Styling Your Tiles with Heritage by Dulux

Harriet Goodacre

May 04, 2021

Renovating your home is an important reflection of who you are and should be designed to encompass what makes you happy and content in a space you can call your own. Whether you’re redesigning a kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, the room should appeal to your sense of self and comfort.

When designing an entire room from scratch, it can be a little difficult to find the right balance of your favourite things. In this blog post, we show you how to use colour from the new paint range Heritage by Dulux. We’ll take you on a colour journey to help you discover how to decorate your next project.

Introducing Heritage by Dulux

This extraordinary paint range from the global super brand Dulux is the perfect excuse to redecorate your home. It balances a traditional matt chalky finish with modern wipeable technology whilst retaining its top-quality finish with an on-trend colour palette.

More expensive ‘high end’ paint brands have built an identity around these muted, vintage inspired hues but haven’t tapped into the amazing technology synonymous with the Dulux brand. The paint glides on, transforming your space in only a couple of coats, and most importantly, it lasts.

The range includes some stunning colours, from shades of whites to bold greens, they all have a tinge of antiquity to them without being pigeon-holed as traditional, country, or twee. There is a contemporary feel to the Velvet Matt finish and their eggshell equivalent isn’t too shiny either.

Getting Started

When embarking on a project, you need to build a concept around one item, this could create a theme, a colour palette or even just a feeling but it will help create a common element to bring harmony to your space. If you’re looking for a redesign that will last you a few years, create your design around the item that is either hardest to change or most timeless.

For a kitchen or bathroom, we’d always recommend starting with your tiles and working the design around them. You’re going to be making an investment and looking at them every day, you need to make sure you love them!

To make it a little easier, we’ve categorised some key examples below and how you can work a colour palette together for some inspiration. We look at classic marble, bold hues, pretty patterns, elegant neutrals, and traditional flooring.

Classic Marble

Marble has been popular for a few years now for surface coverings, whether that be wall or floor tiles or worktops. It’s a great base material to work from, especially a white toned marble, as it acts like a blank canvas that you can dress up or down over time.

Carrara is a traditional white based marble with intricate grey veining, adding an element of luxury into any space. The honed version of this natural stone tile has a contemporary twist on a classic, giving you the clean white canvas without the overtly glossy finish.

To work with a more contemporary scheme, a colour palette of warm neutrals would work best, particularly if you’re using brass, gold, or matt black fixtures. Various shades of grey, mixed with a muted taupe, plaster pink and a stunning dark aubergine bring the scheme to life whilst keeping the look clean and timeless. We love these colours paired with Crittal style fittings, a dramatic bathtub, and an elegant walk in shower.

Carrara Honed Marble . Heritage by Dulux shades (from top to bottom): Beachcomb Grey, Forest Grey, Pebble Grey, Potters Pink, Dark Aubergine, Romney Wool.

Bold Hues

Using colour can be a little scary but if you choose colours you love and that suit the light of your chosen room, rather than what’s on trend, then it’s much more likely you’ll love it for longer.

If you’re opting for a bold base colour, like the Matrix Collection’s Heritage Blue, the tile will speak for itself. So rather than compete for its attention, the surrounding colour palette should complement the bold hue.

We love the warmth of brushed golds, deep terracotta browns and red-based whites to make the oceanic blue zing. Burnished brass fixings would add to the look but if you’re steering clear of a rustic finish, ensure the other elements in the room are sleek and modern using clean lines.

Matrix Collection. Heritage by Dulux (from top to bottom): Linnet White, Rope Ladder, Chalk White, Masters Gold, Brushed Gold, Pewter Plate.

If you enjoy a relaxing night-time pamper in your bathroom then a sanctuary, spa-like feel is essential for some added ambience. To create a calming cocooning effect, a multi-faceted tile like Zellica in Liquorice is a brilliant choice. The rustic yet supremely glossy finish to the tile gives the colour depth allowing you to play more with complementary colours. If you look carefully in different lights, the black shades into subtle tones of chocolatey brown and bottle green.

Keep the look soft with warm whites, brown-beiges, and reddy-browns. We love this look paired with a soft wood effect floor tile. A curved ended bath, a sleek shower screen and minimal storage will keep the space looking contemporary.

Zellica Liquorice. Dulux by Heritage (from top to bottom): Piano White, Green Marl, Pale Walnut, Cherry Truffle, Masters Gold, Roman White.

