Building a Brand Designers Trust: The Tile Collective Story with Devon Wilson

What happens when you open a tile showroom one week before the world shuts down? In this episode of The Builder Blueprint, Nate sits down with Devon Wilson, founder and CEO of Tile Collective in Solana Beach. Devon shares:

• How she launched her business right before COVID

• Why the building industry exploded during lockdown

• The hardest part of running a design company (hint: it’s not tile)

• How she stays ahead of design trends before they hit Instagram

• What’s next for Tile Collective as the brand scales

We also dive into:

• Large grout lines — build it or bag it?

• Tile vs. wood flooring

• Butler’s pantries… overrated or essential?

If you’re a builder, designer, or homeowner planning a remodel, this episode is packed with insight on design, business, and what’s trending in 2026. Follow Tile Collective: Instagram: @tilecollectivesolanabeach Website: tile-collective.com

Transcript

00:00:05

Welcome, welcome, welcome everybody to the Builder Blueprint podcast. My name is Nate, host of the podcast, and today I am joined by the lovely Devin Wilson, who is the CEO and founder of Tile Collective here in Salana Beach. Uh Devin, so I was actually looking at my phone the other day and turns out two years ago almost to today was the first time we ever met. We Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We were looking at your uh was it on South Acacia? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So we went over there. I had

00:00:39

walked by I don't know if we were at uh Pillbox or something one day and then I was like, "Oh, there's this cool tile place. We should go check it out." And then Jenny had just started and so I was like, "I think this is a great opportunity. I think we should go. It looks cute from the outside. See who's in there. Um, we walked in and I don't think you were there the first day and then you were like, "Hey, let's just go hang out, chat." And then I think I had

00:01:00

a project north Sierra or something. And then I was like, "Okay, cool." And then we just right away I felt like kicked off. It was uh I love your guys showroom. I love the old one. I love the new one. >> I feel like the design of it was perfect. It's just so cute from the outside, too. >> Um, but yeah, it was just so funny. I was like, "Oh my god, almost 2 years to the day. It's been 2 years. Like time flies. >> Oh yeah. >> I can't get over how quickly time goes

00:01:24

by. >> Yeah. The fact Yeah. that we're in like January 2026 and it's >> in like 5 seconds it's going to be summer. >> I know. And then the holidays again. >> Yeah. >> That's crazy. That's crazy. Um so real quick, I feel like if you want to maybe introduce yourself and obviously owner of T Collective. Um maybe a little about what you guys do, how you got into it, where it all started, how long you've been doing it, all the good stuff or Yeah.

00:01:49

>> Yeah, happy to. Um so, yep, Devon, owner of Child Collective. I have been doing this for six years. We just turned six years old, >> which is crazy. And that has flown by, >> faster than I can even imagine. Um I opened right before CO, so literally right before we were all told to stay at home. Um I think I officially opened the week before that offer >> and then shut down. >> Yeah. And so there was one week where I'm like, "What do we do?" But my clients kept reaching out. They're like,

00:02:19

"My clients are at home. They want to remodel." Like no one had anything else to do. So yeah, there was one week maybe I stayed home and then the rest it just got busier and busier and busier. Yeah. And because I had the luxury of being kind of tucked away on acacia of that first spot where we met, um, I just kept kept going. Yeah. And it was great. It actually was a really >> for me fortunate time to start a business in our industry. The building industry really just like took off

00:02:49

during that time. And um, yeah, I designed Tile Collective to be just me. Like I designed it with one desk, one chair. I'd see one client at a time. And that lasted five months before I needed to get a helper. So, I had an intern. Then I had my first for uh first full-time employee in September, my second in November, and it just kept growing from there. And it has been such a like crazy experience. It's been really fun. I've always been um attracted to the design industry and I've always wanted to be a business

00:03:28

owner. Tile is so random for me that how I even fell into this, but it just became like the next right step for me. Um and I wouldn't wouldn't change a thing. It's been really fun. >> Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. I Gosh, what co what a crazy time. >> Yeah. >> Uh well, I I guess touching on that. So you then were in CO then if you're saying in 5 months you needed a first employee. So like >> everything going on at that time obviously there was so much and no one

