Bert & May at Belle Cottage, Whitstable

We knew we wanted to create a special grown-up feel to Belle Cottage in Whitstable, where people would feel that care and attention had been taken when it came to the design, without it being too ‘designy. If you get my drift.

Last year we all went on a family holiday to Cretan Malia Park, and while we were there, we were inspired by the tile design in our bedroom (if you scroll down through the blog post, you’ll see the tiles in our hotel bedroom) and decided very quickly that this was what we wanted to create in the entrance to Belle Cottage – our holiday cottage in Whitstable.

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But first, we had to create an entrance! The front door opened directly into the living space, which meant there was no dedicated space to ‘arrive’. No space to hang your coat, take your shoes off, pop your slippers on and b r e a t h e, before entering the house. So we built a temporary wall (which can be moved if need be) to create a little zone for people to take a moment when they arrive at Belle Cottage.

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Then it was a total no brainer about who we should talk to about getting the tiles we wanted. I’ve long been a fan of Bert & May – back when they had their showroom on Vyner Street (pretty sure it was on the day I visited them there that I met, my now friend and neighbour, Isla Simpson!) Their eye for detail and design is inspiring and reassuring, in equal measure. When it comes to tiles, they really know their stuff, so if you have a particular project coming up and are unsure about how to proceed, or need some advice – give Bert & May a call – they also offer a bespoke service, so they’ll definitely have you covered.

A few years ago we went on our first family holiday to Casa la Siesta, where Bert & May tiles were EVERYWHERE! It seems Bert & May and I were made to be long lasting friends 🙂

Because it was such a small area we wanted to cover, we felt we could really go to town with something bold. We chose their encaustic black Alapardo tiles and are thrilled with the results. It’s an extremely versatile tile and there are endless configurations and designs you could create with it. However we were so taken with what we’d seen last Summer that there was no hesitation. We knew what we wanted and it looks exactly as we had hoped.

Bert and May have an extraordinary collection of gorgeous tiles in a myriad of designs, colours and shapes – if you are able to pop into one of their studios in either London, Bristol or York, then definitely do.

It’s a feast for the eyes 🙂

www.bertandmay.com