The choice of marble as a flooring surface is an excellent investment in a residential or commercial property. Marble tiles are long-lasting, durable, and require little or no maintenance. One of the great challenges for property owners who desire a marble floor is the process of achieving a beautiful look that complements the rest of the room’s furnishings and fixtures.
Marble tiles are available in dark, neutral, and light shades. These can be mixed and matched to form a customized floor pattern, one that becomes the primary accent of the room’s coloration. Black marble is one of the most commonly used shades because it can be complemented with lighter wall colors. Some of the most elegantly designed black marble floors for foyers, kitchen areas, living rooms, and bedrooms are discussed here.
Entryways, Atriums, and Foyers
Atrium comes from an old word that means “main room”. Although this may sound as though it is reference to the living room area, an atrium is usually thought of as a large foyer or entryway. It is the first room that people see when they visit, and this room generates the first impression people have when they venture inside a home or office building.
It is important to remember that black tiles do not necessarily create a darkened atmosphere. Much of the interior lighting does not reflect off of marble to a great degree anyway. Black marble tiles work fine as a flooring surface for a brightly lit atrium.
Lighter color shades used for the walls will complement the black marble tiles in an atrium or foyer quite well. Chrome, white, or crystal chandeliers are marvelous in their appearance when they are suspended above a floor covered in dark tiles.
Designers will usually opt for a lighter color for the wood baseboard that surrounds a black marble floor. This is especially true for foyers and entryways. The baseboard can be a lightly shaded, varnished or stained hardwood, and the walls themselves can be white, with or without texture.
Black Marble Tiles in the Kitchen
Most individuals prefer a well-lit, brightly accented kitchen. This is best achieved when darker shade tiles are complemented by brilliant white or off-white counters and cabinetry. One of the more popular kitchen designs used in kitchen construction involves black marble tiles, white baseboard and kickers, polished metal appliances, and neutral shade tiles for the walls and backsplash.
A commonly used tile arrangement involves the alternating of black and white marble. The tiles can be placed with lines matching the perimeter of the kitchen, or the design can be diagonal in nature. A diagonally placed floor surface made up of black marble and pure white engineered stone is marvelous to look at, and the entire kitchen retains its bright appearance.
Another good idea for the placement of marble tiles in the kitchen is to use a single, dark color for the floor, surrounded by a perimeter of lighter, neutral shade marble. This perimeter can be made of rectangular tiles that are about 6- to 8-inch width. The lighter tiles forming the perimeter will nicely complement medium-shade cabinetry.
A dark shade of marble used for a kitchen floor will also look very nice when a kitchen island countertop is finished with a lighter, neutral color. The light, off-white marble streaked with gray veins is not often considered for a kitchen countertop, but those who choose this shade when darker tiles are used for the floor will be amazed at the result.
Marble Tiles in the Living Room
The living area is often less brilliantly lit than the kitchen or foyer, and black marble tiles give the area a distinctly comfortable feel. Black marble looks wonderful in this part of the home because it complements lighter beige furniture. Wood furniture, especially that which has been stained or varnished in a light tan or beige, looks especially nice when set upon polished black marble tiles.
When black is the color chosen for floor tiles, it becomes one of the primary colors in the room. The complementing color of the walls does not necessarily have to be white, however. Off-white walls that are decorated with pictures or other artwork will look just fine when black marble is used as the flooring surface.
Alternating tile colors is generally to be avoided in the living room. However, cleverly placed insets or lighter color tiles at intervals can create a very special visual effect. The black tiles will also look their best when they are accompanied by matching or complementary color window sills.
Black Marble in the Bed and Bath Areas
A darker shade of marble tile will look extremely beautiful when it is complemented by lighter shades for the walls and bedroom furniture. Red shades are often used as a secondary accent for bedding and drapes when black marble tiles cover the bedroom floor. Matching sills and threshold saddles are commonly used in this part of the home.
Alternating black and white marble tiles gives the bath area a very stately appearance. Jewel tones can be used for the walls, and a soap caddy made from the same style of natural stone will highlight the appearance of the sink area. This is the room where travertine or marble/glass insets look their best. The dark shade of the floor will also complement the black strips of stone used for the lighting fixtures above the sink area.
A lighter shade of cabinetry is the best choice when black marble covers the floor of the bath area. Solid black tiles look very nice when the countertops in the bathroom are also made from marble, especially dark marble that has lighter veining patterns.
Black marble tiles in the bathroom also look marvelous when the walls are covered with several mirrors. A tall door mirror and matching mirrors above the sink will reflect light quite well, and the shiny polish on the floor tiles will be highlighted further. The bathroom sinks should be bright white when the floor and countertop has been covered with black marble tiles.
Affordability of Black Marble
Stonexchange is a leading importer and distributor of marble tiles, window sills, and thresholds. We carry all of the popular styles of marble floor tiles in our Florida-based distribution center, and our wholesale, bulk delivery process means lower prices for our commercial customers. Unlike smaller retailers who purchase material in small quantities, we supply installers, subcontractors, and flooring supply outlets with large amounts of tiles.
We have a constant supply of fine-quality marble coming into our facility from manufacturing operations located overseas. We also have a special ordering process for non-standard size marble flooring tiles and window sills. Creating a custom look for living room or bathroom floor often involves smaller inset pieces that cannot be easily cut from larger squares, but our company will supply custom sizes of black marble and other types of natural stone – including granite – upon request.
Mixing and matching color shades can be an expensive buying process unless the correct manufacturer and distributor are chosen. Bulk-ordering a combination of black marble and lighter shades of stone is not a problem when dealing with Stonexchange. We ship full crates of marble tiles directly to our commercial customers or to the construction site, and we personally inspect the shipment to make sure the order contains similar texture and color shade on each and every tile.
Show Us Your Design Plan
We can accurately calculate a final price on any large order of tiles, no matter how varied the styles and colors required by the client. If the order request is for standard size tiles, we may be able to ship the material within one or two business days. If non-standard sizes are needed for your construction project, we will ask for a lead time of one or two months. Contact us today and find out how easy it is to obtain beautiful black marble floor tiles at a fraction of retail cost.