Master the Plaster Look
The tones and textures of warmer climes appeal for many reasons, primarily as a reminder that not everywhere is as green and grey as the UK. We go abroad for sun, and while there experience the allure of a different colour palette, both natural and man-made. The way people decorate is often influenced by climate and visual cues from nature. In the UK we have tended to draw upon what we see outside when designing our homes. Blue, green and white have predominated. However, things are warming up of late at Claybrook; it’s as if we are residing in North Africa judging by the shades of our most recent product additions.
We’ve been crushing on tones of apricot and peach for weeks, and these colours are now available in some of our tile collections. Marmorino is a series that closely replicates the look of raw plaster walls, with a lovely movement to its subtle pattern. The tiles work in kitchens and bathrooms for walls or floors; adding interest and a gentle decorative heat, almost like applied clay.
Neutrals have had tones of grey for a decade or two but these have given way to softer more mellow tones.
Pantone, who describe their colour of the year Peach Fuzz as “a warm and cosy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary this creates”, have a point. It works as an ideal anchor in spaces designed for family life.
Of course, nothing has the look, feel and colour of clay quite as much as, well, clay. The natural elements that make up clay really shine through in a number of our terracotta tile collections. Serbia is a rich source of terracotta due to its traditional use as roofing material. Once the buildings fall into disrepair the terracotta is collected, cleaned and shaped. They then begin their second life as floor tiles in our Reclaimed series, in a mix of lovely neutral shades. We also have Spanish Handmade Terracotta in a choice of colours, including Red and Pale options.
While not the most delicate description, rammed earth is the process of ramming a mixture of aggregates, like gravel, sand, silt and clay into a framework to create walls, usually seen in hotter parts of the world. The process creates levels or strata of material that in itself is rather distinctive and attractive. We’ve developed a porcelain called Livelli that has an option that replicates this look of rammed earth, and the more geological features often seen at the coast, with a natural colour fade effect.
A number of our glazed wall tiles also contain shades of clay, sand and plaster like the Idillio pictured below. Durable alongside beautiful, they work brilliantly in kitchens and bathrooms and can form a series of modular designs, depending on how you choose to lay them out.
It’s not just tiles that help create the raw plaster or clay look for walls. Within our vegan-friendly Claybrook Colour paint collection are a number of subtly orchestrated hues from the peachy-apricot spectrum, ideal for use on walls as a neutral alongside bolder shades, or as the main attraction. The look can suit a number of interior styles and is wonderful in sitting rooms as the light fades in the evening, or in bedrooms to supply cocooning warmth.
The colour and style of these plaster-like tiles and paints could be considered the new neutral; pairing so well with both paler creamy tones and darker caramel and ochre ones.
Further tiles in the realm of these pleasing plaster tones can be seen here:
