What a relief

Wall tiles need not be flat. This may come as a revelation to some but an obvious design statement to others. As they do not need to be walked on, tiles for walls can be fluted, rippled, convex, concave or lightly textured or pitted. Floor tiles?…well, they are better off being flat.

This urge for relief tiles has been growing in popularity over recent years, possibly as mid-century modern design came back into vogue a decade ago, a period when textured walls were all the rage. Wall tiles are often used in bathrooms or kitchens and laundry rooms, due to their glazed nature; making them ideal for repelling water and wiping up any spills. However, it doesn’t mean to say they need always be one dimensional. The production of wall tiles allows them to have shape and two dimensions, sometimes by utilising moulds; this method accounting for the design of a number of our collections. Corrugation, for example, has both matt and gloss tiles across a series of colours, with a couple of choices of moulded, fluted and tactile design.

Although the look now is more elegant than utilitarian, often as part of schemes that pair country style with an urban aesthetic; we find adding a grid-like tile design is an attractively striking element, but one that’s not too overpowering in the overall scheme.

The elongated metro shaped Corrugation brick tiles have choice built-in. There are four shades all in either matt or gloss finishes purely dictated by preference, and you can select from a flat look, a fluted one, or an angled one we call Pinnacle. You can also mix them or create striped effects by using two alternately in rows like the main bathroom image above. Chequerboard is another design style achieved by using two colours in rotation, like the enticing Corrugation tile images below left.

Some of the shades of relief style wall tiles are just mouth-watering. Our Tavolozza series, for example, has beautiful colours including an olive green and pretty pastel pink; lovely in bathrooms for creating a relaxing feel, alongside the distinctive fluidity of the curve design seen below.

Occasionally, tiles come on a mesh backing for ease of fitting, rather like smaller traditional mosaic. Scolpito is a case in point; a range that’s available in a series of colours in an eye-catching mix of decors all attached to the mesh. When tiled they look like individual tiles across the wall, as seen in the rooms pictured here.

Below is an example of just how sinuous and curvy shaped tiles can look. Konvex is a stunning collection of Italian-designed plain and relief tiles in both matt and gloss options, each in three gorgeous colourways. The matt and gloss metro-style brick tiles are ordered by the box, with a mix of four tile styles included. Each box contains both convex and concave designs, alongside those with a tactile fluted feel. They are so pleasing to the touch, as well as to the eyes, just like the wall pictured below.

Curves and relief designs are not just the unique preserve of tiles. The worked look and feel of surfaces with a moulded or formed surface is fantastic on furniture too. We applied this aesthetic when working up our recent bathroom cabinetry. The Loop collection of wall-mounted and freestanding basin cabinetry features lovely fluted doors; both tactile and chic.