Words by Shantinie Murphy from Lot Seventy-Nine
When it came to choosing tiles for my home in 2015, I spent hours in the Concept Tiles‘ showroom. Their staff were so patient and helpful and I am still thrilled with how my kitchen and bathrooms turned out. Now that I am embarking on another build, I was excited to take a look again and see what new tiles were in store.
The type of tile you choose will help set the tone for the rest of your interior styling choices, so I wanted to get it right. I have distinct memories of multiple visits to Concept Tiles during my home build. I was that person who insisted on staying until closing time and then changing my choices at 4:58pm – but I was never made to feel this was a problem.
Concept Tiles’ extensive showroom is located on the corner of Pechey and James streets. Inside are dozens of displays and most importantly, friendly staff who will be patient with you while you agonise over tile choices.
We caught up with Meryl Manteufel, who, along with her husband Mark and their team, keep the store buzzing and coffee flowing. We talked about their store, sourcing new products and current tile trends.
The Store
Meryl and Mark Manteufel have operated Concept Tiles with their team of dedicated staff for four years. Their background in building homes places them in good stead to help with the process from start to finish. They’re busy not only lending their expert opinion to help you choose the right tiles for you, but sourcing and styling new products, and working hard to make sure your order gets out on time. When it comes to choosing her team, Meryl says, “they have to love what they do, love design, and love the latest trends.”
Meryl says it’s definitely a family business, with their daughter-in-law Emma acting as their marketing guru and helping them grow their social media audience.
“She’s very creative and has a real flair for what she does. She’s really very much getting involved with marketing and blogging,” she says.
They see Facebook and Instagram as an integral part of how they communicate with customers. Their feeds are a stream of design trends and inspo any design junkie would lust after.
Sourcing Products
Sourcing is half the fun and Meryl is always on the lookout for new trends and products – as is her team of talented and creative sales consultants.
“We have quite a large range of suppliers that we deal with and we are always investigating new ideas,” she says.
And being part of the Concept Tiles Group means they have exclusive access to products that aren’t available anywhere else.
Tile Trends
New technology within the tiling industry has paved the way for new styles, as has shows like The Block, which encourage creativity and show consumers new ideas.
Images of natural materials like timber, marble and concrete can now be digitally placed onto ceramic tiles. It’s allowed these on-trend looks to be cost effective and accessible to the every day consumer. Even tiles that look like carpet are an emerging trend.
Meryl says that long timber tiles have really taken off.
“It’s a great substitute for vinyl planks,” she says. “And bigger format tiles are really starting to come into play.” We think larger size tiles look great on floors and walls.
There’s a major international tile expo in Italy every year and Meryl says tile trends very much come from Italy and Europe to Australia.
“The latest Italian trend is terrazzo tiles,” she says. This mosaic-style tile is a composite of marble chips, glass or other materials that are laid on a concrete surface and polished until smooth. It’s great because you can use both inside and outside, and it’s functional as well as decorative.
You can visit Meryl and Mark at Concept Tiles Toowoomba Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. Be sure to get your design inspo from them on Facebook and Instagram.
And follow me on Instagram and lotseventynine.com for more style, beautiful products, and places.
My Tile Tips
- Choose your grout colour when making your tile selections. The grout colour can make a huge difference to the overall look of your tiles. Ask to look at some grout samples while choosing your tiles.
- Go for larger tiles, it looks sleek and means less grout to clean! A great size is 450 x 450 or 600 x 300.
- Decide if you want to use a ‘soft edge’ or ‘rectified edge’. Rectified edges have a smaller grout line but are more expensive to lay. Don’t be afraid to ask which tiles are which, like I did.
