Spring has arrived at last and it’s time to start thinking about summer and alfresco living. New Zealanders love outdoor living and blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor areas. At present, strengthening connections between interior and exterior spaces is achieved through architectural gestures such as the expansive use of glass, wide opening doorways, large covered outdoor decks, and all-weather patios with glorious outdoor fireplaces. Sometimes with similar surface treatments, sometimes with quite contrasting ones. Interior areas bring the outdoors in, through the use of biophilic design elements such as the extensive use of greenery, the use of natural materials such as wood or stone — or products that replicate them, botanical designs, earthy colours and patterns.

But what if the line between indoors and out could be even further blurred by flooring that not only flows seamlessly from interior to exterior areas, but also extends to pool surrounds and paved landscape areas?

The Tile Depot currently has two collections of tiles — Stone Valley and Travertition, that bring all the aesthetic and technological benefits of interior porcelain flooring, to all areas of the outdoors.

Each colourway comes in an interior 600 x 600mm matt porcelain that can be laid on both floors and walls, with a matching outdoor anti-slip tile. They also come in matching 2cm-thick porcelain pavers that can be dry laid throughout outdoor areas like any traditional landscape paver. The porcelain pavers can be used on elevated deck jack systems and adhered to solid substrates. In addition, a 300 x 600mm rounded bullnose paver is available, perfect for step edges and pool copings. The rounded edges give a very classy and elegant finishing detail to these areas.

These complete sets really expand the ability to flow seamlessly between interior and exterior areas with an identical flooring treatment and create attractive and incredibly durable hardscape areas. Porcelain pavers have many benefits over traditional unsealed concrete and stone pavers, they don’t require sealing, they are resistant to staining and abrasion, have highly slip resistant surfaces and won’t support the growth of moss, mould or mildew. They also bring greater design and colour options to landscaped areas.

The Tile Depot has a wide range of outdoor antislip and 2cm-thick porcelain pavers to choose from, many of which have a matching interior tile option. What makes the Travertition and Stone Valley collections a bit more special is the complete set of beautiful porcelain options that enable homeowners to unite their interiors with all areas of their outdoor living, right to the bottom of the garden.

For further information contact: [email protected]