Tag Archives: tiles

Beautiful ánd sustainable – Mosaic Decocos tiles made from coconut shells!

Posted on April 29, 2015 | Leave a comment

Just as I was looking for a special way to treat two walls in a design for an office, I came across Decocos’ tiles. Little mosaic tiles made from residual waste from the coconut processing industry. The unused shell of the actual nut is sawn into tiny ’tiles’. Both inside and outside can be used and create a spectacular wall feature certain to deliver a wow factor.

Decocos Edge tiles / Foto: Castillo Foto voor Vega Projects

100% ecological and sustainable
Because the shell is normally disposed off as waste, Decocos tiles are truly sustainable. Not only did they find a purpose for the shells, but the production of the tiles creates jobs and income for the local community in Vietnam. Because the source of the tiles, the nut, is so natural, the tiles have the same characteristics as wood. This means none of them are the exact same size of texture, and they often show little imperfections or even the fibres tat are so typical for the shell of the coconut. This actually enhances the natural sensation of the wall and gives it a chique and rich look.

Inside Out Decocos tile / foto: Castillo Foto voor Vega Projects

End Strip Decocos tile

Inside Out Decocos tile in Coral wassing

Caré light Decocos tile

The tiles come in a variety of finishes, textures and can be finished further with various laques or oils. They can even be dyed in several colours from coral to rich purple ti fit every home or interior. Check out decocos.com for more information.

Edge Decocos tile

Bathroom retile. Black and whites

Posted on September 17, 2013 | 1 comment

A last post before I leave for a well deserved trip to Tuscany!

Our bathroom is showing some serious wear and tear. It’s a shame really because it’s not that old. It was installed and tiled in 2007, and looked good for about ten minutes before the tiles started fading. They are big grey slate tiles, and to be honest; I am a bit fed up with those anyway. They were a bit too much of a trend so you now see them in all renovations done between 2006 and 2010. Time for a re-tile it is.

Current bathroom. The floor is not visible, but believe me when I say it looks nothing like the slate on the walls anymore

Current bathroom tiles. They look great on the wall, it’s the floor where the problems start

You can see the faded tiles in the shower. They tick me off each day and it’s just not worth it.

We are leaving the grey slate on the walls, and I am thinking of treating them with an oil finish to make them stand out. For the floor I am either thinking black and white, or just white. Either way, a smaller tile as I think the contrast with the bigger grey slate will look great. Have a look at some of the pictures I collected on my pinterest moodboard. I looked for pictures with a distinct darker colour on the walls to highlight the contrast between the floor and walls.

Love this. It obviously means I’ll have to infuse my bathroom with a few more brocante or antique-ish items, but I guess I could give our bathroom a similar feel. Painting the bathroom rack black or dark grey/blue is a start. Maybe add a small chair?

A clean look, with small white tiles. They are not expensive either. I’d make the seams between the tiles a bit thicker to really show the contrast. And I’d make them dark. This because it would look better, but also because white seams are a nightmare to keep clean

Love this too. Small round tiles, the so-called ‘penny rounds’, found in many American bathrooms from 1940’s and 1950’s. I love how they instantly give character to a bathroom

I also thought of maybe going for a more elaborate floor with a massive contrast effect. But as we are thinking of maybe putting up the house for sale next year, this might not be too great an idea…..

Just look at the floor in this one as the rest is a bit tacky. I do have a thing for marble though….. I bet this would look great with the rugged, dark slate…. But I am dreading even thinking of the final invoice….

What do you reckon I should do?