Tiles and pavers are quite literally the foundation of our best and brightest hospitality spots.

A brief history

The term "tile" has its roots in the Latin word "tegula," which signifies "to cover," while "ceramic" originates from the Ancient Greek word "kéramos," meaning "potter's earth."

In the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C., early tiles were primarily employed to safeguard and shield structures. Skilled craftsmen produced exceptionally resilient tile bricks by subjecting clay to intense heat. These bricks were utilized to cover the exteriors of buildings, providing protection against adverse weather and other harsh elements.

A paver refers to a stone, tile, brick, or concrete-like object commonly used for outdoor flooring. Concrete pavers are produced in a factory by pouring a mixture of concrete and colouring agent into a mould of various shapes and allowing it to solidify. These pavers are typically placed on top of a foundation composed of compacted stone and sand. The desired pattern is created by arranging the pavers, and the gaps between them are filled with polymeric sand. Apart from edging, pavers rely on their own weight rather than adhesive or retaining methods. They are versatile and can be used for constructing roads, driveways, patios, walkways, and other outdoor surfaces.

While there are many considerations when designing projects in the hospitality sector, the tiling and paving is not always hugely thought-out. Often the salient object of a room or space, architects and suppliers work hand in hand to produce outstanding outcomes on behalf of the clientele.

In this article, we will run you through several our favoured suppliers, their similarities, and differences, as well as several projects and accompanying pictures to provide context.

Same but different

In terms of tiles and paving options, there are some similarities, but a lot of unique differences. Materials offered by the suppliers listed – concrete, tiles, crazy paving, pavers, and bricks – outline the list of differences, but a focus on durability, customisation and suitability for hospitality settings unite each of the brands.

The Stag Bar

Beaumont Tiles' Rubix White Gloss Mosaic at The Stag Bar.

While Holcim and Anston both specialise in durable outdoor products, the former utilises concrete as a versatile material, which results in an array of bespoke shapes and forms able to be created. Holcim is additionally quick to note that its Geostone and ECOPact ranges possess thermal mass and acoustic benefits, which are a major positive for specifiers.

Anston’s locally crafted range is specifically engineered for pedestal use and therefore the outdoors. The company’s products have been implemented in a wide range of contexts including outdoor dining and entertaining spaces, balconies, terraces, pools, and gardens. The bespoke nature of the company and the way they craft their products ensures an in-built safety mesh for pedestrian protection, which is only achievable in a manmade product. Some 25 colours can be further customised to suit design styles and aesthetics, with bespoke options made available for designers.

Paving goes crazy

Crazy paving is the process of piecing together broken stone with mortar. This process is repeated to produce each of Haus Collective’s wide range of pavers, which include travertine, limestone, bluestone, porphyry, and European schist. Ease of use and availability makes crazy paving a major trend of European design, as well as its Mediterranean flavour. Customisation and a wide range are a given for all suppliers, with Haus Collective quick to note its ability to produce colour schemes rarely amongst the catalogues of various suppliers.

Beaumont is big on aesthetics. Slabs, subways, mosaics, and patterned tiles are made available to architects and designers on request, with the aesthetic qualities of their range a ready-made solution for hospitality spaces. Product Specialist Michelle Kearney has a personal favourite above all others.

“I was pushed to pick just one favourite, I would have to say Beaumont’s Slab Tiles,” she says.

“The large format size of our slabs brings breathtaking beauty, with so many different applications available. Nothing beats the drama of a slab feature wall and for effortless beauty, the use of slabs on floors is unbeatable.”

The slabs Kearney speaks of are mould and mildew free, allergy free and pet friendly, as well as being water resistant. The slabs are often utilised around fireplaces in hospitality venues, to further the sense of warmth.

Haus Collective Avorio Limestone

Haus Collective's Avorio Limestone paver.

Welcome to the Stone Age

Advanced manufacturing is a common feature amongst the suppliers listed here, but Stoneworks’ exposed aggregate concrete products have benefitted from the innovation of the brand from its old Boral days. Proud of its past and aware of its future, Stoneworks pair world-class manufacturing and personnel skillsets to create premium architectural pavers available in four surface finish options and ten colours.

