Though encaustic and tessellated patterned floors dominated late Victorian and Federation domestic, commercial and civic architecture, it was not the only type of floor covering on offer for heavy traffic areas. Mosaic floors, fabricated from the same material as the tessellated componentry - vitrified porcelain, became increasingly popular for pathways and verandahs as well as bathrooms.

Major civic and commercial projects, such as the Block Arcade in Melbourne, employed porcelain mosaic floors. The reasons are not hard to understand: mosaic floors were lightweight and easier to install, therefore cheaper to install. The predominantly white floors, accented with black, blue, brick red or multi-coloured patterns appeared brighter, cleaner and more hygienic in the small, poorly lit bathrooms of the period.

Though not small, a spectacular all white bathroom can be found at Werribee Park Mansion in Victoria. The large, dazzlingly bright room, with white porcelain, hexagonal mosaics on the floor and 150x75mm and 150x150mm gloss white wall tiles, has an undeniably modern feel to it despite the period details. Also, for all their many positive qualities, tessellated floors have a finite compositional character; organic, curvilinear shapes are almost non-existent. What mosaics offered was the ability to respond to the architectural style of a building in a more unified and aesthetically coherent way, especially when that architectural style was Art Nouveau, with its reliance on organic, floral shapes and exaggerated whiplash curves.

As mentioned before, tessellated floors continued to be popular well into the 1930's for the pathways and verandahs of Californian Bungalows, though the patterns were simpler and the colour palette was limited to more earthy tones. However, bathrooms, and in some cases kitchens, continued to employ the hexagonal white mosaics with black or blue contrasting accents on the floor. Also popular throughout the 1920's was a form known as "tapestry mosaic" - 1 inch x 2 inch speckled porcelain mosaics in shades of ochre, buff, brick and tobacco brown.

This type of mosaic seems to have completely fallen out of favour in recent years." OETA's "Classic Range" of porcelain mosaics takes its inspiration from this period (1880's-1930's) and allows you to restore or refurbish your home in an authentic and elegant fashion. You don't have to have a period home. The Classic Range is equally suited to contemporary environments, including pools, flat or curved walls, and commercial and retail projects.

The Classic Range is lightweight, easy to install, inexpensive and for commercial projects can be customised to your specific requirements. Colours show are computer generated, they should not be taken as true colours. Diagrams are not to scale.