Delivering Modern Luxury at Home with Tile America
The devil is in the details, a saying that rings especially true for anyone who has taken on a home renovation project. But with technology at our fingertips today, many of us now have the ability to see our house dreams become a reality before the first hammer is ever swung. Custom plans can now be created with any style, materials, and build-outs implemented, making the worry of “will it work” a thing of the past. We sat down with Lana Camera and Cailin Cerruto of Tile America to talk more about the technology that’s available to aspiring home remodelers and what hot trends to keep an eye on for kitchens and bathrooms.
Tile America has been providing award-winning design services for 50 years. Tell us a bit about how you distinguish yourselves.
At Tile America we are all about tile and stone. We don’t have carpeting or other flooring products, we focus exclusively on that one category. Tile America is a niche player in all things tile. We are trained professionals and experts in the field that will guide you through the entire process starting with the design all the way through expert installation. We curate a collection of the most current trends from all around the world. For every piece in our two million dollars worth of inventory throughout Connecticut, our top designers select and prequalify the selection to make the collection uniquely our own.
We hear that Tile America customers can start projects right from home. Can you please tell us a little bit about your online design services?
We offer a variety of online design tools and resources to simplify your home renovation. You can start by exploring our website for inspiration, or by using our Visualizer tool that allows you to see tile selections right on your floor. We also offer scheduled appointments where you will be assigned a professional Design Consultant that will guide you every step of the way. Whether it be via phone, email, text, or video, you will receive expert advice right from the comfort of your home. We can share photos, give you a tour of the showroom, order samples, and place your order without you even having to leave your house.
There is so much that goes into installing tile into your home. What would you say the most important part is?
The most important part, by far, is proper subflooring. The subfloor has to be adequate and installed properly or down the road you are going to have installation failures that have nothing to do with the tile. People think if they get a cracked tile that it’s cheap or defective but it generally has to do with what is going on underneath. In addition to subflooring, the number one installation failure is a leaky shower. Waterproofing is a crucial step in any installation and we have exclusive products here, especially for showers, to keep your install in great condition.
What trends are really standing out today?
Color, color, color, especially blues! Blues are everywhere in the design world. Specifically, in tile, we are using them as accent walls, entire blue floors, and just creating pops of colors anywhere. It’s any color really. We find that people are looking for a neutral color background with that pop. It adds a bit of personalization and a sense of comfort as opposed to the sterile environments that we have seen in the past ten years with just white and gray tones.
Are there any new and up and coming products that we should keep an eye out for?
A favorite product right now is one called “Bambusa.” Bambusa is an Italian porcelain tile collection that offers tranquil zen designs with inspiration from bamboo. Though it looks like a soft, legitimate bamboo floor, it is actually porcelain with commercial durability. You can get that soothing look of a bamboo floor and use it in an office building, bathroom, anywhere really whether commercial or residential.
You have seven showrooms in Connecticut, one of which is here in the Design District of West Hartford. What do you love about the area?
The town of West Hartford is so spread out, it has such a large footprint. But in the Design District, there are dozens of independent home businesses within one square mile. It’s like having a mile long design center! You can knock several items off your list just walking down New Park Avenue. It’s convenience paired with the expertise from specialty businesses all in one location that goes unreplicated. As a member, it’s great to be able to partner with your neighbor. You are able to build up relationships, provide recommendations and feel confident in referrals. So many design centers that are out there cannot possibly be experts in every single category. But when you enter into the Design District of West Hartford you are getting the tile expert, the cabinet expert, the shower expert – all this great specialty advice straight from professionals that have been doing this for their entire lives.
As a 50-year-old Connecticut based family business, Tile America has always been dedicated to exceeding customers’ expectations with custom tile, stone, and everything that goes with it! Learn more about Tile America and all that they have to offer at www.tileamerica.com