DESIGNING YOUR HOME, CREATING YOUR WORLD
Freedom to design with tile begins with the spaces we use every day — the kitchen backsplash, the bathroom floor, the shower wall, the entryway, and the surfaces that quietly shape how a home feels.
This July, America celebrates 250 years of independence. It is a meaningful time to reflect on freedom, family, comfort, and the places we choose to call home. Independence Day often brings images of flags, fireworks, summer gatherings, and time spent with loved ones, but it also reminds us of something deeper: the freedom to build a life, shape a future, and create spaces that feel personal.
For many families, that feeling begins at home.
Home is where daily routines happen. It is where meals are shared, guests gather, children grow, and memories are made. It does not need to be perfect to be meaningful. It simply needs to support the people who live there.
One of the most practical and lasting ways to shape a home is through tile. Tile can bring beauty, durability, texture, and structure into a space without overwhelming it. Whether used in a kitchen, bathroom, shower, backsplash, floor, fireplace surround, or entryway, tile gives homeowners the freedom to create spaces that feel both useful and personal.
The freedom to design with tile does not always mean starting a major renovation. Sometimes, it begins with one thoughtful surface update.
A kitchen backsplash can make a cooking space feel more finished. A bathroom floor can add quiet character. A shower wall can bring calm, texture, and detail into a daily routine. An entryway tile can create a durable first impression. A laundry room tile can make a practical space feel more complete.
These updates may seem simple, but they can change how a room feels.
Tile is one of those materials that works in both visible and subtle ways. It can become a bold design feature, or it can quietly support the rest of the room. It can add contrast, softness, pattern, movement, or a clean finished look. It can help a space feel modern, rustic, classic, warm, bright, or timeless.
That is why tile remains such a dependable choice for home design. It gives structure to the space while still leaving room for personality.
The freedom to design with tile is not only about appearance. Tile also plays an important role in how a home functions.
In kitchens, tile backsplashes help protect walls while adding style behind counters, ranges, and sinks. In bathrooms, tile can create surfaces that are easier to maintain and better suited for moisture. In showers, tile helps define the space and can make a bathroom feel more finished. On floors, tile offers strength for high-traffic areas such as entryways, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
Tile is also highly flexible from a design perspective. Ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, and natural stone can each create a different mood. A clean porcelain tile may create a calm and modern look. A mosaic can add detail and pattern. Natural stone can bring variation, texture, and organic character. Ceramic tile can offer color, shape, and classic charm.
Because tile comes in so many styles, finishes, shapes, and materials, it gives homeowners and designers room to make choices that fit the way a space is actually used.
The freedom to design with tile becomes easier when you start with the areas of the home that are used most often.
In the kitchen, a tile backsplash can make a strong difference without changing the entire room. It can brighten the wall behind the countertop, add texture behind open shelving, or create a clean transition between cabinets and work surfaces. For homeowners who want a smaller update with a noticeable impact, the backsplash is often a good place to begin.
In the bathroom, tile can help create a more finished and peaceful feeling. A new floor tile can ground the room. A shower tile can make the space feel cleaner and more intentional. A vanity backsplash can add a small detail that makes the room feel complete.
In showers, tile can be used to create depth and interest. Large-format tile can feel clean and simple, while smaller mosaics can add grip, detail, and contrast. Accent walls, niches, shower floors, and borders can all be shaped with tile selections.
In entryways, laundry rooms, and mudrooms, tile can bring durability to spaces that deal with shoes, water, bags, pets, and daily traffic. These areas may not always be the first rooms people think about updating, but the right tile can make them easier to maintain and more visually connected to the rest of the home.
Every home has its own rhythm. That is why the freedom to design with tile is so valuable.
Some homeowners want a clean, simple look. Others want warmth, texture, and natural variation. Some spaces need strong, practical materials for everyday use. Others need a decorative detail that makes the room feel more custom.
Tile can support all of those goals.
A soft neutral tile can make a bathroom feel calm. A patterned tile can bring personality to a powder room. A natural stone tile can add depth to a fireplace or shower. A porcelain tile can create a clean, durable surface for floors. A mosaic tile can add movement to a backsplash or shower niche.
Good design is not about forcing one style into every home. It is about choosing materials that feel right for the people who live there. Tile makes that possible because it can be practical, decorative, subtle, or expressive depending on how it is used.
America’s 250th anniversary is a reminder of history, independence, and the long process of building something lasting.
The Declaration of Independence marked a turning point in American history, and 250 years later, the idea of freedom continues to shape the way we think about life, family, community, and home.
Home is where freedom often becomes personal. It is where people choose how they want to live. It is where comfort, style, function, and daily needs come together. It is where old spaces can be improved and where new chapters can begin.
The freedom to design with tile is one small but meaningful part of that story. It allows homeowners to shape the spaces they use every day in a way that feels lasting, practical, and personal.
A tile update does not have to be dramatic to be worthwhile. Sometimes, the most meaningful improvements are the ones that make everyday life feel easier, cleaner, warmer, or more complete.
The freedom to design with tile can begin with a single area of the home.
A kitchen backsplash can add brightness and texture.
A bathroom floor can make the room feel more grounded.
A shower wall can create a calm and finished look.
A laundry room floor can add durability and charm.
An entryway tile can make the first step into the home feel more intentional.
A fireplace tile can create a quiet focal point.
A powder bathroom tile can add personality in a smaller space.
These updates do not always require changing the entire home. They can be done one space at a time, with each project adding more comfort, function, and character.
That is the benefit of working with tile. It allows for both small updates and larger design plans. It can stand alone as a feature or support the rest of the room. It can feel timeless, modern, rustic, classic, or completely personal.
The freedom to design with tile can be both personal and practical. For historical context around Independence Day, the National Archives offers an official resource on the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents connected to America’s 250-year milestone.
For tile planning, the Tile Council of North America is a helpful external resource for learning more about ceramic tile standards, quality, safety, and sustainability. These resources can help homeowners think about both the meaning of the season and the long-term value of choosing materials carefully.
You can also explore OWSI’s tile selections, countertop options, and Orem Design Center resources to begin gathering ideas for kitchens, bathrooms, showers, backsplashes, floors, and other everyday spaces.
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary and the freedom to design with tile, OWSI is offering a July-only America 250 Independence Sale for those already considering a kitchen, bathroom, shower, backsplash, floor, or tile project.
From July 1 through July 31, tile is 25% off across all categories, including ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, natural stone, and more. Countertops are also available starting at $36.95 per sq. ft., including material, fabrication, and installation.
If you have been waiting for the right time to update a space, gather ideas, compare materials, or finally move a project forward, July is a meaningful place to begin. Tile has a way of changing how a room feels — adding texture, durability, character, and a sense of completion that lasts well beyond the season.
Explore the July details here: America 250 Independence Sale, visit our website, or stop by the OWSI showroom to see tile selections in person.
As America celebrates 250 years of independence, it is a fitting reminder that freedom is not only found in big moments. Sometimes, it is found in the everyday spaces we shape for ourselves — the kitchens, bathrooms, showers, floors, and gathering places that make a house feel like home.
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