19 Beautiful Rooms With Mosaic Tile in the AD Archive

By Rachel Davies

The disco ball is well on its way to making a comeback, and if its reemergence in interiors proves anything, it's the magic of mosaic tile. But why stick to a single sphere of tiled goodness when you can introduce mirrored or colored glass to just about any surface? Whether you’re looking to add color to an outdoor living space or texture to an otherwise humdrum bathroom, mosaic can easily step in to transform a space into something dynamic, dramatic, and full of sparkle. Below, we take a look at 19 rooms from the AD archive that utilize mosaic to its full potential.

Roman-style mosaics add a worldly feel to this Studio Peregalli–designed bathroom, while a wood vanity and side table add delicacy to the sea of stone and marble work.

Mosaic tile envelops this galley bathroom designed by Tigerman McCurry, creating the sense of a true escape for the homeowners. The frosted glass-pane doors further solidify this spa-like atmosphere. English sycamore cabinetry plays off the color of the mosaic while calling back to the adjacent walk-in closet's cabinetry.

In a Pierre Yovanovitch–designed Paris apartment, a detailed mosaic fresco by artist Delphine Messmer was added to an unusually spacious terrace. The work recalls the frescoes of the apartment's interior while echoing the colors of the patio's furniture and landscaping.

For an art collector's home and sculpture garden in Ohio, Peter Pennoyer Architects went big and bold. Take, for instance, the entryway mosaic, where red and silver webbing draws inspiration from Hildreth Meière's 1931 lobby for One Wall Street. Rather than keeping other elements muted to offset this grandeur, the studio fully leaned in with a dramatic Todd Anderson ceiling fixture.

As seen in a 2004 feature focusing on the Italian design lab of the Mercedes-Benz Group (then known as DaimlerChrysler), new technology can happily live in harmony with neoclassical design. The Italian villa that then housed the company headquarters dates back to the 18th century and was once owned by Gianni Versace. With its mosaic floor and painted ceiling, it's easy to see what drew the maximalist Italian designer and prestige brand to the space.

Glazed Moroccan tiles speak to the regional traditions of Marrakech's Hotel Tichka, as do the locally made furnishings selected by the hotel's interior designer Bill Willis. In this fireside lounge area, there's a focus on purposeful illumination. Light from the fire reflects in the tiles’ glaze, while mantel-top lanterns cast captivating, colorful shadows.

In a Naples pied-à-terre, designers Roberto Peregalli and Laura Sartori Rimini fully embraced history. Eighteenth-century paintings, a Louis XVI stool, and an antique English lava-stone table play off of the grandeur of the Roman-inspired floor mosaic in the apartment's entrance hall.

In images of the empress of Iran's palace from 1977, mosaic seems subtle next to boldly patterned rugs, parquet flooring, and ornate chandeliers. A glance upwards delivers the sight of a shimmering ceiling that would serve as a focal point in less daring spaces.

This design by Los Angeles's Classic Tile & Mosaic company proves just how expressive the mosaic medium can be. The unique koi fish pattern is both worldly and playful, without being overly busy.

At the Melenos Lindos hotel, designer Donald Green chose a mosaic style of Islamic origin to put on view in an outdoor seating area. Unlike most other mosaics, the iteration displayed here is made of marble pebbles (and is known locally as chochlakia).

Appropriately glamorous for an apartment in New York City's Plaza Hotel, this deep soaking tub is covered in a mosaic that matches the floor and walls. The simple color palette creates a distinctly serene vibe.

Architect Rem Koolhaas salvaged an existing mosaic work when transforming a former restaurant into Moscow's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. The large-scale work perfectly ties into the project's colorful industrialism.

Featured on the cover of a 1987 issue of AD, the late artist Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden consisted of more than 20 inhabitable sculptures covered in small mirrors and other tile work. She herself lived in the Tuscan garden, which cleverly imagined a host of tile-work ideas, from stair fronts—as seen here—to wallpaper-like installations.

Creating an open area was of utmost importance when architect Made Wijaya and interior designer Sunil Jasani were at work on a grand home located outside of Mumbai. In one large rectangular room, which is used both as a dining space and a lounge, a floor mosaic installed by local artist Chiru Chakravarty creates a sense of flow.

In a restrained spa room at a Swiss winter retreat, mosaic is used to add a subtle glamour to an otherwise spare space. Thoughtful lighting along the ceiling and underwater intensifies the magic of the tiling.

Just next door to an indoor swimming pool that's filled with light, the home steam room of interior designer Laura Santos offers a relatively intimate space for relaxation. A circular skylight was installed to echo the custom floor mosaic by Sicis.

At Rome's Baths of Caracalla, an impressive attraction built in the early third century, restored mosaic flooring shows how timeless the medium is.

In a Manhattan penthouse designed by Rockwell Group, a gold leaf mosaic adds a splash of glamour in a largely minimal bathroom that allows its sweeping views to do the talking.

Working from a gutted town house to create a space worthy of a homeowner couple's love of Art Nouveau, architect Alan Wanzenberg, interior designer Vladimir Alexandrovich Fabrikov, and interior preservation specialist Ilan Tavor manifested a dignified space that starts at its dramatic, mosaic-floored entryway.

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