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Step away from the neutralsEmily Murray believes that, when it comes to colour, you should just go for it, and she’s embraced this maxim in her Edinburgh home. On the lower-floor landing, prism wallpaper creates a jewel-box feel that totally transforms what would otherwise be just a walk-though space. The rest of her home showcases her confident colour choices, and shows just how transformative bold decisions can be.Visit the rest of this colourful Edinburgh home
Slate tiles make a confident statement in the downstairs shower room. “People coming in from the beach in wetsuits can strip off and have a shower in here,” says Lichtig.Tiles, Fired Earth. Shower, The Water Monopoly.
Create a feature wallWe’re all familiar with focal feature walls in living rooms and bedrooms, but they’re often overlooked in bathrooms, where they’re very useful for creating defined zones. Here, shiny hexagonal tiles transform what could be a plain shower area into one that’s as pretty as a picture – even the dividing wall has a touch of glamour.Which is your favourite way to use these teeny tiles? Share your pick in the Comments section.
Go wall-to-wallLike a nautical feel in your bathroom? This tiny shower room, with its wall-to-wall and floor tiles – all hexagons –has a cabin-like feel. If you’re trying this look – along with the grey grouting – at home, invest in effective lighting, break up the tiles with a large mirror and paint the ceiling bright white to reflect the light.
Mirror impactTiles aren’t the only material that suits hexagons – they work on wallpaper designs, too. So why not match the two, to double the effect? If you’re going for this look, keep the finish contemporary – and committed – by choosing plain tiles and a strong accent shade for the woodwork to complement the wallpaper.If you’re worried about splashes from the basin, do as these homeowners have done and install a barely there glass or Perspex splashback so as not to detract from the wallpaper.
Stretch spaceWant a clever way to make a narrow shower look much more interesting? The answer is to use tiles with a tiny scale. Doing so will add texture and pattern that recedes rather than advances (like actual patterned tiles would), a neat space-stretching trick. These also contrast beautifully with the smooth sheen of the storage unit.
Think proportionsJust as you might introduce fabrics with patterns and motifs in different scales to create interest and layering in a living room or bedroom, you can do the same with tiles in a bathroom, the smallest of which are these hexagonal tiles. And you needn’t use them in swathes – a small splash here or there can have more impact.
Plump for period styleHexagonal tiles are fabulous in an industrial, 1930s-style bathroom. Here, they’re the perfect foil for the larger, plainer, metro-look tile pattern, the Crittall-alike shower screen and the factory-feel basin. And the way they’re divided to create a faux shower tray is subtle genius. As for the gold taps and shower fittings? They make a clever, contemporary clash with the otherwise utilitarian feel.
Add a glimmer of glamourThere’s something particularly appealing about hexagonal tiles with a dash of mother-of-pearl or glitter about them, but if you’re going to use them wall-to-wall, ensure you match them with plain surfaces that don’t compete for attention. This vanity console is the perfect companion for the tiles, its glossy surface standing up to – but not out-shining – the tiles above it.
Play with scaleThis bathroom is all about scale-play and clever use of tone. The tiny hexagonal tiles give the bathroom floor the satisfying texture of a deep-pile carpet while complementing – but not competing with – the larger, marble-effect tiles on the walls. The black tile border around the edge? A neat, eye-catching detail, just like a tailor might use with a contrasting thread on a hem.Agh! Is it really over for metro tiles?
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Bare bricks become a feature in a gentle Victorian flat extension This used to be a conservatory that was “freezing cold in winter and overheated in summer”, according to the designers at Scenario Architecture. It also blocked light from flowing into the living room behind it. It’s only really when you look the other way in this extension (which is on a ground-floor flat in a large Victorian villa) that you get an idea of how unusual it is. From this angle, what you see is the emphasis on letting in light – thanks to the bonus windows above the bifold doors, the glass roof, a pale colour scheme and that light-reflecting splashback. It’s goes the extra mile, for sure, but lots of extensions are all about the glass. Turn around, however, and…
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