00:03:55

knew when we're coming back to work and we go to people's houses or we supposed to or not to. Uh how was that like kind of just going into that experience and then being like okay I need somebody. But were you kind of at that point like I don't know who I need. I'm going to try somebody. Or were you just like I know I need this exact person >> cuz like I think that's the hardest thing is hiring is fig. Hands down, the hardest thing is hiring. The hardest thing is managing a team. Hands down. I

00:04:20

find business and tile to be very like easy and fun and something that just comes naturally that the team part has been by far just like the biggest challenge. Yeah. >> Um, you know, I've always been very fortunate where the right people kind of present themselves at the right time. So, my first um employee, she was, you know, jogging by the store and she's like, "That's a cool store. I'm going to reach out." And she was trying to get into the design business. Um Carrie with

00:04:51

Michelle Interior, my first intern. >> Oh, no way. >> Um she has like since flourished into like a really amazing interior designer. I know you guys are doing some project. >> Yeah. They project with her right now. Yeah. But she was like, it was just me and Carrie and co helping customers and >> yeah, so she was the first and then we needed someone else and the right person again showed up. Um, that happened for the first like year or two and now it's just more deliberate with hiring and

00:05:19

really like imagining who is the right person, like what is that going to look like? Where am I going to find them? like really getting specific like with creating like an avatar for the right >> team member like how you do with the right client. >> You just really have to visualize. So we do a lot of that so it's more deliberate now. >> Um but it it >> yeah it's hard to hire. >> It's hard to train too. So find the right person and it's hard to onboard

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them and get them up to speed and >> because our industry things happen so quickly. So finding the the time to train someone, right, is just >> Yeah. Or you think you get into it and you're like, "Oh, this is how I'll train them. This is everything they need." Yeah. >> And then you realize like something in that path, >> you've done a bad job of explaining. And so all the things you thought you they were going to get to, they're still stuck on like this second thing cuz you

00:06:11

just you're like, "Oh, shoot. I thought I had that figured out and dialed in." And then sometimes you're honestly like, "Oh, I don't even know how I do that. I just kind of have always just it rolled on by and I don't know what I do but it works. And so it's like it's hard to replicate that for a for an employee, you know, and to be like this is what your dayto-day will look like. Especially in our industry, you never know what it will look like. And then >> there's no way to prepare them for

00:06:35

everything that's going to come their way. But like >> ah gosh, it is fun. It does take a special person to do what we do. I think um very flexible, very understanding and you really got to put yourself in the shoes of the client so often where you're just like >> sometimes you get frustrated and then you realize wow if I was doing this for 8 months I'd probably be frustrated too. So yeah, it does make sense. I I feel their pain, you know? So, >> I feel like with that, going through

00:07:01

like my own remodeling projects is such a great reminder and helps me remember like, oh, this is hard. like being on the client end of things and keeping things moving and all the money you're spending. Like it helps me to be like extra sensitive to what my clients are >> going through because things are expensive in our industry and people want things done right and quickly and you just have to be really mindful and >> sensitive. Setting the expectations so important. Like that's something I used

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to do a little bit and now as I get more into it, it's like really defining our process, how we work, and then really managing the client expectation and keeping that balance so that there's no surprises. Like everyone hates surprises in construction. So just trying to be as like open, transparent, um forthcoming, like proactive with information is really something I'm trying to instill in the team. Yeah. >> To support the clients. >> Yeah. That's one of like our big pillars

00:08:03

is rip the band-aid off because it's like the longer you let it sit and fess or the more you think about it's not healthy anyway and then it doesn't help you know like like the client still eventually has to be told or someone's eventually the vendor's told somebody is told you know and it's like just waiting makes it longer and longer and longer cuz then you get closer to more deadlines and then suddenly like a crad I should have just said this weeks ago and it usually turns out you say it and

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maybe there's 15 minutes of like heartache and then it's like okay well we move And yeah, it's so funny. I think we just build up stuff in our minds that it's like, "Oh, it's this massive disaster." And most of the time people are fairly understanding, I found. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. You just have to we, you know, we always say like state the facts, tell the truth, get it get it out as quickly as possible, but also like own it >> if it's a mistake on our end or because

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things happen. Like it's just inevitable something's going to happen. and the quicker you can just own it, share in the client's disappointment or frustration and then just kind of really quickly back into the solution of how you're going to get there. I find that yeah, people receive the information well and >> everyone just wants to get the job done. >> Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I do think it's funny though uh just going back a little bit to where you guys had started is

