tiles
The feel: “Stone tiles have an organic feel, while porcelain gives
a sophisticated look,” says Christie Wood, design specialist at Beaumont
Tiles (beaumont-tiles.com.au). “Timber-look tiles can feel very homely.”
The options: “Porcelain is sturdier and more moisture resistant
than stone tiles,” says Christie. “Ceramic tiles are very afordable,
and pressed-edge tiles are cheaper to buy and install as they’re
more forgiving when laid.”
“Stone gives a luxurious finish, but needs more care and
maintenance [than porcelain],” says David Compagnino, business
development manager at Signorino Tile Gallery (signorino.com.au).
“An excellent alternative is porcelain slab products such as Laminam.”
The new ‘Cemento’ range from Beaumont Tiles is “constructed
from rectified porcelain. It gives the beauty of polished concrete
with the flexible application of tiles,” says Christie.
Installation: To prevent future problems, hire a professional.
Under-tile heating can be a good extra. “Convection energy
means the tiles warm the floor surface and heat up the room,”
says Christie. “It’s significantly cheaper than air-conditioning!”+make a small space feel
bigger,” adds David.
+ Create cosy nooks: “If your
home is large, then tiles in
diferent colours or shapes
can provide the contrast
needed to avoid it feeling
like a monotonous, empty
space,” says David.
+ Highlight your favourite
areas: “Natural stone tiling
around a fireplace or feature
you’d like to draw attention
to can add real flair to a room,”
says Christie. “Think about
extending floor tiles up to
make a feature wall.”Inside Out / 127ARTWORK: (OPPOSITE, TOP) MAGNUS GJOEN. PHOTOGRAPHY: (OPPOSITE LEFT) MAREE HOMER, (OPPOSITE RIGHT) ANSON SMART, (THIS PAGE) AMEL
IA
STANWIX. STYLING: (OPPOSITE LEFT) DARREN PALMER, (OPPOSITE RIGHT) JONO FLEMING. DESIGN: (OPPOSITE RIGHT) GREEN APPLE INTERIORS & DESIGN, GREENAPPLEID.COM.AU, (THIS PAGE) GABBE, GABBE.COM.AU. ‘V23’ ENCAUSTIC CEMENT TILES IN2004,TILES OF EZRA, TILESOFEZRA.COM