Design Moods – Classical to Modern

Another design trend we’ve read about recently is using colour to create a mood in your home. At EMC, we offer tiles in a kaleidoscope of colours to help you customise your living space – whether you need a haven of peace and quiet in your bathroom or an upbeat tempo in your kitchen. We believe ceramic tiles provide an excellent opportunity to set different moods in different rooms, which can either match or contrast other colours and accessories.

With the bathroom becoming an ever more important part of our lives, there is also a move towards larger bathrooms that are the ultimate haven in our busy schedules. To create a beautiful space in which to unwind, EMC’s designer range of tiles from Versace are just the job. In a range of subtle colours and effects, these multi-sized tiles are suitable for the floor and walls and available in a range of ‘series’ designed to transform a room into a classical palace, roman bath or sleek modernist statement.

Each Versace range includes complementary tiles to create an entire scheme, incorporating design elements such as frescos, borders and even art within the tiles themselves. For a preview of this magical world, visit our showroom in Loughborough or Nottingham or call for more details on 0115 9770 155

A Tile With The Look Of Antique Wood Thanks To Digital Technology

A stunning new product has raised the look-alike theme to a new level, with a tile that looks and feels like a luxurious carved and hand-crafted wooden floor.

The success of ceramic look-alike tiles goes from
strength to strength in emulating wood finishes.

The fabulous Vintage series from a leading Spanish manufacture offers a range of finishes from geometric antique cross inlay patterns to straight plank designs.

These wonderful tiles are faithful reproductions of real carved woods. They are produced in hardwearing glazed porcelain using the latest digital technology to create an effect that looks indistinguishable from the real thing.

They are a new arrival at East Midlands Ceramic, the region’s leading tile supplier, which is always in the forefront when it comes to bringing tile buyers all the most recent innovations and developments in the tile world.

EMC Tiles managing director, Barry Slawson said: “The levels of sophistication these look alike tiles are now achieving is astonishing.  Just when you thought they couldn't get any better – along come a new product which raises the standard even higher.

“This range will appeal to a wide variety of tile buyers – from commercial designers to domestic customers looking for something extra special.

“The beautiful antique geometric pattern is ideal for bars, restaurants and hotels wanting to make a lasting impression. It creates a floor with all the warmth and attractive looks of a seasoned wood floor – but with all the hard-wearing and resilient qualities of ceramic tile. It really does offer the best of both worlds.

“Add under tile heating and you have the ultimate floor for making your customers and clients feel instantly at home.

“Domestic buyers too will love the look and feel of the straight plank look – which creates a genuinely viable alternative to an expensive parquet floor. The designs can be used inside or out – making them perfect for conservatories and patios – or even for a special feature in a garden.

“The beauty of ceramic tile look-a-likes is in their hard-wearing qualities. Unlike real wood, they need minimal maintenance, they are highly resistant to damage and wear and they will look as good in ten or twenty years’ time as they did the day they were fitted.”

HITTING THE DECK WITH A CERAMIC TILE WOOD LOOK-ALIKE

Ceramic tile wood-lookalike garden decking is a fabulous new product which is about to revolutionise the ever-popular garden deck.

Rapid advances in ceramic tile technology have produced an astonishingly accurate reproduction of real wood decking. It is easy to lay and looks just like the real thing – but this decking will stand up to everything the weather and heavy garden use can throw at it – without losing any of its attractive finish.

Pictures: Fabulous ceramic tile wood look-alike decking is

about to revolutionise the traditional garden deck

Garden decking is a fashionable feature of modern gardens – but traditional wooden decking demands almost constant attention to keep it in peak condition.

The ceramic tile alternative will look just as good as it did the day you laid it – even after several years of constant use.

It’s made of tough, resilient porcelain and at a glance is indistinguishable from real wood. Although not strictly a floor tile the decking does fulfil the role as it is designed to be used underfoot.

It’s one of the latest ceramic tile products to have arrived at Nottingham-based East Midlands Ceramics, the region’s leading ceramic tile supplier.

EMC Tiles managing director, Barry Slawson said: “These new wood look-alike decking tiles from the Spanish manufacturer Cinca, are perfect for all applications where you may want to use wooden decking.