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Carrie Michelle jogging by and locking in as your guys' first hire at Soho. The very first hire, this is even before I was with Soho was uh Paige who came in and she came from Tile and I think she worked at Florida and then so she just walked in, didn't have a resume, didn't anything and just said basically was like I'm going to work here >> and this is why you need me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I gosh, that that that was probably if Soho would have been posting hiring at the time, probably would have

00:09:52

never found anybody better than Paige anyway. And it was just one of those like just the right person at the right time. And I feel like that happens so often where it's just like you stumble on to meeting somebody like a chance meeting and suddenly you're just like, "Wow, we're either doing business together, we're great friends, we're co-workers, you know, you never know what it is." Um, but yeah, I always think that's that's an interesting thought. That's interesting that you

00:10:14

guys started that exact same way pretty much. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, let's talk about a little bit about the design cuz if if you don't know, go look up Tile Collective Sonic Beach on Instagram or you guys website or anything like >> Yep. >> The uh their stuff is probably one of my favorites. I love just seeing it. I love going in there. I stop by all the time after lunch. We always love when you come by >> and it's Yeah. Yeah. It's it's great and

00:10:38

it's unique stuff. Um, h how on earth did you get into that? If you initially were like, "Oh, I'm just stumbled upon tile." Like I feel like if I was getting into it, what you guys have feels like you've been doing this for like 50 years and you're like, "No, this is like my sixth year in it." Like how do you find that stuff? How did you make the connections? How did you figure this thing out? >> Yeah. Well, it's been six years having my own store and then 15 years in the

00:11:06

tile business. >> Okay. So, I was always um in tile sales, but not intentionally. Like, I just needed a job after I graduated design school. Um I graduated maybe 2011 or 2012, right after like everything crashed in '08. Took years to kind of recover. When I graduated, design jobs still just weren't there weren't many of them. there was a tile studio um hiring in San Diego. So, I was like, "Okay, I'll work here." >> I did not like it for a long time. I did not like working.

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I didn't understand it. You know, when you don't understand something, you're not good at it. It's just like frustrating. It's not any fun. Yeah. And then, you know, the the time just kind of piles up and then you start to get good and start to gain confidence and start to see how you're helping your clients and they're like really happy with what you're doing. >> Yeah. >> Um, and then I started to like put a process around it that was helpful for me to help my clients. So, I started

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offering CAD drawings. Like no one told me to do these things. like I just started offering these services and I started getting um more and more clients, bigger builders and my clients could really rely on me and so all my experience just started piling up in that. I also worked at a a showroom that you really kind of the old manager who I love, I'm still in touch with her, she said, "You're running your own business at your desk." And I really took that to heart and I learned the whole business.

00:12:40

So, you know, fast forward eight years working there, it became time to open my own place. And so, I literally took that business model and put it into my own storefront. And a lot of clients came with me. I was very fortunate >> for that. >> Um, you know, picking things has always been something I've really loved doing. I have shared before like I've always wanted a store and it could have been a lot of different things like clothing, spa products, but where I found joy was

00:13:13

like finding the best of those options and offering that to people. And I find that I can do that with tile. like find the best things that I'm most excited to share and put it together in a way that's like visually pleasing, easy to come in and be inspired and makes it easy for people to just like pick things out. >> Yeah. >> And I take a lot of cues from like my more forward designers. There's a handful that I'm always watching very closely what they're doing and what

00:13:43

direction they're going on and um the things that are, you know, not trending but becoming more in fashion now, they've already been doing for like a year or two. >> Yeah. >> So, I'm always looking to them and whenever they're on something, I'm like, "Let's get this in. Let's find let's let's bring this into the store." It's so funny you say that because we obviously in in doing this we talk about it all the time and usually as a contractor, you know, you're kind of

00:14:08

just like, well, this is what I got handed. I'm putting it in, right? And so we see a lot of similar stuff go into houses, right? We're constantly installing the same kind of thing the first time you do it like, oh, okay, I'll learn it and then you guys kind of get a hang of it. >> Um, one thing that I I was fascinating is I'm glad you touched on that point. >> Uh, is because we work with a lot of interior designers as well. part of like our business model is relationships with

