Tiled Feature Walls and Accents

Tiles are no longer limited to the kitchen and bathroom. Architects and Designers have been increasingly using tiles for interior and exterior feature walls, benchtops, staircases and skirting throughout the entire house. 

There is good reason this a growing trend, tiles are a relatively eco-friendly choice when it comes to finishes due to the fact that they are made from abundant natural materials, are hardwearing and available in a myriad of sizes, colours and patterns, have no toxic emissions like VOCs, can be used to aid thermal mass, are easy to clean without the use of chemical cleaners and are highly durable, they don’t dent, mark or discolour. 

Our favourite of these trends is continuing the floor tile up the wall to skirting height or as far as chair rail height. Utilising a skirting tile in place of MDF moulding is a practical idea, it won’t scratch, mark or dent like a painted surface will and it is the one area of the house that cops the hardest beating with vacuum cleaners, mops, furniture and kids toys frequently bumping against it. 

Tiling the rear face of a kitchen island is also a growing design trend which is likely to stick around as it has the same practicalities as the tiled skirtings. You can either match the tile to your kitchen splashback or use a contrasting tile as a focal point. 

Exterior tiled feature walls provide a great opportunity to inject some brightness and personality to your homes kerb appeal. A tiled feature wall is relatively inexpensive and easy to change in the future should it be required. 

Do you have an internal wall that has access to a few good hours of sunlight in the Winter the months (but none in the Summer)? You can save on your heating bills by tiling the wall in a matt finish, medium - dark toned tile which will absorb the warmth of the sun through the day and then expel that warmth into your home through the cooler evenings.