Tile Ideas for an Entertaining Kitchen

Featured Image: Mont Blanc Quartzite Kitchen Island Countertop Stone Slab, Reside Beige 24×48 Large-Format Porcelain Kitchen Floor Tile, & Chymia Mix 1 Black Porcelain Fireplace Surround Tile from Arizona Tile

Daily comfort in home design is key, but creating an inviting, entertaining kitchen within that design heightens the appeal. We spend so much time in our kitchens, so they need to be functional, attractive, and durable for everyday use. But, beyond that, the added joy of being able to entertain in your kitchen adds heartfelt warmth in knowing you’ve enhanced this central space to encourage a closeness with friends and family.

Entertaining friends and gathering around your large kitchen island, enjoying hors d’oeuvres, laughing, and sharing stories, or spending the extra time baking with your family are all wonderful activities. Regardless of your main uses for your kitchen, incorporating slab and tile ideas for an entertaining kitchen will help ensure the use of exceptional products while enhancing design.

Where to Start?

Your overall layout is paramount in establishing an excellent foundation for the perfect kitchen designed to entertain. If you have a lot of square footage to play with, that’s great for seeing your design come to life; however, if you’re working with a smaller footprint, that’s ok, too. There are lots of ways to add practicality and functionality, like with adequate shelving, cabinetry, and a kitchen island.

Kitchen islands have been a go-to feature for quite a while now, but lately, homeowners are opting for a much larger island presence in their kitchen. Where kitchens used to have a smaller landing in the center to permit more mobility in the space, kitchen islands now come in a vast array of sizes, and the overall size of the kitchens have grown as well. Some builders make the island the most prominent feature, allowing for greater counterspace, storage, and seating. The size of an island is not only a design consideration, as the surrounding space needs to be accounted for as well. Is it a single-wall kitchen, and the rest of the space is open to other areas, such as the living room or dining room? Are there three walls in your kitchen that allow for more perimeter cabinetry and countertops? Is your kitchen island the separation between the kitchen and another space?

Image: Nuage Quartzite Waterfall Kitchen Island Countertop Slab from Arizona

Once you’ve considered layout options, selecting the best materials to suit your needs comes next. Your countertop and flooring are big-ticket items you want to ensure last a very long time; therefore, selecting the proper materials for your lifestyle is essential.

Kitchen Countertops

You’ve decided that you’re going to dedicate your perimeter counterspace to house the sink and all the appliances, as opposed to the sink and dishwasher being in the island. This means your oversized island is truly a countertop space for meal prep, entertaining friends, family game nights, arts and crafts with the kids, etc. Plus, this oversized island sits in the middle of an open floor plan, so everyone who walks by will probably set something down (purse, water bottle, packages, plates, cups, etc.). With lots of moving parts touching this surface regularly, opting for durability in quartz, quartzite, and even some marble slabs will serve you (and all your party guests!) well.

Image: Grigio Elegante Honed Quartz Kitchen Island Countertop from Arizona Tile

Quartz is known for its exceptional durability, beautiful appeal, and longevity. It comes in various colors and patterns and has a relatively consistent finish without pitting or fissures. As an added bonus, quartz is one of the easiest countertop materials to maintain! Pilar and Grigio Elegante are two great examples of a light and dark quartz option that complement various installations. An excellent way to add aesthetic appeal is to opt for Pilar and Grigio Elegante to work together, adding dimension and different focal areas. Try placing one of these options as the perimeter countertops and the other on your island surface.

Image: Taj Mahal Polished Quartzite Kitchen Island Countertop Slab and Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Quartzite slabs have been cherished for their beauty and durability throughout time, and they’re an exquisite addition to any space. If you want a natural stone countertop to stand out in your entertaining kitchen, you may have found your match. To help introduce you to quartzite, here are three excellent examples that show stunning colors and patterns… and don’t be surprised if these become the center of conversation when gathered around.

1. Nuage – An off-white quartzite with horizontal grey veins and dramatic white lightning bolt veins.
2. Taj Mahal – Resembling Italian Calacatta marble in appearance, this is a white stone with lots of beige and gold-hue movement.
3. Mont Blanc – A creamy white background with grey and taupe veining dancing across its surface.

Image: Clacatta Capixaba Marble Kitchen Island Countertop Stone Slab & Anthea White 24×48 Large-Format Porcelain Kitchen Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Marble is also great if you dream of pure elegance and sophistication. This iconic stone will possess distinct veins, patterns, colors, and mesmerizing swirls to enhance interior spaces. Marble anywhere in your home will captivate those lucky enough to be invited over for game night or family dinner.

Not all marble is made the same, but Calacatta Capixaba is extremely hard, thus making it suitable for your entertaining kitchen. This marble is creamy white with grey and gold veining, accentuated by areas of rich oxidation that give way to a vibrant rust color.  

Kitchen Tile Flooring

You may not realize just how important your flooring material is until you have to clean it and it’s not as easy as you thought, or you notice scratches across the surface when the sun hits it just the right way. If a product is marketed for flooring, you may believe it can withstand foot traffic, but this is not always the case. Knowing and understanding the features of products will alleviate a lot of stress in the future. 

Image: Aequa Silva 12×48 Wood-Look Porcelain Tile Kitchen Floor & Pilar Quartz Waterfall Kitchen Island Slab from Arizona Tile

Porcelain is a popular choice for flooring because it’s dense, non-porous, and highly resistant to stains, scratches, and water damage. Given its impressive durability, porcelain tile is ideal for high-traffic areas like the kitchen. Plus, you’ll love the wide variety of colors, textures, and patterns to choose from—all while being easy to maintain. Here are some great options to welcome you to the wide variety of porcelain floor tile:

• Aequa – With the appearance of reclaimed wood, this series offers the warmth of timeworn matter that has taken on new colors and nuances over time. This comes in large, plank pieces, making it look like natural wood flooring.
• Anthea – A stunning four-color, two-finish collection that is a calibrated fusion of numerous natural stone materials, giving this product a gorgeous depth and color range. Different from other series, each color within this line features unique patterning and details specific to each color. Also, Anthea features PROTECT® technology, which makes it easy to sanitize and eliminates up to 99.9% of bacteria.
• Reside USA – Inspired by the rich textures of commercial textiles, the four colors in this series provide a clean look and offer a simplistic, modern appeal.
• Chymia– Want to add some pattern to the mix? This series consists of fluctuations between graphic design and the expressive gestures of mark-making between the two extremes of black and white. This tile could make a fun focal area on the floor to highlight areas of the room.

Let Us Help You Entertain!

For a better visual of our products, experience our Just Imagine Tile and Slab Visualizer. To gain the best sense of a product’s aesthetic and feel, stop by an Arizona Tile showroom or slab yard—we look forward to working with you! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to send us a message!