMA2u is the biggest overstock marketplace in Malaysia for interior design items, including Moroccan tiles as well. Feel free to browse through our catalog of Moroccan tiles for your home.
Alternatively, get in touch with our home experts to help you select Moroccan tiles under your budget.
Cleaning tips for Moroccan tiles
As mentioned earlier, Moroccan tiles require frequent cleaning and wiping down. To help you with that, we have compiled a list of cleaning tips here:
- Regularly clean the tiles with water coupled with a neutral cleaning agent.
- Feel free to mix vinegar with warm water and clean the tiles with a soft cloth (this should be able to remove the yellowish stain).
- For tougher stains, clean using water and bicarbonate soda.
- Vacuum cleaning is allowed for Moroccan tiles.
- Lastly, avoid using an abrasive brush, bleach, or ammonia-based cleaners.
Conclusion
Moroccan tiles add dramatic effects to any room and can instantly create a striking visual appeal for it. Even though they are more expensive than your regular tiles, the design can be worth its price.
Now you know all about Moroccan tiles, how are you planning to remodel them into your home makeover? Share with us in the comment section below.