Pretty Pattern

The definition of pattern is a little blurry, it can mean the obvious floral print but also a cool geometric line or a herringbone laying pattern. Pattern is what you make it, whether it’s by material or colour, you can use pattern to really change the proportions of your room to the naked eye, particularly useful if you’ve got an awkward space to work with.

An en-suite shower room, especially one with a sloping ceiling can be a challenge but by using a geometric inspired tile like Flute you can create height and width whilst retaining a cool, on-trend vibe.

Terracotta is very much of the moment; however, the neutral base tone of Flute means it still feels timeless and therefore has that all-important longevity. It’s in the complementary eggshell paint where the fun begins. Create a subtle but playful contrast by using a soft, deep pink and rosey-sand hue as the main feature and accent the walls and rest of the room with shades of warm neutrals. A set of fluffy towels in a tone akin to ‘Ancient Sandstone’ is an absolute winner.

Create height in your room by tiling the Flute decor tile in a vertical linear pattern, you can do a border style feature or create a full-on statement with the whole wall. If you’re looking to create both height and width, opt for a horizontal herringbone instead.

Flute Terracotta. Heritage by Dulux (top to bottom): Candle Cream, Ancient Sandstone, Powder Colour, DH Blossom, Red Sand, Cherry Truffle.

Elegant Neutrals

An easy way to ensure longevity in your tiled space is by using neutral tones, if done properly they can still pack a punch and add interest to a space.

A modern approach to neutrals is to use a slight hint of colour like a very soft beige, a plaster-like pink or a cool toned sage. In this instance we’re looking at the beautiful crackled detail of Astrea Sage.

Harmonious colours like a green slate and forest grey will help add depth your neutrals but by adding in contrasting light tones of pink into the mix, you create interest. A darker accent colour like black will retain a contemporary feel however, a true black in this instance would be too stark, play with a deep berry tone to accompany the playful pinks. Dress your kitchen with open shelving filled with elegant glassware to really showcase your neutral palette. Complementary stoneware plates and dishes will further elevate your look.

Astrea Sage shown with Amazone Grey. Heritage by Dulux (from top to bottom): Potters Pink, DH Blossom, Green Slate, Forest Grey, Wild Blackberry, Turtledove Grey.

If you’re working with a busy area of the home, like a kitchen floor, then a typical grey stone effect tile will work wonders in hiding dirt, grime, and pet hair. We love the simple variation in Devon, a rustic edged porcelain tile. Its matt finish helps to mimic a limestone floor creating a great base for a modern country aesthetic.

To help create this modern country vibe, differing tones of grey with hints of greens and chocolate are ideal with painted woods or stripped back pine. Mixing metals and streamlined glassware will add the modern into your country scheme but we wouldn’t say no to a bit of gingham somewhere!

Devon Grey. Heritage by Dulux (from top to bottom): Cherry Truffle, Romney Wool, Jenny Wren, DH Slate, Stone Green, Roman White.

Traditional Flooring

Wood effect floor tiles are the perfect solution to creating a warm but practical household. For a classic finish, opt for a parquet style pattern in a darker stained wood with muted warm paint colours.

Decorating a period house can be tricky, especially if you want to remain true to the property style whilst adding your own stamp on it. For a Victorian style property create a homage to the era with a traditional black and white chequer floor, our favourite is Newbury from the Victorian Flooring range.

As you’ve created a monochromatic base, you can now add layers of colours as you wish. Add some wood panelling to your walls in classic hues of beige or grey, paint wood banisters in a blue-black or even create a colour pop ceiling with the use of a paint rail to divide wall and ceiling. This is a great trick if you’ve got high ceilings that make the room feel colder.

Newbury Black, Heritage by Dulux (from top to bottom): Flax Seed, Pebble Grey, Stone Green, Inca Orange, Chiltern White, Ravens Flight.

Heritage from Dulux is a durable/wipeable emulsion so can be used in kitchens and bathrooms. For areas subject to very frequent heavy condensation Dulux Trade Diamond Eggshell is more suitable.

Want to see the full Heritage colour range or colours featured in this blog in roomset inspiration you can head to the Dulux website. Want to see the Heritage range in action? See our Brand Communication Manager’s living room transformation from dark blue to serene cream.

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