Natural stone tile is one of the most beautiful and stunning ways to complement a room and is available in many diffeent finishes and sizes. Here is an overview of the various rooms in your house and how you might use natural materials to the best possible advantage, with design and maintenance considerations in mind.
The kitchen area is the place where we spend the most time. Also it is the place that gets dirty very easily. Spillage from liquids, cooking, crumbs and other debris will all make contact with your floor. Therefore we always recommend a tile that has smooth finish with no visible holes. If you are using travertine, honed and filled ones are the best option to go for. Tumbled travertine is pitted therefore dirt might go deeper in the hole and floor cleaning might become harder than usual. Also marble, limestone, granite, slate are good options but if you are looking for a warm creamy beige colour, the ivory travertine will be the best choice. Just make sure there are not extensive fillers on all over the surface.
There are more options for living rooms. Again honed and filled travertine is a good choice however, tumbled travertine can also be considered as well for a rustic look. Marble tiles with complementary mosaics or border pieces can be used if you require something more durable.
Multicoloured slate is preferred choice for greenhouse areas. Their flamboyant colours will add beauty to the place. Also if you think about tiling the garden as well, there are multicolour slate pavers that will match to the greenhouse area.
In showers and bathrooms, tumbled travertine or marble tiles are the preferred choices. Polished tiles are not recommended on the floors as in wet areas they will become slippery. Creamy beige, white travertine or marble tile along with mosaics will look fantastic. Choosing a top quality natural stone will have a white or grey background vs. the greens commonly found in lesser specimens. If you do not want to use natural stone in this area, there are plenty of ceramic, porcelain ranges in variety of colours. Just use your imagination.
In the bedroom, limestone tile offers a variety of colors (golden, creamy beige, grey, white and more). However, you might want to be consistent with the home decor by using the same tiles in bedrooms that you have used in the living room. From this perspective, your bedroom might have travertine.
Of course everybody has their own taste and color choices. According to our experiences, people tend to choose more of the travertine tiles compared to other types of flooring. This is due to the fact that travertine has very warm creamy beige colour and smooth surface. They are very affordable and easy to find. Exterior travertine tiles are also available if you would like to use the same type indoors and outdoors.