Tile With Style | Moody Fireplace With Fabric-Look Porcelain Tile

Tile with Style: Designer Arceri Creates a Moody Fireplace with Porcelain Tile

A professional interior designer, home stager and skilled photographer with a penchant for moody vibes and European-inspired accents, Julia Arceri can do it all. The design maven can even transform a faux fireplace backsplash into a piece of art that belongs on the set of Bridgerton. In fact, that’s exactly what Julia did on the set of her own home in Houston, Texas.

Leaning into her talents, she painted the walls of her living room a dramatic green, brought in a faux fireplace and ornate mirror combination, and dressed the fireplace backsplash in a stunning fabric-look porcelain tile.

Drooling over this creative tile application, we were eager to sit down with Julia to learn more about her faux fireplace project.

Atlas Concorde USA: Julia, please help us set the scene… how would you describe your style as a designer?

Julia Arceri: While I am drawn towards looks that could be described as “French modern” or “modern Victorian,” I try to mix things up by incorporating modern and organic elements throughout a room. I love finding a tasteful way to combine the different styles that I love. I carried this design philosophy into my living room makeover.

A: We may be biased, but we love how this project turned out. How did you source inspiration for this atypical tile installation?

J: Back when this living room was just a blank slate, I asked myself, “what would my dream room look like?” This is exactly what came to be.

I found the inspiration for the tile backsplash while browsing on Pinterest one day and the idea stayed in my head. It is elegant and subtle. It’s the focal point of the room—everything revolves around it!

Full view of Victorian elegant faux fireplace with a large gold mirror on the mantle paired with candles and greenery.

Close-up view of black fabric-look porcelain tiles completing the faux fireplace with greenery draped and gold candlesticks on the mantle.

A: What porcelain tile collection did you ultimately decide on for your fireplace backsplash?

J: When considering the fireplace backsplash, I wanted it to be dark, but also elegant and textural. To capture this vision, I went with a moody, fabric-look porcelain tile in black from Atlas Concorde USA’s Fray collection. We configured the tiles in a herringbone pattern, which pairs amazingly well with the ornate architectural elements of the faux fireplace. The subtle texture on the surface of the tile is beautiful, and the tiles look especially lovely when the candles inside the fireplace are lit. Fray truly hit every note I wanted in a tile.

For more design inspiration, follow Atlas Concorde USA on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook to discover the versatility of porcelain tile.