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Slate Herringbone Entry Way- A timeless and durable design

French Country Modern | Interior Decor

Design trends come and go, but if you are thoughtful about the hard finishes in your home, they will stand the test of time. I did something bold in my entry way… A detail that distinguishes it from the rest.  You may ask, why commit to such a detail, will it go out of style? Read on as I share why this specific slate herringbone entry way is a timeless and durable design.

slate herringbone entry way - a timeless and durable design

 

slate herringbone entry way - rug inlay

Thank you to Floor & Decor for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Where do you think my first stop was in search of some great slate options?  You guessed it… Floor & Decor! If you recall, I first discovered this amazing flooring store back in October of 2016 when I remodeled my master bathroom.  Click here to see how that turned out!  Ever since then, this fabulous store has become my go-to destination for all my tile needs.  If you follow me on social media then you know this store has basically been my second home lately. Why you ask?  This is my 100% honest answer. The price gap between Floor & Decor and their competitors is HUGE. They deal directly with the manufacturers, ELIMINATING the middle man. In turn it saves everyone money and everyone is happy.  The prices are so good and you can BUY IT and TAKE IT HOME THE SAME DAY! That is basically unheard of when it comes to flooring.  I don’t know about y’all, but when I am ready to do something, I’m ready to do it this minute lol.  Even though I myself did’t install any of the flooring in my new home, it made my decision making process so much easier.  I could go and see all the flooring options and take home samples to compare with my paint colors and finishes. Usually you can only borrow a sample from other tile stores for 24 hours.  At Floor & Decor I could buy a sample and return it after I made my decision, no matter how many days it took.  Winning!

Slate Herringbone Entry Way- A timeless and durable design

Slate Herringbone Entry Way- A timeless and durable design

Slate floors are incredibly durable. Did you know that slate is a metamorphic stone that is formed over long periods of time under heat and pressure in the earth? Ya…I didn’t either until I googled it! A rug inlay is defined as a pattern of separate colors or textures creating a visually tantalizing area rug.  In other words, I’ve created a rug out of slate tiles and made my entry my durable from the outside elements.

Rug inlays are most commonly used in entry ways and bathrooms (I actually designed another one in my master-bathroom that I’ll be sharing later).  The tricky part is selecting classic materials.  If you want your rug inlay to stand the test of time, avoid dramatic colors and trendy geometric patterned tiles that limit your color pallet.

This particular slate tile does have some color variations.  I had my tile professional set aside the more yellow, red, and purple pieces leaving me with one overall tone – charcoal.  A herringbone pattern, although extra popular right now, has been around forever, and will never go out of style in this application.  So here’s the takeaway… If you are going to do a rug inlay in your home, stick with classic materials like slate, marble, or travertine to name a few.

slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable design

I’ve had this slate herringbone rug inlay design swirling in my head since we designed the home with our architect.  It was the first hard surface in my home that I selected- even before my wood flooring!  Floor & Decor offers a ton of slate options.  You can click here to see the entire selection.  I was even tempted by this black limestone tile offered in the same size.  However, the stark black and lack of texture gives off a more modern vibe and would have created higher contrast. Below are some of my personal favorites.

slate herringbone entry way - a timeless and durable design
Left:Jet black limestone Right: Textured slate

 

slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable design
Left: hex slate mosaic – Middle: 12×24″ slate tile – Right: 3×9″ slate tile

The slate I chose gives a softer feel to the space. Slate can be pricey which is why I was thrilled to find this 3×9 option for such a great price at $.49 a piece. Wahoo! Click here to get yours.

slate herringbone entry way - a timeless and durable design

Installation:

Installing this slate herringbone inlay was a bit of a challenge.  The wood floors I selected measure 7/16″ in thickness and these slate tiles vary from 1/4″- 3/8″.  The tile guy said, no way he could make this work without having a major transitional hight difference. My builder knew this was an important detail that I was excited about from the beginning. He said, we will figure it out! See that’s the thing right there… where there is a will, there is a way…and that CAN-DO attitude my builder Eric Budge has is what sets him apart from the rest.  If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve heard me brag on my builder before.  Out of all the building horror stories you hear, I am not one of them.  I have really enjoyed this process and having a skilled and experienced builder with a CAN DO attitude makes all the difference.

slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable design
My contractor cut out this space.

So long story short, we ended up cutting out the plywood that spans my entire floor from the space where the slate rug inlay would sit.  They also filled in the spaces between my floor trusses with 2×12’s to reinforce the floor and provide a very sturdy floor structure to support it.  Basically this process ended up dropping the entry way floor 3/4″ and now I have the beautiful slate herringbone entrance of my dreams.  I am so thankful for my builders knowledge and willingness to problem solve to make all my design aspirations happen.

slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable design

Some floor tile is totally DIYable… but I’d leave this herringbone rug inlay to the pro’s!  Even my tile guy looked like his head was spinning, but boy did he do a great job.

slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable rug inlay
BEFORE GROUT!
slate herringbone entry way- a timeless and durable design
AFTER GROUT

slate herringbone entry way - a timeless and durable design

I think it’s safe to say that I am obsessed! I used a light gray grout to make the slate herringbone pattern pop. The grout color is called Frost.  NO point in paying the big bucks for an amazing tile pattern if you’re gonna turn around and use black grout.  I cannot wait to share this space completed.  You may have even noticed some of the fun wall molding happening in the foyer and my black front door (insert heart eyes). Stay tuned for more tile and flooring updates as the building continues.  I have so much more to share. In the mean time, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest where you can see my inspirations and the daily updates on our #frenchcountrymodern home.  Please pin the image below to save this post for later and share it with others. Thanks!

slate herringbone entry way - A timeless rug inlay design

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of F&D. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

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10 Comments

  1. Absolutely STUNNING!! You’re making me want to rip our my floors and do the same thing! You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect tile!

  2. Wow! The installation and finish is so impressive! They knocked it out of the park! I come from a long line of carpet, wood floor, and tile pros. They did one heck of a job!

    1. Erica I have had nothing but top notch subs and contractors working on my house. They really did an amazing job. Thank you.

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