Tag: designer

Bold botanical palm leaves, gorgeous green tones and our signature glossy tile glaze – Paradis Mere is our Tile of the Year for 2023! We have been nominating a Tile of the Year for the last six years, choosing exclusive tiles like Paradis Mere that are truly unique and set to influence upcoming trends.Small in format but bold in design, Paradis Mere has four faces. Each face showcases more of the pattern, offering a varied abundance of tropical leaves. Inspired by gorgeous botanical gardens and the summer palms found in Devon’s local areas of outstanding beauty, Paradis Mere was a natural choice for our Tile of the Year 2023.Paradis Mere has been designed and developed in our Design Studio in Devon and is manufactured in Exeter by our skilled and passionate production team. Using some of the most authentic manufacturing processes and glaze recipes, this tile is truly unique. Each tile is hand-crafted by skilled artisans using the longstanding screen printing method which, together with its reactive inks, means each kiln produces a different effect, so no two tiles are the same.‘We really love the unpredictable, rustic nature of reactive print. Botanical motifs are here to stay for the foreseeable - palms especially. After spending time visiting local botanical gardens, we saw this project as the perfect opportunity to combine them both together to create Botanique Paradis! Designed, developed, and produced in our Devon factory, Botanique really embodies the skilled craftsmanship and passion that we have for creating new products at Original Style.’ Becca Keenan New Products Designer. Botanique Paradis Mere is a versatile product, create a range of different looks with this tile – whatever your style! For a rustic kitchen look, mix up the faces, using ‘Mere’ or the coordinating plain tile 'Cotton' from our Winchester collection, to break the pattern up and add a pop of colour.For something more edgy, try using Paradis inside a shower enclosure without any coordinating plain tiles mixed in. You could use ‘Mere’ to tile the rest of the room, or maybe even just choose some areas to create a zoned effect. For a subtle look, team with our new ‘Cotton’ field tiles, their soft white glaze coordinates perfectly with Paradis Mere.Paradis Mere is a brand new tile and its versatile design can be styled to create a range of different looks - contemporary or traditional. But, however you choose to style Paradis Mere, this tile will no doubt bring a unique, botanical touch to your interior décor and we hope it brings as much joy to you as creating it has to us! To discover more about our Tile of the Year campaigns, click here.  Read more...

We’re proud to design and manufacture many of our tile ranges at our factory in Exeter, Devon and over the years we’ve created a variety of exclusive collections; from our classic Winchester ranges to the large format prints in Living.   Our story is unique and we’re incredibly fortunate to have a talented team of passionate designers and craftspeople who create tile patterns and glazes that you’ll adore for years to come.  We managed to catch up with our New Products and Design Manager, Jane Addis, earlier this year to provide you with some insight into the life of a tile designer and to showcase how our gorgeous tile collections are created.   Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into ceramics, as well as your role at Original Style? A. I’ve always been happiest with a pen or paint-brush in my hand and after studying textile design at university I decided to fulfil a lifelong dream to live in Spain and to learn Spanish. This took me to a fabulous region of Spain - Andalusia and in particular Seville, where I learned Spanish part-time and made flamenco dresses. On my daily walks to work, I loved looking at the various tiles that adorned the shop fronts often hand painted and heavily influenced by Islamic geometric prints. On my return to Devon, inspired by what I’d seen I hunted out local tile manufacturers and landed my first design job! Eight years later, I joined Original Style as a designer (I fell in love with their Winchester range). I have worked at Original Style for six years now I love being a part of an industry that is challenging, exciting, trend-led and UK based. I’m lucky that my role is quite diverse and includes putting together product ranges for UK house-builders as well as designing and developing ranges for the majority of our product portfolios. Q. Where do you find inspiration for tile designs? A. The ceramic industry is much more trend-led than it was when I started my career over 10 years ago. Trips to national and international shows and exhibitions are one of the ways that I keep ahead of the trends to ensure what is developed and ultimately launched is the right product at the right time. Many of the interior trends that influence what consumers buy originate on the catwalk and are gently filtered down to other industries including wallpaper, textiles and ceramics. How I then interpret these trends completely depends on the product range and target audience. For example the ‘tropical’ trend that has been so very popular for a number of years inspired our range called Eden - a gorgeous selection of botanical inspired large format tiles. This range was developed and then launched at exactly the right time and continues to be our best-selling collection within our Living Brochure. We also visit national trust properties, museums, design shows as well as taking lots of pictures whilst we are on holiday! A designer’s eye is always open for inspiration.  Q. How long does it take to develop a new tile collection? From conception to manufacturing, to reach the market? A. This can depend on how that product is being made. For example a design that is going to be screen printed requires quite a lot of set up work with a team of people, Digitally printed product can be quicker depending on the level of complexity of the design. With all projects we also have the rule that things don’t always go to plan with ceramics! Working with a natural based product and beautiful handmade glazes all add to the possibility of not always getting what you anticipate! Q. If you had to pick a favourite tile design what would it be? A. That’s hard as we have so many gorgeous products! But, I love the Nano range in our Living collection - its super simple, easy to live with but gives a real urban design edge to any room. I also love our Artisan range - simplistic, beautiful colours, creating a timeless heritage - these tiles will stand any test of time.        Q. Which tile range did you enjoy designing the most? A. The Living range was a joy to design as it was one of the first ranges we developed on our new state of the art digital printer and it’s been a huge success for us. It was great to experiment with a new way of producing tiles and we had lots of fun photographing the new designs in our on-site photographic studio. It’s amazing that I’m able to be part of the whole lifecycle of a products’ development, including seeing the tiles in customer project photos shared on Social Media Q. How does it make you feel when you see pictures of the tiles you've designed in people’s homes? A. It brings me so much joy! I also love to see how people use our tiles, how they are styled and how much pleasure they bring the end user. Q. What challenges do you face when bringing a tile design to life? A. One of the main challenges is making it exciting as well as possible to create in our factory. Our Exeter based production site is unique with a combination of state of the art technology and beautiful antiquated machines that are very loved. It’s important as a designer to be aware of the boundaries our machinery might have as well as trying to achieve something different. We have a wonderful team that are incredibly passionate about what they do and have a brilliant amount of technical knowledge. Q. What advice would you give to those looking to create fabulous tiled focal points in their home? A. To be bold! As I mentioned earlier ceramic tiles are much more trend-led now and there’s plenty of choice. I think it’s always best to have that focal point in a place that is quite visible. Think behind the bath, behind the cooker, make a feature of that walk-in shower. Tiles can add texture, colour and ultimately create atmosphere within a room Q. What’s the best thing about being a designer and working at Original Style? A. The ability to design products that are exciting, trend-led and to work in UK manufacturing - something I’m proud of every day Read more...

