In conversation with: Damla Turgut on nature-inspired surfaces

With so much noise being generated around sustainability and nature-inspired surfaces, we couldn’t help but notice Otto Tiles & Design’s latest collection, which is inspired by geometry. To find out more, we spoke to the brand’s Founder and Creative Director…

Otto Tiles & Design has just unveiled its encaustic cement tile collection for spring 2022. To understand more about what makes this range of products unique and meaningful – but also to find out how the last two years have inspired a new era in surface design – we caught up with Damla Turgut who is the Founder of and Creative Director at Otto Tiles & Design.

Hotel Designs: What can you tell us about the new collection that’s inspired by geometry and earth?

Dalma Turgut: As you know, the earth colours and tones have a calming nature, and since you may have noticed, we are addicted to stripes and geometry, and it was inevitable to affect our new collection. In fact, the theme and inspiration of the current and our previous collection was the serene beaches and crystal-clear waters that we missed and couldn’t go to due to the COVID situation. The last collection was dedicated to spring and summer. And our recent one to autumn and winter. All the vibrant colours of summer gave way to pastel and calming tones. We also tried something bolder in terms of colours and shapes in our new collection, and it seems this style will continue to influence our upcoming collections.

Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

HD: What are the hottest tile trends at the moment?

DT: It is challenging to purify yourself from your personal preferences and answer this question. In design-wise, the boldness, different colours and geometry on the ascent. Also, personalisation is substantial and encaustic cement tiles give you a great playground when it comes to a bespoke design. The terrazzo tiles are spreading quite fast for hospitality design and large-scale residential and commercial projects. The new terrazzo trends are big chips, pretentious and distinctive bespoke designs.

: Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

: Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

HD: Tell us more about Otto Tiles, and how the company evolved into what it is today?

DT: Otto Tiles was founded in 2015 with almost zero capital but a colossal enthusiasm and heart. Since the beginning of Otto, we have always aimed to bring a contemporary touch to artisan and authentic tiles. It has been taken roughly four years to open our first showroom, and a few months later, the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns have arrived. But our exponential growth continued. We had a great two years. Currently, we are one of the largest independent tile companies in the UK, with a global customer base and suppliers around the world. Next year, we plan to open new branches in North America and the EU.

“We announced 2022 as ‘The year of Terrazzo’, and we are empowering our terrazzo range with bespoke and premium collections.” – Damla Turgut, Founder & Creative Director, Otto Tiles & Design.

Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

HD: What tips do you have for designers who are thinking about specifying tiles to inject personality into a space?

DT: Simply be bold and get out of your comfort zone. It sounds quite an ordinary and cheap answer, but it’s true. There are dozens of different tiles on the market, but ultimately just a few of them makes a real difference. Encaustic cement tiles will be a perfect choice if you need a bespoke tile from scratch. You can easily create your design with various shapes and colour combinations. If hundreds of square meters are in question without compromising personal touch, terrazzo and marble mosaic tiles are unbeatable.

Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

HD: What’s next for Otto Tiles – can you tell us about some of the new collections that will be launching this year?

DT: We are focusing on terrazzo and more Otto Signature tiles. We announced 2022 as ‘The year of Terrazzo’, and we are empowering our terrazzo range with bespoke and premium collections. We’ll announce new ranges with our exclusive Italian artisan producers. On the other hand, we will continue introducing our new encaustic cement tile collection, presenting Otto’s creative powerhouse and vision for design. The first upcoming collection will be the Spanish collection, primarily of floral design tiles with contemporary colours.

Image credit: Otto Tiles & Design

HD: One theme we love at Hotel Designs is art outside the frame. What creative ways can designers use tiles to create statement art pieces?

DT: Honestly, there are different ways to use almost all tiles in our range to serve this ultimate goal. The most common way is creating asymmetrical and unique patterns by combining other patterned tiles. You can use both walls and floors. However, you can even push limits and create some objects and furniture with them, such as tile tables.