When I move into a new home, I have different tiers of what I believe need to be done. I have the parts of the home that I can’t stand that usually have to go immediately (I have torn white carpet out of about half of the places that I have lived). I have the items that I want to change, but that maybe we can wait on for budget purposes or because of the season. I also have the areas or details that I think are satisfactory enough and that I can live with (or at least live with for a while).
We’ve been in our house a little over a year now. Right away, we altered some of the big-ticket items that needed to change for home functionality (kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, closets etc.). Then there were more aesthetic changes, like light fixtures, bathroom mirrors, and furniture. Things settled a little bit, but with the arrival of the pandemic, I began to think about a few elements that we were living with that could really be improved.
This is when I decided that we had to do something about our front landing. It was old concrete that was cracked and wasn’t doing the house or yard any favors. Since you see the landing right as you prepare to enter our home, I wasn’t thrilled that this not-so-great area was front and center (literally).
We also have an inner courtyard, which I love as it brings in a lot of natural light. At some point, when someone added on to the home (I believe in the late seventies/early eighties), they created the Saltillo-covered inner courtyard. The thing is, we don’t have any of that tile anywhere else on our property, and it doesn’t match the style of our home. I let it go for a bit, and I covered most of the tile with an outdoor rug, but then I decided that it was time to say goodbye.
I wanted tile that was light in color to go with the house, could go outdoors, and had some kind of pattern or texture preferably. I played around with doing a herringbone pattern, but I kept running into the problem of liking tiles that were too smooth to go outdoors. Whoops. I discovered the hexagon tile, and after comparing different sizes and finishes, chose the one that we put in. I couldn’t decide between white or gray grout, so I polled my Instagram followers and “gray” won. I agreed with the winning vote, so that was how the gray grout decision was solidified (grout pun).
I think the end result is about one thousand times better (I’m biased), and I do not miss the damaged concrete or old Saltillo tile. I also enjoy that it’s a uniform look, and that the tile is carried through from the outside to the inside of the home. We had gray outdoor furniture from our previous home (another “I can live with it for now” scenario), so we swapped that for Adirondack chairs. We have similar chairs on our front porch, and I also purchased the same outdoor pillows to match for the inner courtyard as well.
All in all, the tile has completely transformed the space. When the tile was being demolished for our inner courtyard, we also discovered some almost-100-year-old original steps that were covered up. Who knows what you’re going to find when you start tearing areas apart. Most importantly, of course, the cats seem pleased with their new brighter, cleaner space too. Since we are spending more time than ever at home, I’m thrilled that now we can love the look of our outside areas as much as we enjoy using them. Let me know what you think of the new and improved tile and the before and after pictures!
