Create A Vibrant Floor Show
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday August 22, 2000
With most Australians living along the coast, it is not surprising house interiors are strongly influenced by the sand, sun and sea.
Apart from soft ocean blues, tranquil aquas and sunny yellows on walls and fabrics, many coastal homes feature sun-kissed sand and earth tones on floors, too.
Terracotta, limestone and weathered faux stone tiles are all favourites with Illawarra home owners, according to Adrian Neville, director of Amber Tiles in Fairy Meadow.
``Very earthy, rustic-looking tiles and textures are very popular in floor tiling at the moment," Mr Neville said.
``People are also swinging towards a larger format tile with large quarry tiles and shellstone tiles proving favourites."
Mr Neville said Amber's new range of ceramic tiles, Sierra, which looked and felt just like sunbleached terracotta, also were popular. Designed for both interior and exterior use, the tiles look the same although the indoor tile has a smooth surface while the exterior version features a more textured finish to give extra slip resistance in wet conditions.
To add a bit of colour and interest, Mr Neville said, many people were choosing to feature decorative inserts and borders on adjoining walls.
These frequently featured shells, fish or wave motifs while the use of coloured glass in all the translucent shades of aqua, turquoise, Mediterranean blue and milky white was used to further enhance the marine theme.
``All shades of blue, green and yellow are very big at the moment in every room from the bathroom to the kitchen through to family areas," Mr Neville said.
``Because we live so near the beach, many people are trying to recreate that theme in their homes."
Tiles with metallic finishes were another trend.
``Silver metallic tiles blend in well with a kitchen with a heavy use of stainless steel while copper tiles add to that rustic look that many people are after," he said.
``Hand-made tiles are also becoming increasingly popular if you want to match other colours in your home, or just use them as a feature tile.
``Tiles in a coastal environment are not only very aesthetically pleasing they are also nice and cool, although they do retain heat well.
``They are a practical surface as they are easy to maintain, are durable and have a very long life.
``They also provide families with a healthy option as they don't gather dust and are even approved by the Asthma Foundation."
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury
