Two weeks ago we took a visit to Versatile showroom in Navan, County Meath. There is a myriad of tiles and styles of tiles on show at this and indeed at any given tile show room. With this in mind, we thought we’d take a little look at tiles and find out why we use them, why they endure and remain so popular. It is also a great opportunity to look back at some of our favourite projects and showcase some of the beautiful tiles we have worked with.
Why tiling?
Tiling is actually a very cost-effective way of making a statement, and for the most part is environmentally friendly. Tiles are hygienic and hypo-allergenic, hard wearing and water resistant.
Tiles are also a great way to achieve a seamless look and they come in a wide range of colours and styles. Overall, they are easy to clean and low-maintenance. These factors go a long way to explain the endurance and continued ubiquity of tiles.
There are five types of tile
- ceramic
- porcelain
- natural stone
- encaustic
- glass
Most common of these and the ones you are probably most familiar with are ceramic and porcelain.
Ceramic tiles are made from clay that has been permanently hardened by heat and often having a decorative glaze
Porcelain tile is a hard, fine-grained sonorous, nonporous, and usually translucent and white ceramic ware that consists essentially of kaolin, quartz and a feldspathic rock that is fired at a high temperature – also called hard-paste porcelain or true porcelain.
Natural Stone tiles are exactly that and can include slate, quartz and sandstone tiles.
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colours of clay. They are usually of two colours, but a tile may be composed of as many as six.
Glass tiles are pieces of glass formed into consistent shapes and are often used in mosaics.
In the photo above, beautiful emerald Equipe Evolution InMetro Victorian Green subway tiles, whose glistening concavities work splendidly surrounding the custom table inlaid with azure Mainzu ceramic tiles while a patchwork of patterned Vives ceramic tile completes the exquisite vision. We really do love tiles.
So here are two tile trends of 2019:
Slabs in bigger and more ostentatious marble patterns
New technology means new ways of using marble or marble substitutes and on scales not seen before. Remarkable new products and designs are emerging. Sizes are practically unlimited where once a tile 600mm x 300mm was considered large, they can now be made up to 3m x 1m in polished, matt, semi polished and anti-slip finishes.
Terrazzo in bold colours and sizes
Probably the fastest growing trend in tiling, terrazzo has taken the design world by storm. Not only used in tiling, terrazzo has appeared in in glassware, wallpaper and furniture. Terrazzo uses natural stones and materials consisting of embedded rock and concrete, and its use can literally be a piece of art in its own right.
So if you want to add class, art, beauty and sophistication to any design, then tiles in their many forms are most definitely the way to go.