“But the advantages are numerous. They will never rot, unlike timber they don’t need regular weatherproofing treatment to keep them in peak condition, they will resist heavy usage, they won’t be damaged by staining or sparks or embers from a barbeque and they will look great all year round.
“The development of wood look-alike products is taking the ceramic tile industry by storm. They were a prominent feature of the 2012 International Ceramic Tile Exhibition in Bologna. We are all very excited about these innovations – which are giving designers brilliant new opportunities to replace traditional wood products with something more hardwearing – but without any loss of attractiveness. The introduction

of ceramic tile decking is a highly significant breakthrough that will be welcomed by gardeners and home owners who may have been reluctant to invest in a fashionable deck – simply because of the hassles involved in their upkeep.

“Now they can have the best of both worlds –
great looking decking they don’t have to worry about.”

EMC Tiles Plans Ambitious Expansion

EMC Tiles Plans Ambitious Expansion...

and a  new logistics hub

East Midlands Ceramics has acquired 5000 square feet of warehouse space for a new storage and logistics hub, which will be at the at centre of an ambitious expansion plan.

The award winning family-run company plans to open new branches and create jobs.

The new building adjoins EMC Tiles’ existing warehouse and showroom on the Southglade Business Park, Hucknall Road, Nottingham.

Extensive conversion work is planned to turn the former engineering factory into a state-of-the-art distribution centre, servicing the company’s Nottingham and Loughborough outlets, as well as the proposed new branches.

EMC Tiles managing director Barry Slawson said: “We have been looking for a suitable site to increase our storage capacity for some time. The location of the newly acquired building is ideal. We will be able to fully integrate it with our existing operations. We are drawing up plans to transform it into a purpose-built logistical centre to store and distribute stock to branches and customers.”

EMC Tiles won the prestigious 2012 Tile Association Award for Excellence in Independent Retailing and is recognised as one of the UK’s leading regional ceramic tile suppliers, with two thriving East Midlands outlets and growing internet trading site.
The planned expansion is seen as a measure of confidence in the future of the business.
The location of the new branches has yet to be announced and it is not known how many jobs will be created.

The well-established company was founded in 1979 and is the first choice for the region’s commercial and domestic customers.

Barry Slawson said: “We feel the time is right to expand our retailing activities into new areas and discussions are underway regarding potential new locations.
“The new logistics hub will be a vital ingredient in the efficient and economical servicing of all our outlets. We take regular deliveries from all the leading Italian, Spanish and UK manufacturers and this proposed increase in storage capacity will mean we can provide and even better service to all our commercial and domestic customers, with improved stock availability and streamlined delivery.”

ANDREW REACHES 25 YEARS MILESTONE AT... EAST MIDLANDS CERAMICS

Andrew Grundy recently celebrated his 25th year in service with East Midlands Ceramics Ltd.

 

EMC Tiles was formed in 1979 and Andrew started his career with the company in 1987. Originally based at our Mansfield Road showroom in Nottingham he later moved  to the company’s newly developed Southglade Park Flag Ship premises on Hucknall Road Nottingham and went on to play a major part in the sales and distribution growth of the business.


Picture: Andrew being congratulated by Barry Slawson - Company MD 

Andrew says; “Things have certainly changed from those early days. The tile industry has become more professional in what it has to offer, the products have changed, new materials are used for manufacture, fashions have moved on and there is now a lot more emphasis on standards and specifications. All of this has culminated in there being some fantastic products available in today’s market to meet the growing demands of our clients. Certainly East Midlands Ceramics have kept up-to-date with the tile industry innovations, along with achieving major awards within the highly regarded Tile Association which has all helped to create a lively and interesting company to work for. I am pleased to have made many friends between both working colleagues and clients alike. I very much look forward to the challenges ahead”.

 

Barry Slawson, Managing Director EMC Tiles states; “Long service is not unusual within our company, in fact 63% of our 30 staff have achieved between 10 and 30 years with us. We congratulate Andrew and wish him well for continued success in his important role with our company”.

