Matching your indoor flooring to your outdoor tiles is a great tactic for creating a smooth, seamless transition from one space to the other.
The easiest way to achieve this effect is to find a material that can be installed in both internal and external environments.
Porcelain is perfect for projects like this. It’s fairly common for porcelain suppliers to offer tiles for indoor use and thicker paving slabs (in the same colour) for outdoor use.
The key is to find a design you like that’s available in both formats. Install the paving slabs in your garden, lay matching tiles in the room abutting the garden—typically a kitchen or conservatory—and voilà!
1. Why bother to create an indoor-outdoor transition?
This segue effect makes your home and garden feel more closely connected, as if it’s one large space rather than two separate area.
If you’ve executed this technique correctly, your interior living space will appear to spill extravagantly out onto the patio. This creates the illusion of additional space, and when the weather’s nice, there’s nothing better than flinging open the back door and letting the sunshine inside.
The seamless effect can be further enhanced with a large set of sliding glass doors, further breaking down the barrier between the home and the garden. (Bi-folding doors also work.)
Read also: 17 Types of Doors to Build Your Dream House
2. What makes porcelain tiles such a good choice?
Porcelain tiles are appealing because they’re very durable and require virtually no maintenance.
Vitrified porcelain is suitable for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Porcelain paving tends to be incredibly weather resistant, and stains are very rare; this is because porcelain has a lower porosity than natural stone (i.e. it absorbs less water).
When choosing outdoor porcelain tiles, be sure to select a product that offers a high level of grip. This will minimize the risk of slips and falls.
3. What colours and designs are available?
Porcelain tiles and paving slabs come in all kinds of different styles. From limestone to slate, travertine to concrete, you can get just about any look you fancy—you can even get porcelain tiles that look like solid wood floorboards!
Read also: Pros, Cons, and Installation Tips for Travertine Tiles
Different porcelain products have different levels of shade variation. You can decide what level of variegation you wish your patio to have—some people like a very uniform appearance, while others feel that a bit of variety looks more natural. Either way, the seamless effect will be stronger if you use the same product both inside and outside.
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