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interior designers because those eventually feed us business back, right? >> Um, and tons of support when we have questions where we're like, "Hey, our client wants this. We don't know how to do it." And we can reach out to them and they usually have a good idea. >> Um, but I think it's fascinating because it's like how do you stay ahead and be an actual trend setter, right? And the designer is in theory the trends setter, right? They're making the selection. So,

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so I think it's interesting that you said that, okay, you're watching them, seeing what they're calling and asking for and then it's like, okay, this is probably what's coming up. Like this thing, >> people might not want it now, but a year from now, this is going to be the big thing people want, >> you know? And I think that's so interesting cuz like we see it in reverse. >> We see like, oh, okay, now these things are starting to come up and everyone wants this in their house versus when

00:15:21

last year it was all these materials. And so, it's like I always think it's interesting because we see the back end. Yep. But like you guys tend to be like the leader in my mind. Um when we go in like when I go into your shop almost like I've not seen a lot of these things but then months and months and months go by and I'm like oh my gosh that's one of those things like I literally just saw this and I was like I've never seen that before. Uh so I think it's so fascinating. But for you, like is there

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also kind of that blend of like I don't know exactly how it works in your guys' business, but do you guys get opportunities to design your own tile or is that not something you guys are interested in doing or is that like part of your business as well where some of them are >> Yeah, we designs. >> We have two collections that are exclusively ours that I designed and they're doing really well. Yeah. um KO and Channel and >> I designed those maybe my first or second year of being in business and

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they're just now I don't want to say just now but they're really taking off. We're promoting them a lot. Um I would love to do more of that but as a business owner there is just not time right now in my schedule for me to do a lot of like product development but it's something that I'm really >> I love to do. It's fun >> and I am working towards carving out the time to be able to like focus on that more. It's fun. >> Yeah, >> we have we partner with um a bunch of

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different like domestic suppliers like other Highfire ceramic um supplier out of Gardina Ardo Brick. They're manufacturing both of our exclusive collections. >> They've been amazing to work with. It's so fun. I love the look of their materials. I always have even before I had my own business. And yeah, it's been really >> Yeah, >> it's been great. >> That's awesome. Yeah, I I have a good friend who he's uh designed some of his own tiles. He does more kind of like

00:17:10

Spanish >> uh I would say like Mediterranean style tiles and he's also kind of just getting into it as well. But it to me it really takes somebody Yeah. I I'll introduce you guys. Yeah. Uh he's a really cool guy, but we talk about it all the time and like it's always on his mind. and it's not the business that he does. He does a lot of framing. Um, and then he just has like a passion for art and drawing. And he was like, I really enjoy it. I really, he's a really good tile

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setter. And so he's like, well, I'd love to just have my own go in. I see everybody else's tile go in. And I was like, so I just kind of want to do my own sometimes. So he just started drawing some up. And then I think his place he works down in in Tijuana. Um, and then they just were like, "Yeah, give us the design. We'll make them and send them your way. But I I'll connect you guys." Oh my god. >> Um, yeah. But I always find that fascinating. I wish wish wish I was good

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at >> drawing art. My handwriting sucks. The whole thing. Like I can play music. I cannot for the life of me draw something and make it look nice. Mine's like stick figure that's all scratched out and I'm like oo white this out. That's not good. >> Uh, so is yours are they almost like a design on the tile or is it like a textured tile? like what exactly are you guys? >> Uh it's a sh they're shapes both one's more geometric and the other one is more like pillowy organic. Um but both really

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suit our look at the studio in general. Like we do have a vibe like we don't um cater to everybody's look. We really have like carved out kind of our own niche of what we want to show and express there. So, the two lines, one is more geometric, but still very earthy, organic, and then the other one, um, Koso, that's been our best seller. Like, people love that. We have people from all over the country like calling in for that for Kos. Okay. >> It's very exciting to me. I'm like,

00:19:09

someone likes >> Yeah. >> that something that I made. That's so weird. But, >> um, yeah, that one is just great. You'll probably see it on some of your projects hopefully. >> Oh, I'm sure. Yeah. Yeah. We've I think we've worked together on more projects than I initially thought because I find out later from the designers when we're talking about stuff if we need extra tile, I'm like, "Oh, where'd it come from?" And they'll like, "Oh, I was with

