The Home Front: Coloured tiles are being embraced in the home
Credit to Author: rebeccakeillor| Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2020 14:33:08 +0000
From pastel pinks to light greens, wine reds and dark blues, North Americans are embracing colour in their tile choices for the home, says Kristina Panzera, senior buyer for leading stone and ceramic products retailer Ciot Inc.
“We were never able to suggest pastels, and now everyone is embracing them. Whether it’s for commercial projects, or residential, everybody is on board. I guess social media helps a lot,” she says.
Patterned tiles are also increasing in popularity, says Panzera, with people gravitating towards imitation encaustic tiles in traditional hexagonal and square shapes.
Coloured tile by California-based Heath Ceramics.
Tone on tone tiles are also very popular this year, says Panzera, which add depth and interest to a space, and coordinate with most decor schemes because they’re only introducing one colour. Tiles are also getting bigger in size, she says, with large porcelain slabs currently trending in bathroom design.
“They’re very resistant to scratching, and don’t absorb things, so they’re an ideal application, especially for shower walls, because you get a nice clean look and don’t have to worry about that film soap can leave on the tiles. It’s much easier to clean than natural stone slab,” she says.
Those who are wanting a more modern look are gravitating towards cement and metallic tiles, says Panzera, and those who prefer more traditional design seem to like imitation marble tiles.
Co-owner and creative director of California-based Heath Ceramics, Catherine Bailey, says things are feeling more “textural and tonal” in tile design this year, with subtle graphics and textures dominating.
Coloured, patterned tiles are all the rage. Like these by Canada’s Ciot Inc.
“I’m drawn to colours with warm neutral undertones. Triangle tiles are feeling just right and I am especially excited about these Dual Glaze Triangle Tiles in greyish green and sand glazes that form interesting patterns. Also hexes as a tile shape and layers of glazes that show off the craft of tile,” she says.
Bailey, and her husband, Robin Petravic, bought Heath Ceramics from Edith and and Brian Heath in 2003, who founded the company in 1948. Uniquely, all Heath products are still made in California, and their glazing techniques set them apart, says Bailey.
“We quickly learned that the Heaths’ excelled in developing distinctive glazes using natural oxides and hand applications. Over the years we have gone deeper into this strength and used our expertise in hand glazing to explore new designs. Our newest glazing techniques mask off areas of the tile so that we can layer glazes to get unique textures and breakups in our designs,” she says.
A common mistake people often make when it comes to installing tile in their homes is lack of planning, says Bailey.
“It’s important to lay out your tile design with your installer, first in your drawings, and then onsite to make sure you understand where tiles will begin and end so that you can plan for where you’ll need cut tiles and small pieces. Oftentimes, there are small adjustments to the rough installation that can set up your tile installation to be cleaner and avoid awkward areas,” she says.
Dual-glazed triangle in greyish green tiles by Heath Ceramics.
Electrical outlets can also distract from beautiful tile installations, says Bailey, especially on backsplashes, but with good planning, outlets can be put on strips under the cabinets or placed towards the ends of installations rather than the centre, she says.
“If the outlets need to be there make sure you order coloured outlets, with the least contrast from your installation,” she says.
Heath Ceramics is on a “zero-waste journey”, says Bailey, in their products and manufacturing methods. One example of this is the “recycled clay body” (“unfired clay and glaze overspray” from their San Francisco tile factory) which they use to produce their Stan Bitters tile collection.
“Later this year, we will be expanding this product which will further reduce our waste stream, and the clay body makes a beautiful textural tile,” she says.