The beauty of Victorian Floor Tiles rarely ceases to amaze us, but when we came across this extraordinary project by Cherie Lee Interiors - an interior design consultancy based in Hertfordshire and London - we were truly wowed. The awe inspiring design is utterly sensational and we were eager to delve into the mastermind behind this beautiful interior scheme. Upon approaching Cherie, we were keen to find out a little bit more about her business and her projects whilst investigating her thoughts on Victorian Floor Tiles and why she chose to integrate them into this beautiful home; Q. Can you provide us with some background into Cherie Lee Interiors? A. We’re well-known for blending classic, period features with contemporary, modern styling. We’ve established an impressive portfolio of listed and conservation buildings across the Home Counties and London but work with a broad spectrum of properties, including new build and commercial premises. I like to ensure that each property designed reflects the personality and lifestyle of the client, focusing on how the space will be used and what is required from it. Our hard work results in luxurious and stunning properties, but also homes that are functional and meet the exact needs of the client. My team and I favour an approachable and relaxed design environment as this allows clients to be honest and upfront about their requirements. We lead all initial design enquiries with an in depth consultation which will then follow on with implementing the scheme to exacting standards, to an agreed budget and timeframe. Q. Who is the Cherie Lee Interiors client? A. The CLI client is passionate about their home and lifestyle.  They are often high achievers and want their home environment to work for them. They have an understated sense of style but an appreciation for luxury and high quality design. Q. Do clients request Victorian Floor Tiles or is it you who pitches them? What kind of properties benefit from VFT installations? A. At CLI we have a real passion for period homes. We therefore try to ensure that the floors we specify for a property have a sense of age to them. This applies to both timber floors and tiles. The Victorian Floor Tiles allow us to make a bold statement but that is very much in keeping with the properties that we work on. This, in turn, gives the flexibility to incorporate more contemporary features, such as lighting, without feeling that we are losing the character of the home. Q. Would you say there are any specific interior design trends that could be highlighted for 2020? Is there anything that you could pinpoint in the tile world? A. Interior trends can be great but, ultimately, we favour home designs that either solve an issue within the property or will stand the test of time. For example, we enjoy using Crittall-style screens internally within the home. This is not because they’re necessarily trend related, but because they allow us to improve sociability of space, flow of light and create the illusion of larger, more open plan spaces, without sacrificing the ability to shut areas off. This trend has allowed us create beautiful homes. It is a bonus for us that the understated, slightly industrial look appeals to us too! Q. Do you re-use the same, known brands across various projects, even if they are very different in style? A. I think there is a lot to be said for working with brands that you know and trust. If we and a client have received good service from a brand, it reflects well on all parties and makes life so much easier. The same or similar products can be used and paired in so many different ways and the overall look and feel created can be completely different. Therefore, using a supplier more than once is not a concern for us. Q. Are clients and their preferences different depending on which part of the country they live in? A. I would say that the preferences of the client do vary depending on the area that their property is situated, but also the age of the home. We are always cautious not to impose a style on a home that is not in keeping with it. For example, traditional Georgian or Victorian features in an entirely new build home.  It is important that the architecture of the home and the internal style work together. In terms of location, a period home in a rural setting often favours a more laid back, casual approach to the home aesthetic. Whereas London based properties tend to have more formality to them. It really is a case of being led by the property and its surroundings. Q. What would you say to your younger self before embarking on the exciting journey of establishing your own design studio? Would you have done anything differently? A. I wish I had started a career in design earlier! I was a Lawyer in the City until 2012 and although this has given me lots of valuable skills, such as researching, attention to detail, ability to work a strict deadline etc. doing something that you enjoy and feel lucky to do every day is the best feeling! To see more projects by Cherie Lee Interiors, take a look at their website Read more...