Stoneworks’ tiles have been adopted for both indoor and outdoor hospitality settings, including plazas, retail/dining precincts, hotels, and public esplanades, highlighting their versatility. Locally sourced, locally manufactured, and subsequently low waste, the Stoneworks range is backed by over a century of history.

Firing at high temperatures since its inception 130 years ago, Australian boutique brickmaker Little Hampton prioritises durability, inherently linked to sustainability. The white-hot temps reached to create their products ensure that the tiles can withstand high traffic environments for well beyond their perceived use by date, or even for wood fires and ovens. The vintage manufacturing methods of the brickmaker do not extend into its catalogue, offering a range of modern and timeless solutions.

Tessellated Tile Factory offers a range of unglazed, fully vitrified porcelain tiles in various colours and shapes, emphasising customization options with 21 shapes and nearly as many colours. The unglazed tiles are brilliantly suitable for high-traffic hospitality applications, with the 2015-established factory able to produce both small individual collaborations and large commercial productions.

It's all in a name for Alternative Surfaces, who’s X-Bond Microcement product is a system of cementitious overlays, which are remarkably crafted by hand. With a thickness of 3mm, it can be skillfully trowelled over an existing substrate, transforming any surface into a stunning concrete-like finish, resulting in an unwavering sense of grandeur within hospitality spaces.

A selection of our favourite projects

While there is a suite of different projects to choose from that underpin the excellence of the supplier’s we’ve mentioned, we can only pick a few.

Beaumont’s very own Tiles Studio, located in Norwood, South Australia (SA), features a striking Grand Atlantis White Silk wall upon entry, providing a stunning visual on entrance for visitors. The wall is enhanced further by the Ignite White Speckled in vertical lay which lines the countertop and horizontal lay behind it. The iconic Adelaide Hotel was the beneficiary of a Beaumont-led refresh, with the company’s Rubix White Gloss mosaic creating a brilliant feature for The Stag Bar with its striking geometric patterns in contrast to the black stone.

Still in SA, Tessellated Tile Factory supplied the tiles for the lap pool at Hotel Indigo’s Adelaide Markets offering. Sat at the bottom of the award-winning swimming pool, in the hotel rooms and lifts, the Tile Factory worked closely alongside Loucas Zahos Architects, who required a custom design. The company even devised a plan to deliver the tiles in such a way that a non-specialised contractor could do so, creating sheeted products to speed up the integration process.

Little Hampton’s catalogue is seen amongst several high-profile venues, including Taronga Zoo and even Disneyland Shanghai. Catering across the entire market, the company’s products have been utilised by wineries and hospitality venues, underlining the aesthetic and durable qualities the pavers possess.

Alternative Surfaces’ X-Bond range was specified to heighten the restaurant experience at Melbourne’s Society. The eatery’s spaces are eclectic and fascinating for the patronage, with the company’s specialised X-Bond offering enhancing the space.

Alt Surfaces Russell & George

Alt Surfaces' tiles at Russell & George.

Anston recently teamed up with Carr to assist in the delivery of United Places Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, which offers a truly boutique and intimate hotel stay which intersects with the comfort of home life.

Overlooking Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens, each of the 12 suites comprise private balconies laid with Anston’s Vega pavers, which further the minimalist palette created by the practice. Well-known and highly respected Architectural luminary Glenn Murcutt has previously specified Anston’s products for MPavilion 2019, with its Ironstone Range Bone selected for the flooring of the pavilion, blending in with the overall white aesthetic while providing subtle design complexity via an exposed quartz and stone finish.

While there are a vast number of differences and advantages that each supplier offers, the underpinning similarity is that tiles and pavers present the opportunity for architects and designers to go above and beyond when looking to enhance the overall quality of the hospitality spaces they are looking to design.

Suppliers

Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers

National Masonry (Stoneworks)

Tessellated Tile Factory

Jarrod Reedie

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