In recent years, we’ve witnessed the mushrooming (if you’ll excuse the expression) of cooking shows, online recipes and social media tutorials. With such an explosion of enthusiasm for cookery, it’s no wonder the kitchen is taking centre stage in people’s home design considerations.

But whether in professional or home kitchen design projects, ceramic tiles continue to be a material of choice, since it offers distinct benefits: hygiene, durability, health and sustainability, easy maintenance and appealing aesthetics. The first of these is easy to understand – the smooth, dense structure of glazed tiles is inhospitable to bacteria and mould. It follows, then, that these surfaces are easy to clean and disinfect, so they’re a trusted material in spaces where hygiene is of the utmost importance.

Once kitchen tiles are installed, the home chef hardly has to think about them again. There are no recurrent sealing applications or tricky maintenance procedures – simply wipe up the Napolitana splashes and move on.

Choosing the right hardness of tile ensures that kitchen floors can handle dropped implements and the heavy traffic of the busiest professional kitchen. Glazed ceramic and porcelain’s natural qualities ensure the tile surface remains scratch and stain-free. What’s more, since tiles are fired in kilns at over 1 400 degrees Celsius, you can be sure of their excellent fireproof characteristics.

Their inert physical properties have more safety benefits, too. The raw materials that make up the bodies of ceramic tiles are simply natural clay, so there’s no danger of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, as found in some synthetic products. And ecologically speaking, ceramic tiles are a responsible choice, since they’re long lasting. The end of their lifespan usually comes about because of a kitchen remodelling, rather than product wear-out, and at that point they can return to the earth without any damage to the environment.

Finally, there are the aesthetic considerations. The phenomenal range of styles now available means you can achieve virtually anything you’ve pinned to your Pinterest page. A case in point: leading local manufacturer Ceramic Industries. For vintage-inspired design, they offer multiple options on classic Cementine-look tiles. For example, their Vintage Cementine tile puts a modern, monochrome spin on a classic bistro look. It’s also easier than ever to achieve a luxurious marble look in kitchens, with options like Ceramic Industries’ Andalusia. Or break with tradition entirely with novel designs like Onda Bianco.

Ceramic tiles have always been a go-to choice for kitchen design, for practical reasons of hygiene and durability. And with Ceramic Industries manufacturing locally, there are high-design, high-quality options for the kitchen, with none of the supply-chain – or price – difficulties of imports.