Tiles can be used in almost every room in the house, as well as patios and pathways – more on that next month. They have progressed from the ancient, such as the terracotta tiles used in Roman times, through richly detailed and coloured traditional Victorian style, to chicken head tiles (sorry, this is a joke for people over a certain age) and the current, absolutely stunning array available in so many fantastic styles, materials and colours. Tiles can be exciting with a capital E!
At its simplest we can take standard tiles and use them as splashbacks in either a kitchen, cloakroom or bathroom.
By carefully selecting and arranging the colour and shapes a standard tile can be transformed into a work of art. I love the idea of this butcher’s block repurposed to make a counter for a washbasin.
Simple metro tiles applied diagonally with the upper edge left uneven adds a lovely detail but there are so many layouts you can choose from which can radically alter the result of your tiling project.
Check out Porcelanosa (porcelanosa.com) which has many layouts to inspire you. I love this quote from their website: “Visually, a plain tile can be made interesting, a practical tile can be made beautiful and an expensive tile can become sublime.”
Too simple for your taste? For a completely different type of splashback, from the sophisticated to the whimsical, I discovered a company called Unique Tiles (uniquetiles.com).
If you are looking for something totally unique, they custom manufacture tiles only for you, be it floor or wall tiles, for small or large areas. The design is digitally printed and transferred onto porcelain or ceramic body tiles in a selection of sizes, then fired at very high temperatures making the final product very durable.
How can bespoke tile design elements fit into your kitchen? You’ll first need to consider your kitchen’s layout; is it one room or does it share open space with your living room or dining area?
If your kitchen is in its own space, then you have more freedom to decorate in any colour and unique tile design you prefer. However, if your kitchen has an open floor plan and shares space with another room, then it’s best to create design elements that blend the rooms.
For instance, you might need to consider a colour motif that can be used in both your kitchen and living room and dining area. The goal is to have the open space between rooms flow smoothly from room to room, not be cut up by completely different colours and other style elements.
These amazing brick effect, natural matt finish wall tiles give a wonderful rustic look but are made from long lasting porcelain so are easy to clean and do not shed any dust. They can even be used in exterior projects.
Their textured surface replicates brick walls but it is made up of individual 56cm x 31cm format tiles, with 15 unique face designs to give an individual rather than a repeating design.
They are made by heating glass until it is liquid which is then poured into moulds. The resulting pieces are undulating so the surfaces seem to change under different light conditions. This in enhanced by a coloured reflective backing which gives a glowing appearance.
To me the feel of this tile is one of blue lagoons and white sand without even leaving your bathroom. There are eight different colours available.
They are large format tiles designed and printed in house by Original Style whose nearest showroom is in Durham. If you can’t travel to the showroom, check out their website (originalstyle.com).
The living range is a whole series of fabulously decorative wall tiles. For a country look this mural, showing a serene and tranquil country scene, is designed to work in bathrooms of all sizes.
The mural comprises three different eight-tile panels which can be used together for maximum impact if you have a bathroom large enough, or they can be used as a single panel of eight to provide a splash of colour.
Shower walls are the perfect opportunity to use your imagination. Why not step into a tropical forest and surround yourself with rare ferns and jungle leaves?
When designing your bathroom scheme, it is often useful to purchase tiles which can be used on the walls and floor negating the need to introduce another element.
If you are looking for that fabulous, luxury hotel or grand house feel, Lapicida with its wonderful showroom near Knaresborough, in North Yorkshire, may have just the thing for you.
Marble was the go-to material for luxury rooms for hundreds of years though sadly it does have its disadvantages – and not just the price. It is soft and easy to scratch and stain, though modern processes can mean that the staining is no longer an issue. The marble can be impregnated with the finish prior to delivery.
It is a next generation European porcelain with a polished finish, replicating a fine white veined marble with a bookmatched effect. Bookmatching is the practice of matching two or more stone surfaces so that two adjoining surfaces mirror each other, giving the impression of an open book.
I love this effect, though still pricey, the two pieces are each 2.78 metres high and 1.2 metres wide.
The same idea is available as large tiles which are a little easier to handle than the large panels and can form a totally different, almost double bookmatch effect. The impact that the design and colour make are the real focus of the room.
For a rustic look and a bathroom to make you smile every time you walk into it, use stripes and colour in an unusual way.
Stripes are a powerful tool in interior architecture, helping draw in the eye where spaces have little in the way of original feature and helping to reshape a space.
This cement tile – which would need to be sealed – is just one of a range by Bert and May which is available in three different stripe widths. I love the way the designer has combined all three stripes to define areas in different ways.
Finally, if you live in a short term rental property and love the tile effect but are looking for something less permanent, you can always resort to using a tile effect wallpaper. If you love the fabulous rich colours and designs of Moroccan tiles – Alhambra Palace style perhaps – then you can create it for yourself with this paper from mindthegap.com
