Five minutes with the tile experts

The people in the know at Italtile give us the latest bathroom tips, trends and advice

A bathroom trend everyone should be following? Hexagon is a timeless trend and seems to be coming back in a strong way, but now with more varied colours and finishes. Remember to focus on styles and finishes that will not age. Most people renovate every seven to 10 years, so bear that in mind when choosing styles.

Three clever ways to use tiles in your bathroom?

1) Using larger format tiles on the walls gives the perception of a bigger space.

2) Make use of a mosaic feature wall to brighten the space and allow focus on fantastic finishes.

3) Research and play around with various ways to lay your tiles.

Examples are herringbone and chevron, which will be trending for years to come. This is an easy way to create a feature space in your bathroom.

Tips for colour use in a bathroom? Go neutral with your main tile and change up the various colours of your décor and finishes. This allows you to change the look and feel of your bathroom without changing your main cost product: tiles.

A practical tip for tiling your bathroom? Make use of listello tiles or step edges to neaten off your tiling - this always looks elegant.

What colour grout should one use? There is a large variety of colours, from dove grey to oatmeal and cloud blue, that can be used for a seamless look. If you're looking for something a little more exciting, we offer grout that has glitter in it. I've seen a matt black subway tile with black glitter grouting - it looked amazingly beautiful.

Should you tile your bathroom walls up to the ceiling, or not? This is a personal choice. Full-wall tiling will last longer and is low maintenance, but it all depends on the look you're going for.

Should you go for different tiles on the floor and walls, or the same? A current trend is to use the same tile range in the bathroom space, but to make use of varied sizes. So, for example, the smaller tile on the floor and bigger tile on the wall (for bigger space perception) or vice versa.

Overall, using the same tiles creates a seamless and elegant look. It also allows for a feature wall or featured space, which can be created using the same tiles. We offer a waterjet service where you can cut décor pieces or designs within a tile of your choice. This creates a lovely and unique finish for your bathroom.

For information and inspiration, visit www.italtile.co.za