Planning your bathroom: a helpful guide

Designing a kitchen is one of the most exciting and rewarding home projects, but it can also be one of the most complex. A successful kitchen must balance beauty and functionality, storage and flow, durability and delight. At Marlborough Tiles, we’ve worked with thousands of customers planning kitchens of all shapes and sizes, and one thing is always true: the best kitchens begin with careful, thoughtful planning.

In this guide we'll share with you our most trusted advise for approaching your kitchen project, to help you make both practical and design choices that will result in an elegant, personal space that will bring joy for years to come. 

Step 1: Begin with how you live

Before thinking about colours, cupboards or finishes, consider your day-to-day habits. Do you cook often, or entertain regularly? Is this a busy family space, or more of a quiet retreat? Understanding how you use your kitchen will inform everything from layout to lighting.

A few useful questions to ask yourself:

• Where do you naturally move between cooking, prepping and serving?
• How much storage do you truly need?
• Do you prefer everything tucked away, or displayed in the open?

This is the foundation of your brief. Get this right, and the rest follows more easily.

Step 2: Consider how you want the space to feel

Before making any aesthetic choices, ask yourself: what should this space evoke? Do you want a kitchen that’s light, calm, and understated? Or one that’s rich in tone, full of warmth and depth?

This decision will help shape your colour choices and use of materials. Our handmade ceramic tiles, with their nuanced glazes and subtle movement, can bring softness to minimalist schemes or texture to bolder, characterful rooms.

 Either way, they help ground the space in craft and authenticity.

Step 3: Define your zones

A well-functioning, practical kitchen flows perfectly. That flow is often built around specific zones dedicated to cooking, prep, cleaning, and storage.

A classic layout principle is the kitchen triangle, placing the sink, hob and fridge at efficient points to reduce unnecessary movement. But in larger or open-plan spaces, think in zones instead:

• Prep & cook: A central zone for food preparation and cooking, ideally within easy reach of the hob or range cooker.
• Cleaning: Make cleaning utensils and washing your veg simple by keeping your sink, dishwasher and recycling or rubbish points close together. 
• Pantry or larder: A simple and practical space to store and find your dry goods and daily essentials - it can also be a beautiful and inspiring area if designed correctly! 
• Display or open shelving: Keep these spaces free for your most treasured ceramics, glassware or cookery books. 

Our ceramic wall tiles are not just beautiful, they’re practical, and perfect for these hardworking kitchen spaces where aesthetics and ease of maintenance are both required.

If your kitchen is part of an open-plan space, or you want to easily define zonal areas in your room, tiles are the perfect addition. 

A tiled splashback behind a range cooker or hob, for instance, gives the cooking space identity and function, even when the room blends into a dining or living area.

They can wrap around an island, frame a pantry wall, or create an elegant half-height wall behind a seating space.

Step 4: Let your tiles guide the palette

Rather than choosing your tile to match the kitchen decor and paint colours, we often advise doing the opposite: start with a tile you love, and let it inspire the rest. 

Our glazes are rich in tone and variation and choosing one early can shape your cabinetry, paint, handles, and even fabric choices in a more intuitive way.

Our customers often tell us that the moment they receive their samples, the decision becomes clear.

Here are three timeless pairing ideas to bring colours together in your space.

• Tonal schemes: Pair variations of a single colour family together, such as a range of neutrals, greens or blues, to create a classic, sophisticated look. For example, opt for our Chroma Bleached Coral terracotta coloured tiles alongside Farrow & Ball's Setting Plaster for walls or cabinetry for a gentle, tonal feel.
• High contrast: Balance dark and light to bring depth to your space, creating a bold yet refined look. This approach works especially well in kitchens with good natural light or distinctive features such as a range cooker alcove, fireplace or feature wall. Here you could combine jewel-toned, Soho SoEmerald wall tiles alongside off-white shaker cupboards for a sophisticated, classic contrast.
• Monochromatic - use a single colour across multiple finishes to create a sense of unity whilst letting the materials do the talking. In a monochrome kitchen the interest comes from how the light hits each of the surfaces, from glossy or rustic tiles, matt paint, and soft textiles. An example could be our gentle, off-white Antique White wall tiles, paired with Farrow & Ball's White Tie on the walls or woodwork, finished with soft creamy off-white accents in accessories, furniture and fabrics.

Tip: Always view tile samples in your space, in natural light, to see how the glaze interacts with your room’s orientation and time of day.

Step 4: Tiles for texture

Not all tiles are created equally. And none more so than here at Marlborough Tiles. Not only are our nuanced glaze colours custom made in house - colours you simply won't find anywhere else - but our tiles come in an array of textures, shapes and sizes too.

Tiles are a great way to introduce colour and texture into your space, with the following finishes available across our wall tile collections:

• Gloss: a simple glossy finish, with a flat or gently undulating surface to reflect light around your kitchen. 
• Crackle Glaze: a subtle crackle finish on the top of the tile creates an artisanal, classic finish. The colours feel more subtle and the delicate crackle pattern brings a refined look to the tile.
• Aged Crackle: we hand-finish each crackle glaze tile to emphasise the crackle finish and create an aged look. Perfect for period homes and those aspiring to an antique look, such as in cottages or townhouses.
• Rustic: our rustic tile collections are made by hand using premium Spanish terracotta, moulded by hand into wooden frames and allowed to dry the traditional way. This creates an unrivalled texture and look - with a rustic surface, imperfect edges and crumpled corners. No two are the same, telling the story of how they were made.
• Matt: a true matt tile, with a non-reflective surface and paper smooth finish, our matt tiles bring balance and harmony to any room. They have been designed to pair with the UK's leading paint colours and so are perfect for any colour scheme, especially in rooms with abundant light or in a contemporary home.

Step 5: Don't forget the floor

While cabinetry and wall finishes often steal the spotlight, the kitchen floor plays a vital role in tying the space together, both visually and practically. A well-chosen floor should feel effortlessly elegant, stand up to daily life, and quietly elevate the overall scheme.

Our collections of premium porcelain floor tiles are designed to do just that. Durable, easy to maintain, and rich in detail, they offer the perfect balance of beauty and practicality.

For a warm and timeless aesthetic, our wood-effect plank tiles offer the look of natural timber with none of the upkeep. They’re ideal for open-plan kitchens where continuity and practicality are key.

For a more classic or rustic feel, explore our stone-effect porcelain tiles, designed to mimic the character of aged limestone or reclaimed flagstones. The Lacock range features subtle fossil-like markings for a traditional English feel, while our Ridgeway collection offers a chiselled edge for antique charm.

For something a little softer, our terracotta-effect Andalucia collection brings Mediterranean warmth to the kitchen, with a beautifully realistic surface and a soft, natural palette. Available in two rich tones and five traditional formats, it’s perfect for country cottages, farmhouses, or homes seeking a touch of relaxed elegance.

Whatever your style, the right floor anchors the space, complements your cabinetry and tiles, and sets the tone for the room as a whole.

Let the Room Guide You

Rather than imposing a vision onto a room, we believe in listening - letting the architecture, the light, and the mood shape your design direction. 

The best kitchens are not simply beautiful, they are deeply personal. They reflect how you live, what you love, and how you want to feel at home. Whether you’re just starting your plans or finalising finishes, take your time, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice along the way.

At Marlborough, we’re always here to help: from choosing the perfect glaze, to layout suggestions and grout advice. We’d be delighted to help you bring your kitchen plans to life.

You can also find a wealth of inspirational bathroom images from customer projects in our Gallery.