If you take your self-care game seriously, then it only makes sense for the materials used in your bathroom – including tiles – to be of great importance.
Taking into consideration durability, practicality and design, these are the tiles that the experts are recommending this year.
Magical marble
Given we have been spending more time at home lately, there is a growing movement towards nature-inspired interiors. We are improving our connection with the great outdoors, say, Emma Buchan, founder and lead designer of EB Interiors.
“This trend is defined by an emphasis on natural materials such as marble, whose raw and imperfect nature not only adds visual intrigue but also mimics the calming ambience of the outdoors,” she says.
“Using marble tiles in the bathroom is a great way to incorporate this trend into your home – and the best part is, they’re so classic [you’ll] still love them 20 years from now.”
Creative ceramics
In high demand are ceramic tiles, amid a rising preference for texturally layered homes and experimentation with idiosyncratic tile shapes and colours, says Thomas Coward, creative director of Artedomus.
“The unique quality of the glaze and colour that come with ceramic tiles is what sets them apart from others on the market,” he says.
European and Asian suppliers with long production histories have become a go-to choice for ceramic tiling, including Japanese brand INAX, whose tiles are exclusively available in Australia through Artedomus.
Timeless terracotta
Embracing its natural elements of fire and clay, terracotta is building material at its most simple. Its organic nature and appearance mean it will resume being a popular tile, Coward says.
“Terracotta tiles are distinctive in colour, which means they can be used as an accompanying tone, or they can be more dominant with the ability to set the scheme for the entire bathroom,” he says.
Terracotta means “baked earth” in Italian, with its red colour derived from iron-rich earth. Artedomus’ terracotta range is from Cotto Manetti in Florence, whose production dates back to 1780.
Today, terracotta tiles can be used everywhere and look particularly wonderful in bathrooms; they come in various sizes and formats, allowing the freedom to experiment with shapes.
Enduring encaustic
Encaustic tiles date back to 12th-century Europe and are another creation to have stood the test of time.
Chris Ilias, managing director of Teranova, says you may have gone to an old European church or museum and not realised you were walking on encaustic tiles. “The classic versions of these tiles typically feature motifs of geometric shapes, simple flowers or stars, and still provide inspiration for homes today,” he says.
With various patterns that suit most styles from classic beach homes to hinterland homes, it goes without saying this type of tile has come a long way.
Trendy terrazzo
Terrazzo is the Italian word for terraces, and this style of finish was developed centuries ago by workers in Venice who used leftover portions of marble to construct the floors of their terraces. Over time it became popular all around the world.
Providing endless colours within their composition, terrazzo tiles inspire architects and designers on other choices for the bathroom, such as fixtures and fittings.