00:19:30

Devon." And I feel like afterwards I'm always like, "Oh, well, we're working with this one on this client." It's so funny. And I always find out later. Um, which again is typical of contractor. I feel like we always find out things late and then we're like, "Oh, >> yeah. Yeah." And then we kind of try to make the connection from there. Um, so speaking of like just trends, things that you're seeing, um, what would you say obviously KO, uh, but like looking

00:19:57

forward, the forward looking trends from designers that we've got, um, like what's the next big kind of thing you're seeing? It can be tile, it can be other things as well, but like overall general aesthetic, like what's our Instagram feed going to be full of? >> Yep. Well, okay. So sticking with like our vibe, like there's probably a lot of things that are trending, but the things that like are >> I'm noticing that fit like our look. Um I think it's like a lot of bringing the

00:20:23

in the outdoors inside. >> Oh yeah. >> So a lot of like you know the stones that you would see clatting the facade of a house, like bringing those into like a kitchen backsplash or a shower. So these really like rocky materials. So I'm seeing a lot of that. Um, same with flooring. Like it's all got this like very organic, lived in, walked on patina kind of vibe. Like people just want, I think, warmth, texture. I am seeing darker colors start to come back in. >> Um, definitely with my more forward

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clients, they're going more richer colors. I'm seeing richer cabinet colors, richer woods. We're starting to get away from like >> the lighter woods. I think light I think a mix of woods is nice. Like there's nothing wrong with >> Don't worry, we talk about this all the time in our We'll say something like, "It's okay. We love it. >> We still love it." >> But it's like I'm seeing more of a mix and then I bet that starts to transition

00:21:20

out to just like a little bit more richness. But um >> yeah, that's that's kind of what I'm seeing. >> Yeah. In general. >> Yeah. I think it's interesting that you say that because I I do feel like I don't know if this is like a European thing that is coming over where it's like I see a ton of cobblestone. Yes. >> Um which Yeah. Everyone makes it. Orca makes it like every single brand makes it right now and is installing it all over the place. >> Um and then the same thing limestone

00:21:43

coming inside, the flag stone coming inside. Like we see that a ton >> and I like it. You know, I I think there's sometimes maybe it's like a little bit of a strange use when it's the whole house really has to kind of have that aesthetic. Sometimes just thrown in on the wall where you're like maybe maybe it wasn't the best to bring it in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They tried to like force it in but they were not committed to it. Like I think that's the thing we've learned in in design and

00:22:08

homes. Um when somebody forces one piece cuz they're like I want an argument and I got this wall, you know, it's like you can tell and it's not like integrated throughout the house and not throughout all the spaces. And that's from everything from like >> the antique brass that you select like is it going to be on one wall or did you just win the one pantry door, you know? Like I you start to see those things and we we see it a lot because like >> obviously we're putting it in and we

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don't know the behind the scenes of like okay well why are all these things going in um but you really start to tell like okay this house was thoughtfully designed >> and they spent a lot of time making sure that things integrated well together. Um, and I think that's something that I like and I like that when we were every time we meet with a client with you guys is it does feel like we're taking some time to say like, okay, do all of these pieces actually work together in the

00:23:01

space, like where are they going to be used? Um, you guys are obviously really into these and you go all the way to the CAD piles, you know, and you're drawing them up. You're like, okay, here's what this is going to look like. Here's the layouts for them. And that stuff, I think there's endless amounts of value that you bring in. similar to what you were talking about when you were working at the previous place where you're just like, >> I think I see a need that these people

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need this and it's going to be helpful. So, yeah, I'm going to do it because obviously it's going to help their design and their finish and the better it looks obviously the better for us, >> right? And the better for you guys. And it's like, yeah, then you get those beautiful projects that like stop people and be like, whoa, >> okay, there's something special about this house. I don't know what it is, but I can feel like there's something special. >> Yeah.

