Style Changes Sept 2008

The preference for open plan living is influencing the use of tiles in more unconventional applications, which means that the UK consumer is no longer just using tiles in kitchens and bathrooms, but are using tiles as a transitional covering from kitchen, to living through to dining areas. In relation to this trend there is also demand for larger format tiles, as they fill a room with less grout lines, giving the illusion of more space!!

 

Porcelain Tiles Seem to be the choice of the moment, and are increasing in popularity due to the fact they are practical, durable and less prone to damage, making this material ideal for the ‘open plan craze!’.

 

The increasing size and density of tiles means that tools have had to evolve to cope. Tile Rite have made it their priority to produce a range of tools that are designed to work with large format tiles, which include the diamond hole cutting range, a collection of bench cutters with bed sizes up to 1.2m. The 1mm long leg tile spacer was also introduced to aid the need for fewer and less obvious grout lines.

 

The use of darker natural tile coverings has become increasingly popular over the past 2 years with black and greys being the preferred choice for floors. The fashionable ‘industrial’ look has dramatically increased Black PVC tile edging and L Shape chrome tile edges and we are now seeing these trims featured in our top 5 best sellers.

 

The trend for matt finish is more evident, with unglazed porcelain tiles becoming increasingly popular; to compliment, matt finish silver trim sales are increasing.

 

Reports from the international tile and stone expo, mention that the colour pallets seem to be shifting to warmer tones such as browns, bronzes and coppers, which would explain the revival of brown tile edging, the future may also see an introduction of copper trims and accessories, so will we see a gold resurrection….?