It feels so good to finally tell you: Next Thursday our first-ever tile collection with Concrete Collaborative debuts. Scroll down for a sneak peek of our southern Europe–inspired curation of eight vibrant colors (as paid subscribers, you’re getting the first look!). If you’ve ever renovated, you know artisan-made tiles like these can take weeks and weeks to arrive, but we made sure ours are ready to ship now.

We’ve taken every opportunity to pick the brain of forever-stylish Concrete Collaborative founder Kate Balsis throughout this process, so it was a no-brainer for her to be our next Home Front guest editor. Unsurprisingly, she has a tile trend on her mind.

—Lindsey Mather, digital director

What I’m loving right now: I’m really vibing with checkerboard lately—I’m always drawn to it if I see it integrated into a design. There is something playful but also timeless about the pattern.

Courtesy of Kate Balsis

How I’d bring it home:

A tiled bench or booth—it’s unexpected and creates a fun moment (above left).
Checkerboard doesn’t have to be square! You can create checkers with different shapes and patterns. Try a basket weave or use subway tile (above right).
Mix materials, like a solid-colored tile with a terrazzo as I did in our garage makeover, to play with texture not just color.

This lamp’s shape is fun, and I love the blues.
I own these modern mugs; they look so cute on my shelf.
Virginia Chamlee’s Checkmate II artwork. The green and pink together really works.
This bathrobe is a playful way to bring checkerboard into your home.
I gravitate to the orange pop of color and the Danish modern style of this ottoman.
I have a few of these wool rugs from Morocco in my house.

Pro tip: Go bold and put unexpected colors together to create a graphic moment.

Photography by Belle Morizio; Styling by Brit Ashcraft

What’s the next…

Paint color you expect to see everywhere: I’m loving warm buttery tones, like Backdrop’s Champagne Bonfire.
Material to get its moment: Plywood.
Trend about to take off: Warm-toned wood, curves, and vintage accents like chrome.
Trend you hope goes away: Painting old wood interiors white.
Furniture or decor item you’re on the hunt for: A curved Italian sofa.
Vintage score of your dreams: My barstools—they’re chrome with teal leather and wood trim from Italy, and I adore them. I got them from Chairish.
Pattern you want to play with: Basket weave.
Design risk you’re taking: Color-drenched interiors. Pairing a color in stone or terrazzo with the whole interior: tile, paint, and fixtures.
Collection you’re working on: Our new checkerboard and striped tiles (above) with Domino!

Photography by Charlotte Lea

Photography by Kate Balsis

What’s the last…

Renovation you tackled: Our home’s outdoor shower (above left). My sons and hubby helped me tile it!
Thing you splurged on for your home: An outdoor sauna.
Thing you got for a steal: We have a couple of Open Spaces shoe racks, and they are practical but look cool.
Gift you gave: A custom longboard by a local San Clemente shaper for my son’s 15th birthday.
Post you saved: I am terrazzo obsessed.
Account you started following: I always save interiors featured on Maison Cotidiano. I’m also having a little Brit-girl moment and find myself saving fashion and home decor from accounts like Lucy Williams Home.
Photo you snapped: I just got back from Vietnam, where I travel quite often to create new tiles and terrazzo at our factory. My last snaps were my noodles for breakfast and a terrazzo sink I was making (above right).

After wallpapering our dining room, we didn’t have the budget to do the same in my daughter’s nursery before she was born. Hanging artwork sufficed, but now that more than a year has gone by, I’m back to wanting a pattern pop in her space. I’ve been browsing Wallshoppe’s stellar inventory for something whimsical but soothing. All month long, you’ll get 15% off sitewide with the code WALLSHOPPE15D. —Lindsey