What Do You Do With a Leaf-Print Tile?

Designer Anna Dhillon has an idea€”and it’s surprisingly elegant.

Over this past year, we’ve been giving designers a challenge: forget the earth tones and the all-white subway tiles and get a little crazy. We’re pitching statement-making tile patterns (think neon camouflage and psychedelic swirls) to the best in the business to see how they would incorporate them into an everyday home. This week, we’ve got Anna Dhillon dreaming up something great based on 41zero42’s tropical Jane leaf-print tile.

Anna Dhillon’s Indoor-Outdoor Mud Room

The challenge tile: 41zero42 Paper 41 Jane tileThe contender: Anna Dhillon, Vancouver, annadhillondesign.comThe design: “When I saw this tile I immediately thought of a living wall and imagined it on the prominent wall of a mud room as a great way to bring the outdoors in. I would drill wood coat knobs onto it and place an indoor/outdoor linen upholstered bench under the knobs (practical for our rainy climate). On the opposite or adjacent wall, I suggest black steel framed doors facing out or into the home as a way to make a typically overlooked room visually interesting.  Accessorizing the room with copper elements such as these hanging Metalarte pendant lights gives the space a little unexpected formality and black penny tiles with black grout keeps the floors low maintenance. For accent walls, I would use Farrow and Ball Pavilion Gray which is featured in the green tones on the colour chart and is a classic mid-grey wall colour.” For more fun tile inspiration, check out:

WL Design Challenge: How to Work With an Unusual Tile Pattern

WL Design Challenge: More Designers Tackle Over-The-Top Tile