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>> Yeah. I want to know like we sell tile and slabs, but I want to know what the cabinets are going to look like and the flooring and the hardware and the plumbing, you know, finish you selected and the lighting. >> What's the outside going to look like? I want to know what all of it is before I'm going to pick things out. >> Yeah. >> Because I want it to it all has to make sense. >> Yeah. Yeah. And that's I don't know. I like this part about kind of what we do

00:24:07

in our space and being in the more obvious the custom side. Um, but you just, you know, you meet the client, you talk about it, you really get an idea of what they're looking for and what they want in the space, and then you slowly see it unfold and change throughout a few months. It's not like the last second, oh, I'm going to run down to MSI or Floor and grab these things real quick or Brosian cuz I last second need tile, you know, like we get a little bit more thought into it, which I really

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enjoy and it seems like you guys enjoy and your team does very well. >> Um, but yeah, well, that's good. I'm glad we're on the same page on that. Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad we're on the same page. I love our lineware. Uh I think it's why our kind of businesses work well together. >> Um so next steps for tile collective. Obviously you've had the two lines. >> Yep. >> Right. Are you going to think continue down that path? Are we going to try to expand? We going to see a tile

00:24:58

collective >> la Hoya. Are we What are you guys planning? You don't have to say everything. There's some secret. >> No, nothing is secret. Yeah, I mean right now I am just developing my team. I need um I need everyone to be an expert in what they're doing. I have a pretty new team, so I need everyone um >> yeah, well trained. My focus right now is getting the team trained. I did hire um a COO and he's going to be taking over he has taken over operations um because that is not my strong suit

00:25:32

like you. I am a creative I'm a creative person. I um am not operationally minded. So he's got his work cut out from for him taking my process out of my head and trying to understand it, break it apart into sections so we can train people. So we're really like deep into operations right now because we want to scale and we want to grow. Yeah. >> So, um >> we're not sure exactly is it going to be like developing Tile Collective into like franchise models or just expanding

00:26:03

with some different locations um like Scottdale or Vegas or Orange County. >> Um but we do have big growth plans and >> it's fun. I love having a business so growing it as big as possible is just like fun and interesting to me. >> Yeah. Um, so >> and just endless avenues. You can go so many directions. Like the >> Did we know we were going to be an architecture firm when we started? I had no idea. No idea. And now half our businesses is designing houses and being

00:26:32

architect. It's crazy. And you're just like, "Okay, well that's the path that makes sense right now. We're going to go for it." And I'm sure it's the same thing, guys. So one of those where it's like, >> who knows what opportunity comes. You know, in three months you might have something knock on the door that you weren't thinking about, you never even thought about. like, huh, well, maybe that's something we take on. You know, >> you just get the flexibility for it.

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Yeah, >> I kind I was kind of exploring distribution for a little while. And that's where I was really looking at my own two lines that we have exclusively. That didn't become something that I wanted to like pursue more after I learned more about it. But that's all it is. Just like thinking through some different opportunities. Like you said, there's a million. Oh, yeah. >> And you can you just need to pick which one. >> Yeah. Yeah. We have our we call it our experiments board.

00:27:14

We have thousands on that thing and it's little things and it's everything from like >> do we want to start running these kind of like paid ads like just a million different things and yeah you try them all you learn a lot. The nice thing is it is an endless learning like literally endless. My god. >> So we got what's new, what's next. Uh I think we'll just jump into what my favorite segment is. This is build it or bag it. the part of the show where we talk about design trends, things in

00:27:46

homes, materials, and things that we like, love, hate, and want to see more of. So, the first one, okay, so obviously these are tower related. Uh, this is one I have thoughts and I'd love to get your opinion on. So, large and like thick, like 2 in, maybe an inch and a half grout lines in most calm showers. >> Okay. thoughts. >> Uh, if it's done well in like a wellexecuted design, build it. >> If it's something where the installer just doesn't know what they're doing and

00:28:22

they're putting giant spacers in to compensate for their lack of or, >> you know, lack of knowledge, then I say bag it. But I have seen it done well. Okay. >> And it looks very cool. >> So explain if you can. It might be hard because this is a one of those concepts that you're not probably familiar with most of the time of like oh grout lines. So like what would you consider well executed they >> if it's part of the design like it has to be part of the design and I see it in

00:28:51

some of my more forward clients they want um a rustic earthy but also it's modern like in its own way. Um, so they'll take like a 12 x 12 square, they'll put the half inch grout joints and it's just this big grid and the grout becomes like a really important part of the design and it looks very cool. >> Um, typically we we want a 16th of an inch grout joint on everything. We want just very tight, minimal grout, but when it's an intentional >> design, I think it looks really cool.

