It’s time you considered giving your interior spaces a mesmerising makeover with glossy and daintily designed tiles that come in alluring shapes and eye-catching designs
Shabiha Nur Khatoon
There was a time when shiny tiles could only be spotted on kitchen and bathroom walls. Today, however, tiles are slowly inching inside living rooms and bedrooms.
Tiles are elements that can make a remarkable difference to the ambience of a space. Slabs that come in the right colours with perfect finish and apt graphics accentuate interior décor and contribute to uplifting the mood of an entire space.
Bathroom tiles must be water- and moisture-resistant. Advances in technology allow laser cutting and printing as well as rapid prototyping of dimensional tiles in small batches. These, in turn, have given ample options to interior designers to create a wide range of styles at low prices.
The tiles produced in factories today can be made quickly from different materials and can be cut very thin for residential or office use. Whether you choose to place your bet on glass, stone, metal or concrete, tiles can add a unique flair to your interior. Tiles are available in distinct designs and attractive hues and there are many ways in which they can used to add a special touch to design.
Nowadays, many among the upmarket stores are showcasing new and innovative designs to entice customers and live up to the expectations of clients.
“Today tiles are used on walls and headboards more than ever before,” says Vikaas, a city-based tiles dealer. “Those that resemble stone or wood catch customers’ fancy and each tile looks different from the others, thanks to diversity of design. It’s not uniform ceramic anymore.”
The city-based dealer says the wood look is in great demand these days but high-definition laser-printed porcelain and textured styles are also romping into living rooms and bedrooms.
Wall designs are great if you want to revitalise interior décor. Cladding is stylistic rather than functional and is usually designed to work as an accent feature in a room. Decorative panels, wood panelling and decorative stone or brick are always in demand. But the demand for dramatic wall cladding with dazzling prints, heritage patterns and customised graphics, too, is spiralling.
“If you want to give your interiors a mesmeric makeover go for a copper brown shade and grained patterns perfect for bedrooms. This collection is available in matte finish and strip format. If you love the natural texture of marble, wood and stone, opt for tiles that come with superior glossiness and finish. These are ideal for contemporary minimalistic interiors that exude aesthetic charm,” says Shruti Mukim, an interior decorator.
Chandan Das, another Bhubaneswar-based tiles dealer says tiles these days are available in all possible geometric shapes. “Gone are the days when tiles came only in two-dimensional rectangular shapes. In recent years, the trend has shifted more towards the use of large square and rectangular shapes for walls. The size contributes greatly to the aesthetic effect of the walls, less interrupted by grout joints, and gives a sense of space to the room,” says Das.
“Tiles have a classic appeal and won’t go out of fashion any time soon. In fact, they are prized for their durability. With tiles that replicate wood, metal, glass and concrete, not to mention the variety of shapes and sizes on offer, there are many ways to use tiles beyond those commonly imagined,” he adds.
Software professional Shalini Mohanty has unconventional choices when it comes to wall tiles. She has chosen wall designs that would appeal to her kids.
“My son is a cricket buff; he plays, breathes and sleeps cricket. So we planned to transform his room into a beautiful cricket stadium. My daughter’s favourite fictional character is Cinderella and so we decided to give her room a fairyland makeover. After all, kids’ rooms should be invigorating, quirky and playful,” says Shalini.
