![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/elspanishoasis tile selection.jpg)
So, we're tiling the floor, wall, and water feature in our #elSpanishOasis. And it's giving me nightmares.
I have an image of what {I think} I want in my head, but no spot-on photos to show for it. Houzz.com (where most of these inspirational photos come from) has given me a taste of inspiration, but it seems like it's up to me to put all the pieces together (hehe).
So I went tile hopping shopping, and here's what I learned...
Lingo for the untrained home improvers like myself:
Mosaic Tile: Bite-sized color-infused works of art in the form of 4 inch square tiles.
Saltillo Tile: The terra cotta-colored tile that covers the rest of the floor surface. She comes in all shapes (square, octagon, brick-like, etc) and can be treated in a variety of terra cotta hues from natural (light) to deep chocolate lacquer.
I started by mashing up possible Saltillo and mosaic tile combos to see how frequently I'd want a mosaic to pop up on my roughly 800 square foot outdoor floor space.
So far all I've decided is that I want square Saltillo tiles in a rather natural, slightly shiny finish, with a pop of mosaic every four square tiles. Can you notice what I mean by the tiles above the pool in the photo below? But, that Saltillo color is too orange for my taste.
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/spanish tile outdoor floor.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/mosaic tiles with saltillo tile.png)
Then comes the even more exciting part. We're adding an outdoor fountain (or water feature if I want to sound particularly fancy). I think this will give me another space to infuse those mosaic munchkins.
I'm gathering images to see how I want the mosaic placed. It seems to be popular to either tile the backdrop of the fountain in its entirety, or to simply put a perimeter of tile around the feature.
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/mosaic tile outdoor fountain.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/courtyard tile floor.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/mosaic firepit.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/mosaic tile lined doorway.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/mosaic tile water feature.png)
![](https://elshanesworld.com/uploads/outdoor tile water feature.png)
Which leads to a big decision. How much mosaic is too much mosaic? Where should I place each little treasure? And should I pick one pattern and stick with it, or use a chic curated mash-up of like-minded tiles?
As a fashion stylist, I feel pretty helpless that I can't swoop in with my style eye and save the day. I simply don't feel educated enough. It's all a "process", right?
Stay tuned for more adventures in creating my #elspanishoasis. And follow the journey through my instagram hashtag, #elspanishoasis, as I shop materials and more...