Delft tiles, also called Dutch Delft tiles or Delft blue tiles, are blue and white ceramic wall tiles in the style first made in Holland in the 1600s and named after the Dutch town of Delft. We make Delft style tiles to order in Somerset: classic windmills, ships and flowers, or a scene of your own. Each design is printed as a ceramic decal, applied to the tile by hand and kiln fired at 900°C, so the cobalt blue is fused into the glaze.
In the 1500s Italian potters brought tin glazing to Antwerp, and the craft moved north to Dutch towns such as Delft, Rotterdam, Harlingen and Makkum. In the 1600s Dutch makers began copying the cobalt blue on white of the Chinese porcelain arriving on Dutch East India Company ships, and Delft blue was born. Despite the name, many of the best known Dutch tiles were made in Rotterdam.
A typical Dutch Delft tile is about 13cm square, with one small picture in the centre and a motif in each corner, such as an ox head, a spider or a fleur-de-lis. Placed together, the corners join up into a pattern across the wall. Vermeer, who painted ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, lived and worked in Delft, and you can see a row of Delft tiles along the bottom of the wall in his painting ‘The Milkmaid’ from around 1658. Royal Delft was founded in 1653 as De Porceleyne Fles and still works in the town today.
English potters in London, Bristol and Liverpool made their own version in the 18th century, known as English delftware. Besides cobalt blue, Delft tiles were made in manganese purple and in polychrome, often with several colours on one tile.
Traditional Delft tiles were painted by hand onto tin glaze. Ours are made differently. We print the design as a ceramic decal using ceramic pigments, apply it to each tile by hand and fire it in our kiln at 900°C. The colour becomes part of the glaze, so it will not fade, scratch off or wash away.
For the classic look we use a 13x13cm handmade ceramic tile.
Printing keeps the cost down. Our 13x13cm Delft tiles are £8.15 + VAT, and the print can carry fine detail, such as a house, a boat name or a date.
Traditional Delft scenes are usually small and simple: windmills, sailing ships, fishermen, canal houses, Dutch cityscapes, farm animals, floral designs such as tulips in a vase, children’s games and Bible scenes. A wall of different scenes, each in its own frame of corner motifs, is the look most people picture.
Modern Delft tiles keep the cobalt and white but simplify the drawing: one bold flower, a geometric pattern or a single motif repeated across the wall. They suit a minimalist kitchen better than a wall of busy scenes, and work as a decorative feature in a modern interior.
Custom Delft tiles are where printing helps most. Your house, your dog, the local church, a boat or a family crest can all go on a tile. Send us your image or sketch and we will quote.
Delft blue and white, cobalt on white, is the classic.
Looking for Delft style tiles? We make them to order, from traditional scenes to your own designs.
A Delft tile mural spreads one scene across many tiles: a harbour, a landscape or a vase of tulips over a fireplace or a range cooker. We print the scene across the set, number every tile on the front and send a fitting map. Our tile murals page explains how we make larger pictures.
A Delft splashback behind the sink or hob is the most popular use. A whole wall of decorated tiles can feel busy, so many kitchens mix them: decorated tiles scattered among plain white ones, or a single panel behind the cooker.
The fired design wipes clean, takes the heat behind a hob or an Aga and will not scratch or fade over time. For more ideas see our kitchen tiles page.
Send it with the size of your wall. We check the image and reply with a layout and a free quote.
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 three designs.
Fireplaces are where Delft tiles first went in many Dutch and English homes, set into the sides of the grate. Today they are used on the surround, the hearth wall and the chimney breast.
The fired design is waterproof, so Delft tiles work on shower walls and around the bath. A mixture of blue and white printed and plain white tiles with white grout keeps a small bathroom light. See our bathroom tile ideas for more.
Prices are per tile and include the printing.
| Tile | Size | Price per tile |
|---|---|---|
| Handmade finish ceramic | 13x13cm | £8.15 + VAT |
| Handmade finish ceramic | 10x10cm | £5.20 + VAT |
| Handmade finish ceramic | 15x15cm | £11.20 + VAT |
| Flat porcelain | 10x10cm | £3.87 + VAT |
| Flat porcelain | 15x15cm | £8.86 + VAT |
| Flat porcelain | 20x20cm | £14.10 + VAT |
Choose gloss or matt. There is no minimum order. Orders under £120 + VAT include a £30 + VAT setup charge. A sample tile is £10 including VAT, refunded against your order.
Antique Delft ceramics are collectable and an original tile or a whole collection can be valuable depending on their age, condition and subject. An authentic antique Dutch tile is tin glazed earthenware and painted by hand. Look for small nail holes in the corners left by the template the painters used, fine crazing in the glaze and a soft, slightly uneven body.
We do not sell antique tiles. Ours are new tiles, made to order and printed, so you can have any number of them in one consistent set, with a 50 year UV guarantee. If you want to know more about where Delft fits in tile history, read our history of ceramic tiles.
From us. We make Delft style tiles to order at our site in North Perrott, Somerset, and deliver across the UK and worldwide. You are welcome to visit by appointment.
Ours start at £8.15 + VAT for a 13x13cm handmade finish tile, printing included.
No. The design is printed as a ceramic decal, applied to each tile by hand and kiln fired. That keeps the price down and lets us print fine detail and custom scenes.
Yes. Send us a photo or a sketch of what you would like on the tiles and where they are going and we will quote for the design and the tiles.
Yes, we ship worldwide.
Ready to start? Tell us the scene you have in mind and the area to cover, and we will send a free quote. Or call us on 01460 77172.
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
We also make kitchen tiles, bathroom tiles, splashback tiles and swimming pool tiles.
Send us your image and the size of your wall for a free quote, or call us on 01460 77172.
