09.03.22

The Emilceramica Sixty tiles on the floor and backsplash bring texture and colour into this open plan kitchen and dining.

Forced indoors by the pandemic? You might be one of many who picked up unbeknownst cooking or baking skills! If you’re using more of your kitchen, you must know how important it is to have a space that is easy to maintain. This is where tiles come in. Quality tiles are durable, water-resistant and a cinch to clean; more and more tiles now also come with anti-bacterial properties which inhibit the growth of micro-organisms on the surface. The latest tiles will also impress you with their innovative evolved designs, giving designers and homeowners plenty of creative range and kitchen bragging rights. We’ve rounded up some of the most impressive new products available from RICE, for your kitchen walls, floors and countertops. Check them out below!

Decorative Walls 

We tend to think of tiles as individual pixels of pattern, but these new designs show that the whole is indeed greater than the parts. Repeated on a large surface, some patterns create mesmerising geometric graphics, some seamless wall murals. These tiles give you the effect of wallcoverings, a material you could never use in a space of high moisture and heat such as the kitchen.

One tile, many creative outcomes. The two kitchen walls pictured above feature the same Decoro Tratto hexagon-shaped tile of the concrete-inspired Ragno Stratford collection. The repetition of tiles with different-coloured grouting combine to create dynamic visuals that seem to go on forever. They come in one design but with eight colours, with plain versions to mix-and-match with. 

Cook alongside nature with a soothing botanical wall. The Ragno Stratford Pannello Jap Clay tile comes in 120cm by 120cm slabs and can be joined for a seamless floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall mural. 

Just Texture

Instead of prints for your kitchen walls, subtle texture also works to create a visually attractive space. Texture can come with embossed surfaces, handmade artisanal-style finishes, glossy tiles for reflective effects, or interesting laying patterns.

The Mutina Punto collection by the Bouroullec brothers finds its best expression on large surfaces, such as this kitchen backsplash which features the Punto Up Matt Green tile of raised dots. The long and slender kit-kat tiles, which come as five tiles making up a 4cm by 31.5cm mesh, provide clean and modern proportions. Mutina Punto is available in one size, and five colours in matte and glossy finishes.

The cute herringbone pattern of this kitchen backsplash gives the wall further tactility in the sunlit space, in addition to the concrete-inspired qualities of the Ragno Stratford Mosaico White tile. The tiles come in 30cm by 30cm sheets, in four neutral hues of Beige, Clay, White and Grey.

Based on the materiality of earth, the Ragno Stratford collection includes two embossed patterns, one being the Struttura Crochet 3D White tile featured above. The delicate lace-inspired pattern of the tile gives a contemporary feminine vibe.

Magic happens when light hits the Ragno Gleeze tiles, which have an iridescent shell-like shimmer. Bianco 5cm by 15cm tiles clad the wall behind the stove and on the chimney of this kitchen, helping it appear larger thanks to their glossy reflective surface. Ragno Gleeze tiles are available in various shapes, sizes, colours and decorative patterns.

Counter Proposals

Tiles bring texture and design to your bespoke islands and countertops, and can tie-in perfectly with the surface finishes on your walls and floors, too. Many tile collections have a large range of designs in the same colourways, so you can select materials from the same collection for multiple surfaces, knowing that they will all go perfectly together.

Cladding the custom-built island countertop of this kitchen with glossy tiles helps visually minimise the heft of the standalone structure. The Minibrick Lux Sabbia tiles of the Emilceramica Sixty collection comes in a 5cm by 15cm size which makes them good for compact applications. As part of the much larger Sixty collection, the tiles have a family of other tiles that are also used here on the floor and wall.

This pretty-in-pink kitchen comes courtesy of the Mutina Punto tiles in matte Rose with sunken dots. The collection was designed by the Bouroullec brothers for vertical applications only, and comes as five tiles on a 4cm by 31.5cm mesh, with large raised or sunken dots. The five colours available each project a different personality, with Brun (brown) and Vert (green) as the bolder shades and Blanc (white), Gris (grey) and Rose (pink), the calmer hues.

The Ragno Gleeze Giada Struttura Eye tiles on the side of this countertop is stunning, with its jade-like tonal variations and leaf-shaped embossed patterns. Its design gives prominence to the counter and makes it a focal point of the space. In the background, Gleeze Giada and Bianco tiles in a 5cm by 15cm size clad the wall for a continuity of pattern.

Floored for Choice

Flooring makes up the largest part of the kitchen surface, and while it might not get the most eyeballs, the right flooring will pull the look of your space together. This explains why stone- and timber-inspired tiles are popular, as well as the neutral shades of concrete-inspired tiles, with subtle patterning so that the base is versatile enough to accommodate various kitchen design concepts. Lighter colours are also recommended for kitchens, as spills, grease and dirt can be easily spotted and promptly cleaned to prevent accidents and also pests.

The earthy tones of this kitchen conjure up the rusticity of traditional European cook spaces but with clean modern lines. The warm tones of the Cerdomus Element stone-inspired tiles in Brown, on the floor in a 60cm by 120cm size, give it a cosy feel. The porcelain stoneware tiles of the Element collection were engineered to bring the mineral-rich quality of Alpine stone to indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Cerdomus Element stone-inspired tile in White on the floor of this kitchen brings the subtle patterning and soft colouration of Alpine stone into the space, for a gentle contrast with the darker shelving. The tiles can be used outdoors too, for an extension of the space into a patio or balcony. Element is available in six natural hues, four sizes and in a variety of decorative elements.

The patterned tiles of the Panaria Opificio 22/a concrete-inspired collection start from the ceiling of this kitchen, and seem to flow down the wall of the backsplash to the floor to create a tile ‘rug’ which fades off into the flooring. Taking up the mid-section of the space, this patchwork-like decoration creates a grand sense of symmetry and history.

Concrete surfaces shed their raw gritty image in the concrete-inspired tiles of Ragno Stratford, which express the material as soft matte surfaces with a slightly uneven surface. A flooring of 120cm by 120cm Stratford tiles in Grey flows through the dining and kitchen spaces of this home, providing a neutral canvas that accompanies the delicate tones of the walls and furnishings.

Visits to riceLAB are strictly by appointment only and limited to four people per group. We encourage guests to make their tile selections online at www.rice-fields.com before coming down to minimise their time spent at riceLAB. Make an appointment by emailing us here or by calling 6692 1199. riceLAB is at 213 Henderson Road 01.03 Singapore 159553. RICE is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 6pm.

Get the European tiles you love at great prices! Browse the Tile Me You Love RICE range on our website in the Materials tab, using the filter Tell Me You Love RICE.

Keywords 
Ragno Stratford, Mutina Punto, Ragno Gleeze, Emilceramica Sixty, Cerdomus Element, stone-inspired, concrete-inspired, kitchen, floral tiles, embossed tiles, textured tiles, decorative tiles,