What's Your Style?

Style is such an individual thing. True style is when you take a look and make it your own. Interpretation is everything, and that’s where your beautiful personality comes into play. But finding and recognising your style isn’t always easy. At Italtile, we keep it simple, in order for you to find the style that suits you, without wading through an endless list of terminology. Industrial, Loft Living, French Country, Italian, English Country, Mediterranean, Scandinavian, South African Vernacular, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Fin de Siecle, Traditionalist, Minimalist, Contemporary, Transitional, Bohemian, Shabby Chic, Rustic. Have we lost you yet? Of course… it’s bewildering.

But fear not, if you stick to our four basic looks, you’ll work out pretty quickly which one most resonates with you, and what sort of materials, finishes and trends you can incorporate into your mood boards to achieve your signature style.

CLASSIC STYLE

Modern Classic Style takes its cues from Classical Greek Architecture, which is all about formal symmetry, columns, height, volume and dimension. The Modern Classic decorator loves antiques, Persian rugs, art, sculpture, vases full of fresh flowers, elegance and comfort.  Colour palettes will be warm and rich, with black and white, stripes, marble, columns, double volume ceilings, floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors, ornate fireplaces, architectural mouldings and chandeliers. Classic style is calm, ordered, and deluxe, with no room for chaos. There’s depth, layering, pattern, and a sense of dimensionality, with curves, textures and architectural moulding. Surfaces are waxed and polished, and the materials used are high quality: silk, brocade, velvet, and rare woods.

To get the look, we’ve suggested a few of our timeless classics:

Give your bathroom Classic elegance with the Victoria and Albert Pembroke Gloss White Freestanding Bath and the Victoria and Albert Pembroke Gloss White Undermount Basin. For real vintage style, there’s our magnificent Victorian-styled Cotto Classique White Wall Hung Basin with Pedestal. Choose taps from the Sofi range, and add some classic details with Heritage Accessories by Dominus. Try a fresh take on classic marble opulence with Carrara Hexagonal Inkjet Recycled Glass Mosaics, or go full Classical with our exquisite Large Black Hexagon with White Inset matt Porcelain Mosaic

URBAN STYLE

You’re a city-liver or a city-lover. You’d fit right into The Big Apple. You’re drawn to loft living, warehouse conversions, and uplifted industrial spaces; you’re all about cosmopolitan style and connection to the city buzz. The spirited Urban design melds the best of deluxe contemporary, modern, and industrial influences for an inspiring and timeless approach to decor. A home that welcomes you after a long, hard day at the grindstone. The urban style will often feature revealed bricks, exposed copper pipes and raw cement, but with softer and more relaxed cues than the hard-edged Industrial style. Urban living gathers a mesmerizing mix of chic highlights from different eras and brings them together to curate a light, bright, witty and cheerful lifestyle with the statement-making appeal.

Consider these Urban style cues :

Wood-look luxury vinyl flooring by Moda Vinile, the interesting and calming soft clay tones of Ritual Sand, the smoky, mottled variances of screed with the Magnum range, or the fascinating sparkle and movement of terrazzo, remastered by Ceramica Sant’Agostino in their NewDeco Grey Matt Glazed Porcelain Tile.

NATURAL STYLE

Bringing nature into the home is nothing new. For generations, humans have loved the natural and organic appeal of elements that make them feel calm, at peace and above all welcomed into a space. Natural style creates a connectedness to the Earth, and in the 21^st Century, our growing awareness of Earth’s dwindling resources means we examine the journeys of the items we invest in more carefully. A Natural mood board includes fabrics like cotton, wool and linen, woven materials like jute, coir and seagrass, and organic textures like ceramic dishes and pottery vases. The Natural home is full of plants, and cues that show your adherence to recycling and repurposing. Your eco-chic interior design borrows elements from Scandinavian simplicity. The natural look encompasses everything you need and nothing you don’t. It has a clean, fresh, scrubbed innocence that is very appealing.

Natural inspiration: Let’s take you Into the Woods with our incredible range of LiveGreen wood look tiles. Our particular favourite is ColorArt Desert by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which gives an evocative sense of bleached, reclaimed timber. Create a feature wall with the delicious, leaf-green Morrocotto Grass Ceramic Brick Tile.

Natural living is eco-aware living, and the Almar Chrome Square Multi Function Spin Stainless Steel Shower Head is absolutely on point for beautifully green, Waterwise living!

MODERN STYLE

This is a sleek, deceptively simple, innovative and future-facing aesthetic. Shape and space are the key influencers here, no matter the size of the home. In fact, the small modern apartment is the greatest test of space maximisation. It’s uncluttered and has ingenious storage ideas. Modern is monochromatic, but pops of colour add emphasis. Of course, uncluttered doesn’t mean dull, empty space. Far from it. Just like the no-makeup makeup trend, a minimalist, clean design is not easy to achieve and requires professional guidance.

Modern Minimalism means quality over quantity and ultimate luxury. It features clean lines, simple colour palettes and the use of materials that can include metal, glass, stone and steel. Modern design employs a sense of simplicity in every element, including furniture. Often confused with Contemporary style, today's Modern style is based on a design movement that was birthed around the turn of the 20th century. Modern style furnishings and decor celebrate natural materials, neutral colours, and the elimination of unnecessary, ‘fussy’ detailing.

Here’s some exciting inspo for Modern living:

Clean cut, sparkling white Roccia Bianco Natural Stone Cladding, Klif Silver Matt Glazed Porcelain stone-look tiles, the minimalism of the three-dimensional Code White Matt Glazed Ceramic Wall Tile, and Laufen’s immaculate Kartell White Basin, more modern art installation than bathroom basin, with its slim, ultra-modern edges and deceptive simplicity, created from SaphirKeramik, a revolutionary substance that marries engineered ceramics and sapphire-hard minerals.

Of course, once you’re au fait with the four basic styles, you can get a little mixy-matchy to suit your personality (e.g. bringing nature into a classic home) but our advice is – when in doubt, speak to our design-certified sales consultants, or hop on to our YouTube channel and tune in to design and décor diva, Melanie Ewing of Chapters Interiors. Melanie is an internationally renowned interior designer with masses of experience under her belt, who really brings the world of style to life in an easy and accessible way.

Have you tried using our super-useful ‘changing room’ tool? Italtile’s Visualiser helps you assess your looks and products online before you buy. (To really get scale and size, work off your laptop.)

We’re Bringing Beautiful Back: Whether you identify as a Modernist, an Urbanist, a Naturalist or a Classicist, take advantage of our luxury sale, now.

Finally, once you chose your luxury items - in-store or online – remember that your investment pieces deserve the very best treatment: find out about our Professional Installation Service. Italtile Installation Teams are qualified to install our tiles, trims, showers, baths, basins, sanware, sinks and accessories. All professionals are background checked, including criminal record screening, certificates and ID documentation.

Our last word on the subject is this: Every style has a spectrum, and you may be ‘very very’, or ‘just slightly’. With our guidance, we can help you make your style sing in a way that brings harmony and happiness into your life.

Live beautifully!

Ciao.