Blue and white Delft tiles have lined kitchen walls and hearths since the 1600s, and they look just as good in a country house as in a modern home. We make Delft style kitchen tiles in the traditional 13x13cm square and in larger porcelain, printed with classic Delft motifs or your own design and kiln-fired at 900°C in Somerset. They’re part of our wider range of Delft tiles, which also covers fireplaces and bathrooms.
Traditional Delft tile designs are small scenes in cobalt blue on a soft white glaze, each one framed by a corner motif. The motifs we print include:
A traditional Dutch kitchen has a different scene on every tile, while a modern scheme repeats one motif for a calmer look. Many people scatter decorated Delft tiles among plain white wall tiles or run them as a border, and personalise one or two with a house name or a date. We supply the plain white tiles too, so you can order the whole splashback in one go.
Not always, though cobalt blue on white is the classic. Delft potters also worked in manganese purple, and in several colours at once, such as green and ochre alongside the blue, which is known as polychrome. We can make your Delft kitchen tiles in green, manganese purple or polychrome, as well as blue.
If you’ve got a fireplace too, the same designs work on fireplace surrounds, so a motif can follow you from the kitchen into the living room. Prefer one big picture to a repeat pattern? A tile mural prints a single image across the whole splashback, as on our kitchen murals page.
Period kitchens are the easy case. Delft tiles sit happily with painted cabinets, a butler sink and a wooden worktop, and if you’re renovating an older kitchen, a full wall of mixed scenes gives it the feel of a Dutch farmhouse. A modern kitchen needs a lighter touch. Repeat one Delft design in rows against white units and a stone worktop, and keep everything else plain, so the tiles add interest without crowding the room.
Think about distance, too. A windmill, a sailing ship or a tulip reads well from across the room, while small florals and corner motifs are better on a splashback you see up close.
Send it with the size of your wall. We check the image and reply with a layout and a free quote.
Delftware is the tin-glazed earthenware made in the Netherlands from the 1600s. It’s named after the town of Delft, where potters were inspired by the blue and white porcelain Dutch traders brought back from China. Delft tiles followed, and English makers produced their own, known as English delft. Ours are new ceramic tiles in the Delft style: we print the design as a ceramic decal, apply it to each tile by hand and kiln-fire it at 900°C, so the cobalt blue fuses into the glaze.
That firing is what makes them practical next to a cooker. Heat from the hob, steam and grease won’t affect the print, and the tiles wipe clean with normal kitchen cleaner. The colour comes with our 50-year UV guarantee.
For a traditional look, choose the 13x13cm rustic handmade finish ceramic tile, the classic Delft size. If your splashback is narrow, the 10x10cm tile fits better. For a cleaner, modern finish or bigger tiles, choose flat porcelain. Printed tiles are priced per tile, printing included, and plain tiles per m²:
Gloss or matt, the choice is yours. Orders under £120 inc VAT (£100 + VAT) carry a £36 inc VAT (£30 + VAT) setup charge. A sample tile costs £12 inc VAT (£10 + VAT), which we take off your order when you go ahead. Most orders take 1 to 3 weeks to make, and we deliver across the UK and worldwide.
You’ll find Delft tiles from a few pounds to over £30 each, depending on who makes them and how. We print and fire the design, which keeps our prices at a level that works for a whole splashback rather than a handful of feature tiles.
Type your idea, pick a style and see it on your wall, tile by tile, in about 20 seconds. Send us the design you like and we'll email your quote.
Free to try. No sign-up for your first two designs.
Yes. A single motif repeated in rows, a bold flower or a geometric design in Delft blue looks at home in a contemporary kitchen, especially next to white cabinets or plain wood.
Yes. The design is fired into the glaze at 900°C, so the heat behind a hob or range cooker won’t affect it.
Wipe them with normal kitchen cleaner and a soft cloth. The print is part of the glaze, so cleaning won’t wear it away.
The traditional size is 13x13cm, about 5 inches square. We also make them at 10x10cm and 15x15cm in rustic handmade finish ceramic, and up to 20x20cm in porcelain.
Yes. Interiors magazines including House & Garden and Ideal Home have covered the return of blue and white Delft in kitchens, often mixed with plain tiles and modern units.
Direct from us. We make them to order in Somerset and deliver across the UK and worldwide. If you’d like to see one first, a sample tile is £12 inc VAT (£10 + VAT).
No. We only make new tiles in the Delft style.
I have now used Unique Tiles for a couple of projects and I am thrilled with my decision, the results far exceeded my expectations. The tiles supplied were of the highest quality and the images on the tiles are very clear. 5 stars and I fully recommend.
Paul Skivington
UK
We want to thank all those at Unique Tiles for their help in creating a positive experience working with the community here in Tepoztlan, Morelos. We look forward to doing this again in an even larger space and with a larger community of people. It has been a pleasure working together.
Judith Wray
Mexico
Absolutely thrilled with the results of my bathroom tile mural. Highly recommended using Unique Tiles, their expertise, advice and support was much appreciated and is reflected in the finished project.
Dionne Mathews
UK
Send us your splashback size and the designs you like, and we’ll send you a layout and quote. Or order a sample tile first.
