Create an Authentic Mexican Villa Look with Tile

3 design ideas that use tile to bring a bit of Mexico to your home

Considering southern California was colonized by Spain and used to be part of Mexico, it’s no surprise that there is a lasting Hispanic cultural and artistic influence here. Many homes feature architectural designs and décor inspired by Spanish Colonial or Mexican designs. If you’re looking to add some Mexican flair to your home, using tile is a great place to start. This traditional building material is a hallmark of an authentic Mexican villa. You too can get the look of a Mexican villa by incorporating beautiful Mexican tile from Mission Tile West in one or more of the following three ways.

Flooring

There are two types of Mexican tile that can be used for flooring, Talavera tile and cement tile. Talavera tile is a hand-painted tile that pairs well with terra cotta tile flooring. It is commonly used as an accent tile in flooring rather than the main tile. Mexican cement tile is another favorite flooring tile for villa-style homes, particularly for patios and outdoor spaces. This tile has a bit of a retro look. Its chief advantage is that the patterns are formed using colored cement rather than glaze, so even if the tile chips the pattern will not be affected.

Stair Risers

Adding a row of decorative Talavera tile under each stair riser is a favorite trick for bringing a bit of traditional charm to a new Spanish or Mexican style home. This design technique can be used indoors or outdoors, and the basic color palette used in Talavera tile makes it easy to match your overall interior design plan. It brings a spark of color to your space without overwhelming you.

Pool Surrounds

Pool surrounds are another excellent place to use Mexican-inspired tile. Because Talavera tile was traditionally used on the exterior walls of Mexican homes, running a band of this tile around your patio wall as well as under the lip of the pool creates a fun and attractive twist on a traditional look.
No matter where you end up putting your Mexican tile accents, you’re sure to love the lasting beauty and appeal that this tile will bring to your home. When it comes to sourcing your Mexican tile, there’s no better place to shop than Mission Tile West. After all, we started our company with Mexican tile and we still make our own lines of tile in our factories.