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Glassworks @ BJ Mullen

Glass Tiles

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Elegant Glass Tiles

A to Z of tiles: G is for glass tiles
Glass is one of the most practical tile materials that you can use in your home. Glossy, reflective, easy to clean – what’s not to love? It comes in a range of shapes, sizes and formats, so here’s some tips for what you should consider when choosing your glass tiles.


Traditional or contemporary style?

What’s the style of your home or room and, perhaps more crucially, what style do you want to create? Glass is often associated with modern spaces thanks to its glossy and reflective surface, but certain types of glass look great in classic spaces, too. Contemporary rooms lend themselves to large format shapes in any hue that takes your fancy. Teamed with sleek, handleless kitchen cabinets, you can create the stylish kitchen you’ve always dreamed of.

In a traditional home, if you still want the wipe-clean benefits of glass tiles, consider choosing a frosted finish. Or take a look at some of our glass mosaics – gorgeous shapes in warm colours (such as Cora, shown top) look beautiful in a country kitchen or classic bathroom setting.

Which shape of tile should you choose?

Your choices are all but endless when it comes to glass tiles – from large format tiles to flat bricks, metro bricks, hexagon mosaics, round mosaics and more. Some shapes are better suited to certain styles of home – large format tiles look more contemporary than smaller, bevelled brick tiles so may be a better fit for a contemporary home. Ultimately, follow your instincts and select the shape that speaks to your own personal tastes as you’re less likely to tire of a style that you truly love. But don’t forget to let your head have a say too…

Practically perfect

One of the most important (but admittedly less exciting) aspects of choosing your tiles is to ensure that they suit your lifestyle. Glass is incredibly easy to clean thanks to its glossy surface, but grout still needs attention. Bear this in mind if you’re leaning towards glass mosaics; whilst the tiles themselves will be wipe-clean, the grout may need the occasional scrub to keep it looking fresh, especially if it’s used as a splashback behind a hob as this area is prone to cooking splashes.

Large format glass tiles are an excellent choice for those of us who prefer a low maintenance lifestyle. Fewer grout lines means less cleaning commitments, leaving more time to admire your décor!

Pop in to BJ Mullen for our full range of Glass Tiles.

 

Tileworks @ BJ Mullen

Tileworks

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Tileworks Collection

Introducing over 60 new Tileworks products
BJ Mullen are delighted to announce the launch of more than 60 new ceramic and porcelain products in the Tileworks range.

This range, which already includes a large selection of contemporary tiles for walls and floors, has received a number of brand new additions as well as extensions to existing products to provide a more comprehensive offering.

Some of the new products include:

  • Oxide – these contemporary planks feature a subtle metallic effect. Whilst they have a contemporary semi-polished finish, they also have a rusted edge effect. This plays into the current trend for industrial interiors and provides a pleasing juxtaposition. They work well in shabby chic interiors.

Blog 1

  • Marmi Unici, Marmi Classico and Magnum – marble effect tiles in a range of grey hues offering an alternative to the usual bright white. Ink-jet printed for a realistic effect, these come in planks of up to 28 variations which means a pattern is not built and the overall effect is realistic.

Marmi Classico Noir

  • Bricks – individual matt glazed porcelain brick tiles in five colours, designed to look and feel like traditional bricks. The Rosato, Mattone and Fumo colours have been specially selected to match the shade of bricks used in British homes and the long, thin shape offers a contemporary feel.
  • Studio Wave – textured porcelain wall tiles featuring a subtle undulating effect which looks its best when lit at an angle. Soft colours means the waved surface draws the eye.

textured structure

Extensions to existing products include Bianco Panazetto Natural. Made from ceramic, this is a lighter and thinner version of an existing tile, chosen to aid more convenient installation. Metal Effect linear mosaics have been added to an existing product range, providing a more comprehensive offering for a uniform finish on walls and floors.

For the full Tileworks range, project advice, tools and accessories, call down to BJ Mullen where one of our team will be happy to assist you.

Heritage Baths

Victorian Bathroom

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Tiling a Victorian Bathroom

There are many ways you can recreate the style of the traditional Victorian bathroom whilst also enjoying the conveniences of 21st century plumbing, sanitary ware, heating and lighting.

Take flooring: our Victorian Floor tiles are the most obvious choice for a hard wearing surface that is also soft to the touch for bare feet. As well as being suitable for use with underfloor heating, authentic patterns from the Victorian era will certainly look the part. We have plenty of options too, from a simple checkerboard to complex designs incorporating decorated tiles. Add a deep claw foot bath for extra authenticity!

Walls: our Artworks collection of decorative tiles includes faithful reproductions of Victorian designs, and panels by famous artists of the day and pretty floral tiles and borders. There are also nearly 30 traditional colours of tiles and mouldings, all with high gloss reflective glazes. Colours range from Brilliant White to Jet Black, Burgundy, Victorian Green and Windsor Blue, all colours that would have graced those luxurious bathrooms in the Victorian era.

Call into BJ Mullen and let our friendly staff help you choose a look thats right for you.