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>> Yeah, >> I would do it. >> Yeah. And I feel like on the uh aspect of the install um cuz you know how with like stone cladding it will look really fake if you have really sharp lines right and it's like ground stones aren't like that you know and so you almost mud over a lot of the edges >> um and it's it just kind of softens the edges and I feel like >> maybe wrong but when I've seen the larger thicker grout we've done one we just did one recently in Sanas um And

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yeah, having it a little softer around the edges, I think made it less blocky. >> Mhm. >> And I think that's kind of what you want to avoid. You want to make it almost cuz you don't want it to look like now you've almost got like two tiles and you tried to make a tile out of this grout cuz that can look a little funky. And I think the color does make a >> big difference. Yeah. >> But I think you're talking about like an overgrouting situation where you want to

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obscure edges. um which is uh great and we're seeing a lot of that being becoming really popular on inside like kitchens, showers, things like that. >> Um and I think that's a great look. I love it when it's done well. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Well, it sounds like we are Well, we'll call that a build. >> I think build it. >> We'll call that one a build. Okay. >> All right. This one might be painful for you. So, >> tile verse wood flooring throughout. And

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this like large format tiles versus traditional standard nice wood flooring. This I feel like there's so many different people who have different arans. But this is why we were asking. This is what we decide. >> Okay. Well, just because I'm living through this experience in my own home, I put wood floors everywhere. I went to my old salesperson and I put uh wood flooring because I love wood flooring. Um I ran it in the entry, one guest bathroom, my kitchen. um >> like a powder room or like an actual

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shower and everything. Okay, >> shower. And I hate my wood floors in my entry. >> Okay. >> They're a mess and I don't love my wood floors in my kitchen. >> Okay. >> I wish I had done >> Did you done tile? What kind of flooring did you use? >> I did a gorgeous wood. I love it. I did a light um very very light >> uh wood. It's beautiful. Like Scandinavian kind of >> and um Yeah, it's a mess. It's a mess in my entry. I have dogs. I have a husband.

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Like, >> yeah, I can speak for husbands. We are messy, folks. >> So, so messy. >> Um, and yeah, I think that I it would have been appropriate to put tile in the entry. There's definitely like the the divides in the space to do it. >> So, I will probably formal foyer in your entry. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Okay. >> And it goes into the guest bathroom that I'm talking about. So, I took the tile. I did a beautiful herring bone um lightwood pattern and I wish I had done

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>> it out. All right. Well, >> so you change it or >> I would change it. >> Okay. >> I would change it. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Not cuz I'm trying to sell tile. Just my own experience. >> Yeah. Unrelated to tile being sold. Toggle. >> I'm happy for whatever. >> If you do want it, still go. Um. Yeah. Okay. So I feel we have been seeing a lot of like the main level the whole floor just one large format tile and lots of times it goes inside and outside

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in the exterior. Um we've got another project coming out with you guys that we're doing this and >> it's challenging. Yeah, it's challenging because >> it's a different way you've got to blend um like textures and materials and also color cuz I think it really does in my mind I've seen it feel like it like pulls color more than like your wood um when you have like wood on the full floor up against the cabinets where like a painted cabinet on like a yellowy

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>> more warm tile >> sometimes looks just I don't know what it is. that just looks like it either is just like confusing your eye on like the color that the wood stain is supposed to be um or like the paint is supposed to be and some just like something about it looks a little off. So it is like your point earlier it's really important that you know which wood stain which color having a general idea like what am I looking for in the home before I go pick these tiles. Yeah. With the cabinet

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color cuz >> those are things that are always afterthoughts. You're like I I like this I'll decide on the stain later. like I kind of like this color, >> but then all of those things when they're in the house together, you're like, >> "Oh, maybe I picked 20 yellow toned things and now I everything is yellow toned >> and Yeah. Yeah. So, I think it's it's hard to pick." Um I I always feel like obviously you have a little bit more flexibility with wood because you could

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just stain it and stain it and stain it. >> Um but I don't know. I I love the tile. I think me I just love wood floors and I just love like the texture in the wood floor. I love the wood grain. I love knots in it. I don't really love like super clean. I do like to see like wood knots. >> Um yeah, something about it is like okay that feels like a warm nice comfortable home. >> Uh so >> I would say I'm going to build it for wood floors and maybe I'm bagging the

