Flooring can make all the difference in a high-end hotel. The demands are high. Floors need to be durable, quiet, and aesthetic. Porcelain is increasingly the best answer to this, especially as tiles are becoming more lightweight and with more vivid and accurate textures. Current trends are focused upon getting the look and feel of natural wood or stone right. Here’s what you need to know for 2019.
There is something comfy and cosy about wood. 2019 is the year that interior designers have cottoned on to this, and have started putting theory into practice. Porcelain tiles offer wood effect aesthetics that have minimal care needs, so are ideal for offering a chalet feel. When working with wood effect porcelain, consider under floor heating to enhance the warming tone. Check with your supplier regarding different levels of slip resistance, especially if you are tiling a bathroom with wood effect porcelain tiles.
With stone design, marble is the star of the show in 2019. Beyond most price brackets until recently, porcelain marble tiles have opened this design up to new audiences. The trick with realistic marble-effect porcelain is to get the quality of the veins right, and then to bend the personality of the veins into the overall palette. Lunar marbles are subdued and quietly beautiful. Calacatta oro is delightfully vivacious. Each brings a personality to the space, and it is worth investing time in the research to find out which one works for your hotel flooring needs.
Supersize tiles are in high demand in 2019. Porcelain tiles of any size can be made to look seamless, but large aspect tiles make the installation process much more efficient and enhance the visual appeal. The architectural challenge with large aspect tiles is distributing the weight so they don’t crack, so it is worthwhile asking for advice. Large aspect porcelain tiles are ideal for bathrooms, and have an important role in wall tiling in hotel front of house areas.
As printing technology improves, tiles become more interesting. Much has been said about the popularity of geometric tiles, but the real design innovation is in planning floors to optimise the effect. Kinorigo designed the floor of Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, which is an example of how geometric blending can work well in large or complex spaces. 2019 has seen some impressive geometric hotel floor installations as the art deco movement undergoes its revival. Bold, block colours and natural stones are the key.
Ecological flooring is starting to pack a serious punch. Natural stone is marginally more sustainable than porcelain tiles, and there are some accessible options. Sandstone and slate are both easy to work with, and can be shaped very efficiently. This being said, porcelain is a very ecologically friendly material. It is made from natural ceramic and can be easily recycled. Statistics show that premises with either natural stone or porcelain-tiled floors can claim an environmental advantage.
When it comes to hotel flooring, experience matters. Kinorigo has paved the path for many high-end hotel developments, and is always willing to offer advice and guidance. Get in touch today to discuss your project requirements.
