We normally see penny tile in the bathroom; it's much less common in the kitchen. But how fun and playful are these little round tiles? Spread on a wall, we think they make a space look bigger—and they're a nice, still-classic alternative to the ubiquitous subway tile.
It's a simple shape and design, but somehow grouped together, tiny penny tiles create an arresting graphic effect. We love 'em on floors, too, although we wonder how dirty the grout gets (there's a lot of it, considering how small the tiles are).
Does anyone have experience with cleaning penny tile? How does it hold up in a kitchen?
• 1. White backsplash and countertop, from House to Home.
• 2. A long stretch of backsplash, from this post on Same Layout, Different Kitchens.
• 3. Metallic penny tile! From House & Home, via You Paid More Than Me.
• 4. Simple white (and we love the rug), from Carla and Jack Fahden's sneak peek at Design*Sponge.
• 5. A vast, covered wall, at Sara's Party Perfect.
• 6. Beautiful blue floor, via Design around Denver.
• 7. Old black and white patterned floor, at Lonny.
• 8. Grey penny tile in progress, at Young House Love. (This fearless couple installed a huge amount of penny tile themselves, and they chronicled the entire process—go take a look.)
Related: Role Reversal: Black Tile and White Grout
(Images: Katya De Grunwald/House to Home; Patrick Cline/Lonny; House & Home; La Vie Photography and Carla Fahden; Sara/Sara's Party Perfect; Young House Love)
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Penny tile looks awesome but I have it as the floor tile in my bathroom and it's an incredible pain in the ass to clean. All that grout! Ugh.
We did a white penny tile backsplash in our kitchen. I would have loved subway tiles, but everything about our house is very crooked, and I thought those strong horizontal lines would call out all the craziness. Penny tiles seemed much more forgiving, esp as we DIYed & we are not the greatest tilers. Overall I love it it--adds reflection & light to the kitchen. I do think we used too much water when smoothing the grout though--there are some little cracks. Oops.
I am absolutely DROOLING over the metallic tile! What a statement!
We chose white penny tiles for our backsplash/half wall when we remodeled last year. So far no issues with cleaning, and they are so cheerful! They give an almost sparkly quality. We didn't want subway tile because the look was too classic for our modern and playful space. So far very happy with our choice.
(photos below)
http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcoolkitchens/2011/entries/2879