Inside 5 Standout Tile Moments From a Top NYC Design Duo

PublishedMar 18, 2025 1:45 AM EDT

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Sign Up for Domino’s Newsletter

By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to ourTerms of Useand acknowledge the data practices in ourPrivacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

For Britt and Damian Zunino, the founders of architecture and interiors firm Studio DB, the details in a room are the main event. In their own New York City home, the couple’s asymmetrical kitchen island is sheathed in burnished brass—drawers included—and the walls and ceiling of the primary bedroom are washed in Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster. But if there’s one arena where they consistently dazzle us, it’s their tile selections.

Nearly every bath and kitchen in their debut book, Drawn Together, dials up the volume on the backsplash, the shower walls, or the kitchen floor. Below, we asked the pair to unpack five of their most electric tile moments.

The contemporary Delft-style tile from BDDW hooked us the instant we laid eyes on it—genuine love at first sight. We were drawn straightaway to the bucolic, hand-painted motifs, each one entirely unique. The tile carries a timeless quality and narrates a story, echoing the serenity of [our Duchess County, New York home] in a way that feels at once fresh and deeply anchored to the landscape’s spirit.—Britt

These clients hold a deep art collection and a fondness for graphic pattern, so we held the millwork to crisp white and let the stone detailing and concrete tiles take the spotlight. Choosing your moments matters. The tiles are by India Mahdavi for Bisazza, and we love to mix materials—the concrete brings a relaxed ease, so we set it against the dressier Paonazzo marble. Both read in black and white, which is what makes the pairing sing.—Damian

Elisa [Passino Studio]’s tile lends a handmade charm that walks the line between playfulness and sophistication. The saturated hues, whimsical forms, and animated layout play off the chunky aggregate of the Antica marble, sparking a conversation threaded with just a hint of tension between the two.—Britt

[This] apartment’s generous proportions warranted a larger-format tile. The backsplash is crafted from hand-painted lava stone by Made a Mano, carrying a faint reflective sheen. The countertop stone is Calacatta Gold marble.—Damian

Because this is a child’s bath, we wanted a touch of playfulness, which is why we landed on the geometric form (the wall tiles are from Fireclay). The deep blue reads as sophisticated, while the classic Paonazzo marble floor tiles will only grow more beautiful as the child grows.—Britt

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.

Learn more about Domino.comEditorial Standards