For more than 30 years, Original Style has been manufacturing tiles using a blend of traditional techniques, raw materials and a highly skilled and committed workforce. They have a variety of products, including hand-painted wall tiles to modern large format tiles, and geometric Victorian floor tiles.
The company is based in Exeter the company was established in the year 1986. It was created to produce tiles for cast iron fireplaces which sister company Stovax created. It was discovered the tiles could be used in different areas than fireplaces, especially in the USA in which they were installed on the walls of luxurious bathrooms, Original Style created a smaller selection with authentic Victorian designs, using thinner tiles that are more suitable for walls.
It was the first Original Style Tile showroom was established at Exeter in 1996. It was followed by the second showroom located in Plympton during 2001. In addition, a recently opened store at Cheltenham Original Style tiles are also available through a network of independent stores who were chosen in accordance with a shared desire for the highest standards and a love for tiles.
Henry Brook, Head of Retail Stores at Original Style describes the company’s growth ‘In the 1900s the Victorian floor tile collection was designed to complement the ever-popular wall tile selection. The production division was expanded and internal glazing and hand painting sections were created. North America became such an important market that we decided to open our own distribution center located in Boston.”
The store located in Exeter was so well-loved the shop Original Style opened a second store in Plympton “our showroom originally located in Exeter was opened in the year 1996 in order to sell the best quality second-hand products and discounted products. The store was so popular that we opened a second retail shop in Plymouth five years after.”
Three Original Style showrooms still stock and sell second-hand items and supplies for all tile projects and a huge selection of high-quality floor and wall tiles as well as mosaics in stone, glass ceramic, porcelain and more, each suitable for residential settings The majority of them are suitable for use in commercial spaces too.
In 1997, Original Style acquired the Winchester Tile Company and added hand-crafted, transparent mouldings and tiles to its expanding product line. This resulted in slip casting and pressing wet clay equipment, as well as adding more ovens for the production department.
Being up-to-date with the latest trends in home decor is a major goal for Original Style
It is evident throughout the showrooms of the company, with carefully chosen, trendy items on display to impress the customers. Designs that are both achievable and realistic are also showcased as well as highlighting the endless possibilities that can be made available by the wide
The range of items that are available.
Henry said “we wish our clients to feel comfortable and at home even in the most spacious and most bright of rooms. We aim to assist clients by making sure they can visualize their space how it will appear in the end, when the tiles are laid.”
“Adding to that, we also provide an 3D experience that utilizes the most recent technology. Once the patterns and colors have been selected then our ViSoft technician will show the client what their space will appear in a 3D version. There isn’t a single person who is a professional designer or has enough imagination and we fully understand that.”
The brand has a wide range of retailers and 3 showrooms in the company has no shortage of ambition and plans to expand their reach to even more. The new showrooms will help local stores that can bring customers from outside the region to experience the tiles live without having to exhibit hundreds of items in a tiny space.
Henry said: “Our showrooms have been highly successful, and we’d like to expand on this by opening other stores in the near future. We prefer to choose our locations with care considering various aspects, particularly the ways that our dealer network could benefit by our presence in certain areas.”
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