YET ANOTHER ACCOLADE

EMC TILES UP FOR ANOTHER MAJOR BUSINESS AWARD

East Midlands Ceramics Ltd (EMC Tiles) has been nominated for the “Best Small Family Business” award, which is one of the top industry awards in the Midlands, given annually to celebrate ‘the successes of family businesses’.

The Midlands Family Business Awards is a charitable initiative, organised by Nottinghamshire family business The Wilson Organisation. Through the Awards, they aim to create an ethical, supportive and friendly community for the region’s family businesses and are helped hugely in this by their sponsors and supporters, who provide the financial support to help make the awards happen.

Being nominated for “The Beat Small Family Business” award, sponsored by RSA, continues the incredible run of success that EMC Tiles has had over the past few years, and is yet another indication of the company’s commitment to providing an outstanding level of service to retail, trade and commercial customers.

Barry Slawson, Company MD says “providing customers with an unrivalled service is a characteristic embedded in the company. It’s not any one thing that can be attributed to this success; it’s a case of many people, all working toward the common goal of excellence”

To be nominated as one of the final six in “The Best Small Family Business” category, is an honour itself, and both I and our 30 company employees, nine of whom are family members, are delighted to be in with a chance of winning this accolade”

EMC Tiles have been in business since 1979 and over the years, their reputation has continued to grow within the tiling industry, where today, they are recognised as being one of the most respected importers, distributers and retailers of ceramic tiles in the region.

Out of a total of thirty plus employees, nine are family members covering three generations – a true “Family Business”.

TILE SIZE CHOICE

LARGE OR SMALL THERE’S A TILE FOR EVERY DESIGN

 "THE CHOICE IS YOURS"

Tiling projects come in all shapes and sizes – from prestige private swimming pools to modest and homely bathroom and kitchen renovations.

A full-bodied porcelain tile with a slip resistant finish and non-absorbent properties made an ideal material for the pool surround and the lining. Tiles like these are also perfect for many more indoor rooms where they create a hard wearing surface, provide easy maintenance-free characteristics and are perfect with under tile warm floor heating systems.

We have also helped to create award winning designs for customers who want something really special. Our work on a house at Mapperley Top in Nottingham, helped us to win the 2010 award for the Best Use of tile in a Private House. This wonderfully integrated design featured the same floor tile running from the stylish kitchen, through to the conservatory to give a beautiful sense of harmony throughout.

The design which helped us to this year’s final is set in a five bed luxury new-build home, again in a Nottinghamshire village, which features ceramic tiles prominently in the living a recreational areas – as well as the kitchen and bathroom.

“Visitors cannot fail to be impressed by the fabulous entrance area, with highly polished porcelain floor tiles running through into the adjoining living area – to give a brilliantly unifying effect.

It is the third year running that EMC Tiles has been in the TTA honours – a triumph for a local company with just two retail outlets - including the magnificent showroom and warehouse at Hucknall Road in Nottingham. The company also reached this year’s TTA final for Best Use of Tile in a private house – for a stunning new-build luxury home in a Nottinghamshire village, EMC Tiles won in this category in 2010 and was a finalist last year.

EMC Tiles managing director, Barry Slawson said: “It is very satisfying for a family-run company like us to consistently carry off top national awards. We have built this company on the highest principles of quality, customer service and competitive pricing. Looking back on some of our recent projects demonstrates that we are able to deliver customers’ demands on any size of project – without losing that essential personal touch. Ceramic tiles are the heart of every design – whether it is grand or modest. One of our many outstanding projects was for an extension to a 300 year old listed barn, which has been converted into a luxury home in a popular village south of Nottingham. It includes a fabulous swimming pool with an adjoining “wet” area, shower and wet room.

EMC Tiles carried off the award for Excellence in Independent Retailing at the 2012 Tile Association awards – the equivalent of the industry’s “Oscars”.

Stephen, Martyn and Barry Slawson – Company MD (centre) proudly display the
recent Tile Association Award for ‘Excellence in Independent Retailing’

The award has given EMC Tiles' expert staff the perfect opportunity to reflect on the company’s wide and varied portfolio – built up over more than thirty years of giving the tile buying public an unrivalled service supplying tiles, materials and advice for tiling projects large and small.