STEP INSIDE LIVING SPACES Natural Beauty
Marta Cerezo, Marketing Manager at tile specialist Porcelanosa Group Ltd, discusses the popular trend of nature-inspired interiors and explains how homeowners can achieve this effect in their own living space.
Adding elements of nature to living spaces can induce positively-valued changes in cognition and emotion, which again may impact on stress level, health and wellbeing, according to research by Grinde and Patil, 2009.
It is always worth considering using natural products within the home as they bring numerous benefits. There’s no denying that natural materials exude luxury and look stunning in any room of the house, be it the bedroom, dining room or lounge.
As the trend for merging interior and exterior spaces grows, people are styling their homes more holistically, using materials and textures inside that reflect the natural world outside. Stone tiling is a classic look in any home or commercial space, not only providing a timeless quality but also keeping you in touch with the outdoor world. Slate, Granite, Marble, Quartzite, Sandstone and Air Slate are all natural stones that suit any abode- not only do they feel great underfoot, but they are easy to manage too. Granite is the hardest and densest natural stone, which helps maintain its luster and resist staining for longer than processed materials.
Natural materials also satisfy the wants and needs of the modern consumer. Now more than ever, buyers are doing their research and are more aware of the quality of the product they are buying and where it has come from. If products are made from natural materials and less processed, the better they will be for the environment and the consumer’s piece of mind.
There are alternatives to using natural 100% materials to get the look and feel of the natural world and this is where wood- effect ceramic tiling comes into its own. Unlike traditional
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wooden flooring that is high maintenance and susceptible to everyday nicks, scratches, cracking and warping, ceramic tiles are easy to clean and long lasting and won’t damage during normal day-to-day use.
Sophisticated technology means that the tiles look fantastic and are a brilliant alternative to real wood. Available in a range of colour tones, you can base your look on a more neutral canvas, with the knotty texture bringing character, to which you can add splashes of colour with a rug, plant or painting, or keep it down to earth with a more subtle and earthy palette.
If you prefer a pattern, ceramic parquet floor tiles with the warmth and appearance of real wood would make a perfect choice. The Park-ker range from Porcelanosa is extremely durable, making it ideal for high-traffic areas and it also comes in non-slip versions for outdoor use on terraces and pool-sides. This means that ‘your look’ doesn’t need to stop at the back door, but can flow seamlessly through to your outside space as well. Porcelanosa has also developed a new range of tiles, Starwood, which have been meticulously handcrafted to appear as realistic as possible, reproducing the knotty character of each type of wood precisely, to give a truly authentic appearance.
There is no doubt that nature in the home will ever go out of fashion, the timeless nature of materials that are sourced from the world around us means that a home will
look great
for many years to come. With the numerous benefits to health and the environment, it is easy to see why consumers are looking outwards for inspiration.
www.porcelanosa.com/uk www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com
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