Another month of Summer has passed, and we are that much closer to yet a new season. Time just keeps flying by! As we move forward, it’s always smart (and fun) to look into the past and see how far we’ve come. That inspired me to look into some of the classics, like one of my favorite lines and companies to work with: Original Style.
Original Style holds headquarters in the UK, producing tiles in Exeter and Devon since 1986.
Original Style was initially set up to develop tile sets for the cast iron fireplaces produced by sister company Stovax. However it soon became apparent that tiles were being used for more than just fireplaces, particularly in America, where they begin appearing on the walls in the luxury bathrooms of Hollywood stars! So a range of authentic Victorian designs were created on thinner tiles more suited to walls.
As Original Style began to expand their range, a Victorian floor tile collection was developed to complement the ever-popular wall tile range in the 90’s. The production department was expanded and in-house glazing and hand-painting sections set up. North America became such an important marketplace that they opened a distribution center in Boston.
In 1997 they acquired The Winchester Tile Company, to add a range of hand crafted, transparent glazed tiles and moldings to our burgeoning product portfolio.
Original Style continued to grow in the 2000’s by offering new ranges of products such as natural stone, glass and mosaics to their customers in a number of countries around the world. Their skilled workforce continue to produce quantities of ceramic tiles and moldings to a consistently high finish thanks to meticulous quality control and the use of the latest tile production technology.
In 2010, they acquired and relaunched the Dorset Woolliscroft floor tile collection.
These slip resistant floor tiles offer exceptional performance and safety standards for industrial, commercial, residential and leisure installations.
In 2015 they opened yet another showroom, this time in Cheltenham It has a distinctive and high quality offering to suit all budgets. There, a 26 foot long color wall contains more than 1000 samples from all ranges, allowing you to find the perfect shade.
You can now choose from large collections of glass, ceramic and porcelain wall and floor tiles in traditional sizes and large formats, mosaics made from materials ranging from shell, stone, glass, metal, even wood and bamboo. The latest ink-jet technology means that some of our porcelain floor tile designs accurately resemble cement, wood and stone.
Come by the Matt Clark Tile & Stone showroom to see these lines and more of what this incredible company offers! Thanks for reading and on behalf of the whole Matt Clark Tile & Stone, have a wonderful day!
