Industry Trends

What’s happening in tile trends.

The development of High Definition Inkjet HDI printing had bought some exciting developments into the tiling industry.  The replication of stone and timber continues to become more convincing giving a greater impression of the natural beauty, depth and texture as that of the natural product.  Clients also are appealing to the low maintenance and high durability of the product over natural stones and timbers that need to sealed and treated.

Texture is fast making it way onto the stage.  There is a distinct trend towards textured finishes.  Timber is gaining popularity at the moment, not the glossy looking finishes, but suede like real timber textures. Nathalie Pasterfield of Majer Tiles comments ” The prime trend is to tiles that are natural in appearance which possess an appealing texture, not necessarily rough, but moving away from the very smooth satin finishes.”  Tiling a whole wall in a textured tile finish is also finding its way into bathrooms across Brisbane, Logan and the Gold Coast areas.

Tile sizes are increasing.  It is not uncommon to find large format 450 x 450mm, 300 x 600mm and in some cases 600 x 600mm tiles being laid in bathrooms today.  Bathrooms sizes are also on the increase as people are moving away from the utilitarian use of the space to a center for relaxation and indulgence.

Feature tile trends are on the move as well.  What is becoming quite popular is a feature wall.  Most bathrooms are fully tiled and one wall of colour or contrasting texture is very different from running a band of feature tile around the room.  One trend has been to follow the floor tile onto a wall to create a colour contrast. Unusually shaped and dimensional tiles are being used to create an interesting block of feature. With an increased interest in tiny round mosaics developing.

 

 

In regards to tile colour the interest for varying shades of greys, taupe, olive and black or charcoal are making there way to the forefront of bathroom design.

 

Heat lamps

Tastic lighting have been a regular appliance found in bathrooms across Australia for years and have been well over due for a makeover. Welcome to the next generation in tastic lighting. IXL Neo tastic heat, fan and light is a stylish, elegant addition to

bathroom design. The bulbous bulky design has been up graded with a flush mounted sleeker looking design which uses a more energy efficient halogen lamp as its heat source. A clever use of gimbal down lights allows users to direct lighting where it is needed. Neo comes in single and double versions and can be hard wired or operated via remote control. Colour choices are white or stainless steel look and are currently retailing at around $500.

 

Under Floor Heating

I was visited by a rep from Livella heating today and was quite impressed by what he had to say.  My initial reaction was to expensive to supply and install and to costly to run.  What then has made me tell you about them?  Well its this, because Livella manufacture their product right here in Australia on the Gold Coast in fact they don’t have to pay all the middle men and shipping costs involved to supply their products to the market.  Therefore are able to offer a good quality product at an affordable price.

The running costs I hear you say.  On a small to medium sized bathroom you could expect to pay about 6c per day to run it.  The system can be fully automated or controlled manually however you choose and can be hooked up to your existing wiring. This means you can have one panel for your tastic light, exhaust fan, underfloor heating and or towel rail if you wish.

Livella seem to have struck a good balance of  providing eco friendly and cost effective products and technology to our clients. For more information on under floor heating, heated towel rails and mirror demisters check out the Livella web site or contact us for more information.

 

Glass Panels

This is something I was looking forward to seeing in bathrooms.  It is not an entirely new concept but with technology far more advanced than the last time, this generations version of etched glass has introduce designs that are so much more exciting.

Bluex have introduced laminated glass panels with digitally printed inter-layers that have a fantastic effect.

 

Vanities

To put a new edge on things a hot new trend is to add a coloured strip that defines the edges of doors and drawers giving the standard style vanity and new image.  The strips come in a range of colours being black, red, white and ivory.