Ways A Green Palette Benefit You AND Your Home

Pictured here are Bulbo's Porcelain Wall Coverings titled Helix Bicolor and Helix Verde A+D which you can see for yourself at the Poetry Tile Showroom on the first floor at the Merchandise Mart

William Morris famously said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” These words echo when we consider the beauty and utility of the color green in our homes. Green, with its quiet, enduring charm, offers a subtle yet profound impact unlike any other color, making it an ideal choice for creating a harmonious palette in your space:

1. Connection with Nature: One of the main reasons why people are drawn to green is its association with nature.  Elements of nature have been shown to lower stress levels and promote serenity, making it the obvious choice for creating a peaceful sanctuary.

2. Promotes Focus and Creativity: Known for enhancing mental clarity and productivity, green is ideal for home offices. Porcelain Wall coverings like Bulbo’s Helix Verde A+D and Helix Bicolor (pictured here) can foster clear thinking and innovation.

3. Versatility: Green complements both warm tones like mustard and cool shades like blue or gray, adapting easily to trends and seasons. It’s a timeless choice for any style.

4. Enhances Health and Well-Being: Green promotes vitality and renewal, making it perfect for kitchens or dining areas. It symbolizes abundance and growth, boosting positivity and well-being in spaces where you gather with your homies.

5.  Eco-Friendly Appeal: Green represents sustainability and environmental awareness. Eco-friendly materials or plants will enhance a room’s aesthetics and also purify the air, reduce stress, and improve health. By purchasing from environmentally conscious companies, like B-Corp or B-Corp Pending companies such as Poetry Tile, you can fill your home with both beauty and responsibility.

6.  Color for Every Season: Green reflects renewal in spring and summer, while deeper shades evoke coziness in fall and winter. It transitions effortlessly through the seasons, making it a year-round choice.

2025 Interior Design Trends: Tile Is IN!

Every year, for a few of us, we wait until the clock strikes midnight for the announcement of what interior design trends will dominate the year…. Or maybe that is just me.  Suffice it to say, here are a few overriding trends that we can expect to see more of this year:

Use of Earth Tones:  Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2025 is “Mocha Mousse”, which was far from what I would have predicted but the more I think about it the more I love it.  When it comes to a space’s palette, consider Mocha Mousse and earth tones in place of the typical neutral blacks and grays to bring a warmer and earthier tone. You’ll be happy for years to come.

Natural Stone: When it comes to an accent wall, consider using natural stone tile from Poetry’s Petra Antiqua line to up the ante. Introduce a texture like you would color, or add both to a room that needs added energy. Depending on the room, you could also add a statement countertop from Poetry’s Blue Pearl Collection in the kitchen, a statement fireplace from Trame di Pietra, a graphic porcelain wall covering from Poetry’s Bulbo Collection in the powder room, or even a statement Vanity from Poetry’s Park Avenue Luxury Marylin Line.

Statement Backsplashes: in place of the subway tiles we have grown accustomed to for kitchen backsplashes, we can expect to see more color and textured materials.  Pictured here is a perfect example of this with Cotto Etrusco’s Magma Rosso with its ideal balance of color, texture and functionality. 

Handmade and Natural Materials: Cotto Etrusco’s ‘perfectly imperfect’ motto has been around for years and it perfectly applies to this 2025 design trend.  Not only do these tiles embody how Italian design has been for centuries, the beauty in the imperfections are all perfectly suited for 2025 as well as years beyond into the future. Cotto is beautiful in a three season room, a second home poolhouse or even a bar front. 

Indoor Swings: Well, this one doesn’t have anything to do with tile necessarily but I’m including it on this list because we all can fulfill this childhood dream.  Be it a suspended daybed, lounge chair or perhaps a  living room bench, by making use of the vertical space it will naturally draw  the eye up thus creating a visually larger room (not to mention, vacuuming will be so much easier). 

Lastly, I would like to mention there will always be lists of what is ‘out’ this year and those are lists you can disregard.  Inevitably, I always see some of my favorite things on those lists and, years later, they are still in style and have never gone away (mark my words: Art Deco isn’t going anywhere in 2025).

Be sure to stop by Poetry Tile’s showroom located on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart to see all we have to offer!

Poetry Is a Pending B-Corp

What is a B-Corp you ask?

A B-Corp, or Benefit Corporation, is a for-profit company that has been certified by B-Lab to meet high standards of the following:

Social and environmental performance

B-Corps consider the impact of their business on the air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. They also consider how their business contributes to the economic and social well-being of the communities they operate in.

Transparency

B-Corps are held accountable for their actions and are transparent about their business practices.

Ethical business practices

B-Corps have a governance structure that includes all stakeholders, not just shareholders. The certification process for B-Corps is holistic and rigorous, and varies in complexity depending on the company size.

B-Corps go through a B-Impact assessment that evaluates five areas: governance, workers, customers, community, and environment. They receive a score in each area, and if they score over 80 points overall, they can apply to become a full B-Corp.

• Some examples of B-Corps include Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s.

• There are only 30 B-Corporations in Illinois.

Poetry stands firmly with B-Corp, fully committed to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability that balance profit and purpose, by providing benefit to all stakeholders, including workers, communities, customers, and Earth. We choose to make the world a better place, now!

We invite you to be a part of our effort to create a better world together.

Visit Poetry’s Chicago Showroom on the 1st floor of the Merchandise Mart, an LEED Gold Building.

***Poetry supports Chicago’s Poets and Patrons, a nonprofit organization, serving the Chicagoland area with education, poet development and support, and public poetry readings by a variety of exciting poets.

By Alison Mitchell