Welcome to the captivating world of design, where every tile has a story to tell and every space is a canvas waiting to be adorned. In our exclusive blog series, Tile Tales we embark on a fascinating exploration of the artistry and craftsmanship behind interior design. Join us as we delve into the minds of visionary designers, unraveling the secrets behind their creative process and gaining insights into the unique stories woven into each project.

We are thrilled to bring you an insightful Q&A session with the talented Sean Monk featuring his Glenbush Residence project, one of the creative forces behind Rarebirds Interiors. Sean's innovative approach to design and his passion for transforming spaces into works of art is something truly extraordinary. 

Magma White | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography

Q1: How would you describe design style and approach? 

Rarebirds would consider our goal in any project to be collaborative Design Chameleons. We want to ensure that what we create for our clients, is not a copy of anyone else, or another project we have done. Our client's projects should be unique, suit their lifestyle, and fits in with the architecture of their homes. 

Fumao Silver and Vic Cristal | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography

Q2: What was the inspiration behind the design concept? 

The house was originally a very small ‘A’ Frame built in the 70s and the clients created something much bigger by adding a full house extension around it. Their goal was to create a space that represented its new lease on life but also referenced its architectural vintage. We wanted to show that you can utilize an extensive variety of material in a small space without it feeling overwhelming. 

Magma White and Yubi Cloud | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography

Q3: What led you to choose our tiles for this particular project? 

Combination of elements – range, and people. Tile Space have such a great team and a fantastic range of tiles. It’s really nice to be able to go into our branch, work out what's going to work for a project or work with the team to source something that is. Rarebirds are all about the relationships we build with our suppliers, so being able to go in and have a talk and chuckle while we work, is something that’s important to us. 

Yubi Cloud | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography

Q4: Were there specific features or qualities of the tiles that influenced your decision? 

The goal of the final design was to reference a bit of the house's past and present. In the kitchen, I did this by combining the hand-sculpted Magma White tile with a terrazzo engineered stone to reference the house's past, and a beautiful natural stone paired with the simple and structured finger tile Yubi Cloud, to reference the present. I followed this idea into the bathroom, opting for a more natural looking tile using Fumao Silver and combining it with a more structured chevron pattern using Vic Cristal to create a feature in the centre of the space. 

Fumao Silver and Vic Cristal | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography

Q5: Did the tiles play a specific role in achieving the overall aesthetic you were aiming for? 

The tiles were an essential design element, helping to establish the final looks through the kitchen and bathroom. In the kitchen, the tiles created wonderful layers rounding out the aesthetic by being specifically paired with the benchtops that the tiles were matched with. In the bathroom the tiles swapped roles with the other elements in the space, becoming the wow feature. By fully tiling the space floor to ceiling, they became these beautiful monolithic superstars.

"Got a build or interiors project? Get a bird." - Rarebirds Interiors

Fumao Silver and Vic Cristal | Photography Sandrina Huish Photography