Historic Mosaic Patterns For Serviceable Floors

Penny round, hex, or square,mosaic tile lends itself to utilitarian floors that are showpieces of pattern.

- Brian D.Coleman

In 1890 or 1915, the focus was on hygiene in service rooms. Bathrooms,for example, held just the neces sities—sink, toilet, and tub or shower. Fixtures were smooth and white, floors waterproof and easy to clean. Kitchens were designed for function, too. In both rooms, as well as foyers and back halls,tiled floors were common, especially unglazed (slip-free) mosaic tile patterns.

At first most were done in white tile, reinforcing the sanitary emphasis.In baths, the tiles usually were small,usually one-inch in diameter in keeping with the scale of the room, while kitchens sometimes had mosaic pieces of two inches or bigger. Hexagon tiles were the most common; once grouted, the six-sided pieces create an interesting but not overwhelming pattern. While the field was typically white, color and pattern might be introduced as a stripe, or in wider borders with a Greek key or anoth er geometric fret design, diamonds, occasionally scrolling leaves or tendrils. A restrained “daisy” effect came from adding a few colored tiles within the field. Green, burgundy, buff, and black accent tiles were popular.