Tessellated borders are not just pretty; they serve a couple of important functions.
In old houses it is common to have walls that are not exactly parallel or at 90 degree angles to each other. Because of this a tessellated pattern that extends from wall to wall will appear to be crooked. To avoid this optical illusion AND to disguise the fact that the walls are not true a border is used, but set several centimetres from the wall. The space remaining is then tiled with a 'filler' tile - a plain tile, the colour of which is usually determined by the dominant colour of the pattern.
Take a walk along any inner-city suburban street (of Sydney or Melbourne) and you are bound to see house after house with a tessellated path and/or verandah - including a border. The border pattern may be elaborate or simple (the Norwood pattern being the most popular for Victorian, Federation or California Bungalows). In the majority of cases the colours of the border are determined by the colours of the main tessellated area, nevertheless the border pattern manages to stand out. It is a dramatic change from the rest of the floor pattern; it acts to contain the flow of the main floor and it brings a different energy to the floor. The Balmain and the Bristol patterns are particularly good examples of this.
The OETA range of tessellated floor and border patterns is available from our showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne. OETA uses the World renowned Winckelmans tiles. Winckelmans fully vitrified porcelain tiles and mosaics are extremely durable, resistant to frost, scratching, moisture absorption, acid and impact. They are rated well above the recommended professional standards and norms. The tiles in this collection are suitable for wet and dry environments, inside and out.
To see photos of tessellated floors see our Gallery-Verandahs, Gallery-Paths, Gallery-Commercial and Hospitality, Gallery-Bathrooms or see our images of verandah and pathways being transformed into works of art Gallery-Verandah and Path Transformations.
See Tessellated Borders collection
Purchase from our showrooms only.