RANGE REVIEW: TILES & TILING


Many new trends are emerging


regularly as interior fashion changes, and Jessica says many tiles are from leading Spanish and Italian factories that use top designers to create new ranges which are unique and innovative. “We are becoming more and more adventurous in our use of tiles and the manufacturers are responding to that, we are seeing a lot more patterned tiles but also plain tiles being laid in different patterns. The metro tile is a classic but we are now seeing it more and more being laid in vertical or herringbone patterns. The availability of patterned tiles has increased hugely, there is now anything from subtle grey and white patterns to bold, Victorian inspired designs with vibrant colours and striking patterns,” Jessica says. Topps Tiles managing director


of retail, Richard Carter says the shape, size, colour and feel of tiles is changing: “In terms of format hexagons are becoming more popular, and overall tiles are becoming larger as we more people move


towards open plan living spaces. Colour and texture and really important as is highlighted by our current Tile of the Year – Lampas Peacock which is a deep green colour and replicates the effect of many layers of fabric. Distressed finishes and metallic effects are also very on trend, as are geometric patterns.”


I have this thing with tiles Young people are now heavily influenced by social media content which is often created to be aesthetically pleasing and eye- catching, therefore the traditional greys and beiges won’t do the trick


and have had to make way for more interesting colours and designs. Jessica says Tile Choice have seen an increase in interest in many tiles which may be considered quirky, from “bright, bold patterned designs, to pastel coloured brick shape tiles and 3D tiles which have futuristic, architectural shapes to add another dimension to the room.” An Instagram account called @ ihavethisthingwithtiles, created by Gabriella Insana from Italy, showcases a whole portfolio of floor tiles from around the world, submitted by various Instagram users and then shared to the page. It provides inspiration to its 110,000 followers has created a buzz in the modern interior world and tells a new story of the stereotypical dull bathroom tile. Jessica says accounts like these are “encouraging people to look at tiles as a design feature in the home as opposed to just a necessity or just another flooring option and for them to be more creative with their ideas and choices. This is a positive shift in the market as the patterned tiles which are highly detailed and therefore often attract a higher price due to the intricate nature are now being justified by people like a piece of art or furniture would be. Topps Tiles’ Richard Carter says of the Instagram page: “More and more homeowners are using social media as their first port of call when they think about an interiors project so it’s really important that we have a presence in these spaces. We have a huge focus on inspirational photography to show customers how they can achieve their dream home, and visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are an


integral part of how we deliver that. We love accounts like ‘I have this thing with tiles’ as they ignite the imagination and get people excited about tiles – it’s no longer the case that tiles are an afterthought at the end of a kitchen or bathroom project. We do a lot of work with influencers and love nothing more than to see their followers excited about our products, showcased by someone they naturally engage with.” Tile Giant’s James Heese however says, even though online is an important


tool for businesses, it


should not undervalue the abilities of traditional print media: “Despite the growth in digital and social media I would not underestimate the importance of traditional print and the home magazines. Customers look for inspiration and titles such as Ideal Home play a huge role in helping inspire customers. There is a reason that Home and Fashion magazines still have a huge circulation and that is they are an incredible easy way for customers to browse and be inspired.”


James goes on to say the newest innovation in tiling is actually that customers can now tile their patios and this has expanded to the garden market:


“The big news within


the industry is the development of 20mm porcelain that allows customers to tile their patios instead of traditional flagstones.” James says this will become a “significant part of the market” in the near future. Tile Mountain’s Mo says: “Before, a customer might have seen that in a hotel in Spain they stayed in or maybe even in a magazine or the TV programme, ‘Changing Rooms’. But now, looking at this next lot of consumers, they are taking


Photo credit: Instagram page of Gabriella Insana - @ihavethisthingwithtiles


that inspiration from Instagram, Pinterest and, sometimes, Facebook. They’re being inspired by and


hoping to recreate things they’ve seen digitally, not physically. The big thing we do is interact


with people online and on social media. We have a team of people working on that and posting blogs online. There is nothing more powerful


than someone showing


a before picture of their really crappy bathroom with green tiles and then being able to show the transformation and so we are trying to build as much awareness on social platforms as possible.”


24 DIY WEEK 14 JUNE 2019


www.diyweek.net


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