A glance out of the window will confirm your suspicions: reno season is in full swing. Trees are decking themselves out in lime green. Creepers are festooning walls with trails of blazing pink, royal purple, sunshine yellow and bridal white. Blossom is exploding like tree popcorn. Weavers are frantically getting their houses in order in time for baby season. It’s literally fizzing with fresh starts out there. If it’s turning your thoughts to a little renovation, let’s help you spring into action.

Patio Perfect

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, we start spending more and more time outside. Come Christmas, we’ll be living outdoors and only going inside to sleep! Chapters Interiors CEO and décor maven Melanie Ewing has some excellent advice. To her way of thinking, comfort is key. “Think of all the comforts of your indoor living areas and how you can bring them outdoors,” she says.

“Think large sitting areas with tables and couches, some beautiful outdoor rugs, pergolas to protect you from sun (or rain), and how about a fireplace for cozy evenings.”

Slip-resistant tiles are a must-have and Italtile has arguably the widest range of absolutely top-notch tiles that have been engineered for safety, including their new exclusive ranges of Spanish INOUT tiles. If you love wood looks, Civic INOUT is the range for you. Smooth and soft underfoot – which is remarkable in slip-resistant tiles, usually notable for their slightly rough finish. Civic is available in grey-toned Cenere or bleached White. If you’re thinking of rocking the stone look, take a gander at Rockstone INOUT, in warm Beige and cool, silvery Pearl. Offering the same advanced safety technology, with a unique sugary sparkle that plays beautifully in the sun. The INOUT ranges are made in Spain by our eco-obsessed partners Stylnul, and they’re exclusive to Italtile. They’re hardy and easy to clean. At 1000 x 1000, they are large format tiles.

How about adding some colour and movement to your patio’s base palette with Italtile’s patchwork tiles. Patterns and graphics are the party animals of the décor world and Italtile has a kaleidoscope of options for you to bring on the fiesta. But if we had to choose just one range, it would be Howard Blue. Made in Spain (and no one understands pattern quite like the Spanish) with all that legendary flair built into the design DNA of these fresh, crisp beauties. They are also a sustainable choice. The tile features a soft blue botanical abstract set in a woven blue, white and black geometric frame. Remember when ordering that you’ll get 1.22m² of tile per box.

If you’re going for something a little more au naturel, the 100% eco-chic, 5-star bush lodge style of Italtile’s Natural Stone Cladding is a look that’s as old as time, but, like every brilliant aesthetic, just keeps on coming back onto the trend list. The touches of natural stone you bring into your reno mood board will have you swooning with the flood of mental wellness that nature-inspired design brings.

Get Decking

Wood in all its wonderfulness is the go-to texture for pool decking. Those rustic chic looks never go out of fashion. But real hardwood needs masses of maintenance, careful treatment, regular sanding and sealing, and replacing when planks succumb to the weather. Italtile’s Exence luxury slip-resistant wood look tiles provide that honeyed timber feel, or, if the weather-worn seaside aesthetic is your thing, there’s locally made Ampezzo EcoTec. But there are hundreds more wood looks instore and online.

The Coolest Pools

Italtile stocks an ever-growing sustainable Mosaic Tile portfolio, with an exciting selection of Pool Mosaics: from cheerful blues for bright and breezy looks, to the moodier and more unusual hues, like our deeply delicious Cherry Red mosaic sheets to add a sensual twist to darker-bottomed pools. Pay attention to the finishes when refreshing your pool looks; you’ll really crisp things up with our deluxe bespoke Pool Copings, which Italtile will colour and cut to your specifications.

A Greener Garden

Even if you live in a region with decent rainfall, waterwise thinking is the way to go. Lush grass lawns look gorgeous, but they are thirsty. Here’s an eco-chic idea – turn a section of lawn into a paved space. If you still hanker after restful green areas, lay your pavers in a checkerboard pattern, with succulents or herbs planted in between. Italtile’s IN2OUT 2cm-thick porcelain outdoor tiles have incredible slip-resistant technology which activates in the wet. They also offer a high resistance to cracking – what’s called ‘breaking load’. And you can lift them and relay them if you want to change things up.

The Outdoor Shower

Not just a practical way to put an end to the dripping of water through your house from the pool or hot tub to the bathroom, the outdoor shower is a beautiful and private way to reconnect with nature. Start with Italtile’s eco-chic showerhead collection and vast selection of waterwise taps. You’re sure to find a style to suit your look. Then, work your way into wall surfaces, flooring, floating shelves and bathroom accessories. Italtile has a huge selection of local and imported wall tiles and slip resistant floor tiles. Select your finishes from our gorgeous German Zack ranges, the ever-popular and Proudly South African Dominus ranges and the made-for-Italtiles’ Semplice ranges.