Aquarelle Tiles: Putting the 'Grand' in Grand Designs

When we were approached by Natasha Cargill, we were taken in by her fantastic story. She was building an eco-friendly home in the heart of Norfolk. The project was called Springfield House, and had captured the attention of Channel 4's flagship architectural show, Grand Designs.

The design was based on the idea of two periscopes rising out of the ground. It would be an incredibly stylish wooden-skinned addition to the local landscape; with an incredible eco rating. We were wowed by the original concept art the architect had put together. When Natasha told us that she needed a helping hand with tiles for the bathroom and kitchen, we knew we had to help out.

We gave her the pick of our entire website. She narrowed it down to brick-shaped tiles and quickly came back with two choices; Blanco Gloss Rhian Tiles for the kitchen, and Aquarelle Tiles. We sent these out ASAP, with a tub of our versatile Kwik Grip Ice White Wall Tile Adhesive. Her tiler got to work putting the finishing touches on Springfield House's kitchen and bathroom areas.

The day of Kevin McCloud's visit soon came, and Natasha gave him the grand tour of her wonderful new home. Kevin was very impressed by the finished effect in the bathroom, where he stood for a few minutes - talking about the eco shower unit. We were able to get a fantastic view of the Aquarelle Tiles, fixed in place on the walls behind the sink, throughout the shower, and around the back of the bath. You could really see their subtle variations in shade - a brilliant effect that really brings a wall space to life.

Kevin McCloud and Natasha Cargill discuss Springfield House's eco shower system, surrounded by our stylish Aquarelle Tiles. As you can see, they look great when used against a white background.

Kevin McCloud tests out the eco shower system. The water sprays out over our Aquarelle Tiles. Unlike some tiles, Aquarelle Tiles are fine to use in a shower area - as long as you use a waterproof adhesive and grout.

AquarelleTiles are very easy to cut - perfect for navigating around fixtures and fittings, such as the one above, in the Springfield House bathroom. We have a great range of manual tile cutters to choose from.

See how the Aquarelle Tiles tie together the different areas of the bathroom - effortlessly merging the basin space into the shower and bath areas.

A close-up shot of the shower running in Natasha's stylish new bathroom. This eco-friendly shower head uses a fraction of water a regular shower head would!

When tiling a wall, always measure the width and find the centreline. If you tile from this centreline, it ensures that you have perfect symmetry at the edges, when it comes to your cut pieces!

The subtle shade variation between tiles, along with the hypnotic colour of these Aquarelle Tiles, allows for a calming, relaxing effect - perfect for bath-time! Light some scented candles, get out the bubble-bath, twists those taps, lay back and relax!

The completed kitchen of Springfield House. Just above the work surfaces, you can see a skim of Gloss Blanco White Tiles, from our collection of 30x10 Rhian Tiles. It runs the whole way around the kitchen - acting as a sleek and stylish splashback.

Kevin McCloud has a sit-down in the Springfield House Kitchen. Over his shoulder, you can see our White Rhian Tiles - filling the wall space between the worktop and over-head cupboards. White in colour, they act as the perfect back-drop for the room.

Natasha has since been in touch to tell us how happy she is with the finished effect of the tiles. We're very glad we have helped contribute to this fantastic Grand Design!