Outdoor Tiles

Outdoor Tiles

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The Great Outdoors

The garden is now considered to be a room which just happens to be on the outside of the house, and many of us have garden rooms, conservatories, patios and decks which bridge the space between inside and out. Obviously thought has to be given to safety as well as practical and aesthetic issues so slip resistance is important. Here are a few examples of outdoor tiles ideas for your own patch of the great outdoors:
  • Enhance the kerb appeal of Victorian and Edwardian style houses with paths and patios that co-ordinate or complement interior tiling with Victorian Floor Tiles

Floor Tiles

  • Decorate walls and floors with Odyssey Primo or Grande tiling and carry the theme through onto a terrace

Patio Tiles Patio Tiles

  • For a more contemporary style, wood effect planking will give a seamless look from inside to out

Wood Effect Tiles Wood Effect Tiles Wood Effect Tiles

For more inspiration, call into BJ Mullen and speak to one of our staff.  We’ll be happy to help you make the most of your great outdoors, just in time for summer.

Hexagonal Mosaic

Hexagonal Tiles

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The shape of things to come

The shape of things to come

This month sees another new product launch – our fresh new Mosaics Summer Collection, with over 30 lines now added to one of our most popular ranges. The Collection includes appealing new textures, materials, shapes (such as hexagonal tiles)  and colours to enhance our existing extensive range of mosaics for walls and floors.

Mosaics are probably the most versatile of all tiling formats: small pieces of glass / stone / shell / ceramic / porcelain / metal (or a combination of all or any of these) are all held together on the reverse side, usually by a mesh backing (some have a film or paper facing).

The advantages of the mosaic sheet are:

  • they can be easily cut into strips for using as a border or an accent
  • are forgiving on less than perfect surfaces
  • can even be used on curves (not something you can do with an ordinary tile)

If you haven’t tiled with mosaics before, then fear not – they can be fixed in the same way as ceramic or porcelain tiles with adhesive and grout and sometimes so much easier!

So with this in mind, if you are looking for something a little different for your next project you’ll find plenty of choice in our Mosaics ranges, whether it’s a mosaic for a border or a feature panel, for a splashback or as a backdrop. Here’s a selection of some of the new products with a few ideas of how they can be incorporated in your designs.

Taking shape

Etal

It’s easy to see why the hexagon is so favoured by interior designers, with its eye catching and harmonious structure. Four of the five hexagonal glass mosaics in the new Collection are subtly textured with colours ranging from pale to dark, all with a touch of iridescence. Interlocked in combination (as with Voni and Genau) or stand-alone, these hexagons all provide a refreshing alternative to squares and rectangles.

You can ring the changes with other interesting shapes as well, such as the penny rounds of Tavo, Enaze and Cora and the wavy form of Ares, Hades, Theia and Eos.

All these organic shapes work well alongside natural (or natural-effect) materials such as wood, stone and metals.

Naturally beautiful

Gold Pearl

Mosaics made from mother of pearl shell consistently top the list of customer favourites and now we’ve added three more colour options: Gold Pearl, Mother of Pearl Light and Dark. All our shell mosaics have a subtle shimmer that changes under different lighting, providing a luxurious background in your home.

As with all the mosaics in the new Summer Collection, those mentioned above are all suitable for bathrooms, showers and kitchens – but why stop there? Walls in bedrooms, dressing rooms, cloakrooms and living areas can all be transformed with a judiciously placed border, a panel of contrasting colour or texture, a tiled alcove or full feature wall.

The full Original Style collection is available in-store at BJ Mullen.

Traditional Style from Original Style

Traditional Style from Original Style

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Whilst there has been a definite move towards very contemporary interiors over the last few years, traditional styles remain in favour – particularly amongst those who are restoring a period property and want to remain true to its style.

The Artworks range is typical of this, and manufactured using traditional techniques. Textured mouldings and decorative pieces are hand poured, hand trimmed, hand painted or glazed using traditional methods to produce a truly unique finish.

Some of the more decorative, Art Nouveau styles remain very popular and look beautiful adoring a traditional Victorian fireplace, or when used to create a sense of grandeur. Do this by adding details that force you to look again – such as mouldings or skirting pieces to add polish and that all important finishing touch.

Bathroom

Whilst its roots are firmly traditional, it’s perfectly possible to use the tiles in the collection in a contemporary environment. All of the colours in the collection are rich and luxurious, so can add a great deal of beauty to any space. As in the above example, using Jade Breeze field tiles with a Jet Black moulding,  have created a calming and attractive space that is contemporary despite the prevalence of traditional hues. You can see the subtle variation between the glazes on each tile which is a result of the way they are manufactured. It gives every one a uniqueness that can’t be found in mass produced tiles.

These tiles, and the many other colours that they are available in, look beautiful when combined with geometric Victorian floors, or even on their own. If decorative tiles aren’t what you’re looking for, take a look at the range of hues within this collection, as you might be surprised by what you find!  The full range of Original Style can be found in store.