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Thanks to the rise and rise of Scandinavian inspired decor in recent years, the monochrome trend has yet to decrease in popularity. Although black/dark grey flooring may seem quite daunting and severe at first, it really can provide a perfect platform to create your monochrome home, working from the ground up. When paired with the right decor, it can create an absolutely stunning contrast, creating a dynamic and modern design without making your house look dark and dreary. 

 
To give you a few ideas of how to make dark flooring work for you, we've highlighted some inspiration below from our own range, and other homeware stores we love! 
 

All White Everything

 The obvious choice for brightening up a room with dark flooring is to fill it with bright walls and tons of white homeware pieces, in order to create a striking contrast. There's plenty of modern, white furniture on the market at the moment, in sleek shapes and unusual designs, so you should have no trouble finding the perfect pieces to fit your space.
 
White Fern
The quirky branch style bookcase is from Dwell, and this cool, rounded coffee table is from Lakeland.
 
Slatestone
To achieve a stunning contrast with a natural finish, opt for a black tiles such as those in our Stoneware Slate range.

Grey Tones

If you're worried that stark black and white could be too bold for you, that doesn't mean that you can't  find ways to tone down the look to make it work for you. By combining a black and white base with lots of grey tones in your furnishings and accessories, you can easily soften the look by bringing in more tones. This way you can stick to the colour palette without making it too restrictive or uniform (unless uniformity is what you're after).
Grey Sofa
We love this 50's style 3 seater sofa from Swoon Editions
Grey Accessories
This minimal two tone vase is from Dunelm, and this shabby chic mirror is from Hand Crafted Mirrors (Not on the High Street)

Mixed Materials

To add more colour and dimension to your space without being too flashy and distracting from the overall impact, you can simply add a mix of materials to your space, as is demonstrated below in this image of our Monza tiles.
 
To offset our Monza tiles, the designer has used used a mix of metallic and wooden materials with hints of colour, against plain white walls.
 
Scrapwood 07 -
This shabby wood effect wallpaper from Wallpaper from the 70's, works brilliantly in a monochrome space, playing on the industrial trend at the same time.
 
Clock and Lamp
This wooden clock from Calvers and Suvdal  is a great example of minimal, Scandinavian style, while this copper lamp from Heal's also plays on the metallic/industrial trend, while adding subtle warmth to a cool-toned space.
 
For more home design inspiration, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest

2015 will soon be over, and so it's time to look forward to the coming year and make some predictions for the trends that will be dominating the world of home design in 2016. Whether you're looking to revamp your home in the new year, or incorporate some subtle changes to give tired decoration a shake up, this list should give you some ideas for adding some on-trend additions to your home.

 

Natural Materials 

Whether it's marble, wood, stone or minerals, these Pinterest-friendly materials are sure to gain even more popularity in 2016. 
 
This minimal clock from MADE is a subtle and chic way to invest in the marble trend, while these stunning Agate coasters from West Elm offer a luxurious yet practical home solution. 
 

Mixed Metals 

While our passion for copper and brass accessories is set to continue in 2016, we should also see a rise in the use of mix metals. This could work by displaying a selection of metal items in a mix-and-match fashion, or by selecting pieces which combine metal touches in their pattern and design. 
 
metal home accessories
 
These copper edge mirrors from Cox & Cox add subtle dimension to a standard mirror, by adding a hint of colour and rounded edges. These metallic vases by Coral and Bone blend a variety of metallic tones to produce a lovely marbled finish.

Brining Nature Indoors

Plants not only work well with the natural material trend, but also add a touch of colour and homeliness to your space. The best part is that they are also good for your health, as they help to improve the quality of the air in your home.
 
modern home planters
 
These planters from Rose and Grey are a great way to display vines, ferns and other plants, while also adding elements of the metallic trend to the design. To display plants on tables, shelves and other units, these geometric planters from Hope and Willow provide a bright, fresh addition to any surface.
 
For more home design inspiration and to see images of our lovely products, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest

Our porcelain paving products are designed to help our customers get the best from their homes, offering a range of stunning colours and textures to add a new dimension to any room. At Christmas, we realize that many of you want your homes to have that extra special something, in order to create the ultimate vibe of festive homeliness. Whether you're trying to channel the cosiness of a fireside Victorian Christmas, or the rustic meets modern aesthetic of Scandinavian chic, we have some great ideas that will help you make the most of your living space this holiday season.

 

1. Beautiful, Fluffy Rugs

Nothing says winter quite like seeing the streets lined with people in big, fluffy coats, and the same goes for your indoor space too! A cosy, shaggy rug can add touch of winter homeliness to your floor in seconds, while also remaining beautifully modern and stylish.
 
grey shaggy rug
 
We really like the texture and colour of this one from TheRugSeller, and we think it would look great with our Alpine Oak Natural wood effect tiles.
 

2. Minimal Christmas Trees 

Forget big, green pine trees, the new essential for the modern home at Christmas are these lovely, minimal designs. Whether you prefer the winter-touched twig effect or rustic wood arrangements, there are some lovely ones to choose from on the market at the moment, from both big brands and individual sellers.
 
twig treewood Christmas tree
 

We love this beautiful grey twig, light-up tree and these adorable oak designs, both from Notonthehighstreet. We think that either of them would perfectly compliment our bright Italian Limestone Ivory tiles, as well as the lovely muted grey of our Italian Limestone Mushroom paving.

3. Golden, Glamorous Candles 
Candles add instant warmth and Christmas cheer to any room, but some of the ones on sale right now are just too beautiful and luxurious to burn! Whether or not you end up lighting them, Christmas candles are an excellent way to transform any space into a welcoming, winter wonderland.

 
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Prima Candles     
 
This pair of glittering, golden candles from John Lewis would look great by the fireside, and would make a fabulous addition to your  Christmas dinner table. They're ideal for the person who loves the glitzy, party aspects of the season, and would match perfectly with some of our warmer tiles such as our Italian Limestone Honey paving.
 
To view our full selection of porcelain tiles click here, or browse the rest of our blog for more great home improvement ideas!