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full throughout tile. I'm not going to bag it because a lot of my I would say the majority of like my high high-end specs like the high they're going to list for 2530 million. They did tile throughout >> big like what are you talking about like full wide format like >> large format um porcelain large format stone. They have wood in the bedrooms, maybe the office. >> Um but I think that some there is something about a large format tile that gives you like that estate feel like

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>> Sure. Sure. It really can like >> I don't know just enhance the whole look. So I've seen it done really well. I do am a wood lover though. I put it all over my own home. So I think >> don't worry there's no judgment on like how you feel on these. >> Yeah. I love I love them both. So, one one tile that like just I have a hard time with sometimes when it's on the floor is like if it's like a mar like a cur marble and it's very white and there's the veining in it

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>> and the walls get painted white and your ceiling's white like >> sometimes it will feel very >> like reverse. It's the opposite of a cave. It's almost like it's too expansive. it's cold and you're like, "Ooh, that that maybe is why I feel like, oh, it's warm. War warm is safe and comfortable and that's why I don't like it as much." Maybe cuz I just have like that opinion on that specific tile install. >> Um cuz obviously like a lot of the other

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tiles that we install. >> But h interesting. I always love hearing where people at. The last one, not tile related, um but this one Jenny and I have thoughts about. So butler's pantries with like a kitchen. So, you've got your main kitchen and then behind it, yeah, a little back kitchen. >> What are your thoughts? >> Okay, they are a thing. They're in all my high-end like every everyone building a house has this feature. >> I don't know why because I like to be in

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the main kitchen and I want to talk to everybody and I want to sit around and have a conver. I don't want to be by myself in the back, but >> maybe at that level of home, you have someone else cooking for you in the back. We've talked about this. So, I'm I'm always like >> if cuz I'm not a I'm not a crazy good chef by any means, but like I like to cook some food. Like I'm going to sit down even if it's a microwave. I'm going to sit there and chat with everybody

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while it's in the microwave, right? Like I I don't know. I've always felt like it's like, oh, it's so interesting. You want to have this great kitchen experience and like, oh, mom's cooking and everyone's talking, you know, and like that's what you like envision in your mind. Maybe not everybody. Um, and then suddenly, yeah, you're like, you're tucked away in this corner and then it's like, well, >> oh, I I hear you guys out there, you know, and it feels so separate.

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>> Yeah. And it's like obviously I get like you can hide all of the mess like sometimes your cooking lot or it's just like a throw it in the oven back there. But >> yeah, I don't know. I do feel like it's a weird part of the home. I get if you have a really large like 12,000t house, like yeah, you have tons of space to work with where it's like, okay, might as well put it there. Why not? You've already got a big enough kitchen probably. >> Um but yeah, I think if it was my own

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home, I would probably have to say no on the but just I'll just do a regular pantry where I'm just going to put food and store stuff. I'm okay with that. Like I don't need to cook in it. >> Maybe like a wall of dishwashers and a counter where you can just throw all the messy plates. >> Yeah. Yeah, >> maybe that. And a sink so you can rinse them and then load the dishwasher. But >> yeah, >> I don't know. I don't want to cook back there like myself. But I always think

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about how many times like I'm saying bye to everybody at the end of the night just rinsing off some stuff that like we used and then cleaning up and like Yeah. Everyone's still talking though, hanging out. >> It' just be weird if I was like see you guys. I'm put dishes away. >> But maybe one day we're going to be building we want our own >> dirty kitchens. >> Yeah, maybe I'll get two. I'll have one on each side. One for dirty clothes and or dirty dishes. One will be for clean

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dishes. >> Transferred over. All right. Well, thank you, Devin. This has been great. I'm really glad that you were able to make it out today. I appreciate it. >> So much fun. This was so fun. >> And so, if everybody's looking, uh, is Tile Tile Collective Salana Beach. >> Tile Collective Salana is our Instagram. And then tile-collective.com is our website. >> Okay, perfect. >> That sounds good. Yeah, if you're in the business, if you're looking to get in

00:38:56

the business, or you're just doing a remodel of your own, make sure to check out Tile Collective. And this has been Nate and Devin from the Builder Blueprint podcast, and we'll see you guys in the next one. >> Thank you.