Walk this way: Atlas Concorde

A wave of open-plan architecture saw adjoining rooms opened up into single multi-functioning spaces, but the latest extension to the trend is to invite the outside in to play too, or should that be to invite the inside out?

By continuing an interior style into the neighbouring exterior environment, living space can be significantly expanded with little serious building work required. With innovative sliding or folding exterior glass walls, sophisticated exterior lighting and heating systems and durable yet comfortable seating, the boundaries between interiors and exteriors are becoming blurred.

As the first component we see and touch when entering a space, flooring is a central part of any project and holds a unique power to control these first sensory impressions. As something of an art-forger in ceramics, the international tile brand Atlas Concorde creates large-scale tiles for floors, walls and any other flat surface for that matter, that mimic the look and texture of natural materials such as marble, metal, wood and concrete.

The company’s concrete-look tile collections, Boost, Boost Pro and Prism, combine the smooth, clean finish of the heavyweight material with a deep and sumptuous colour. Created for indoor and outdoor environments, the exterior section of the respective ranges are engineered with a safe, textured walking surface, high-traffic durability and all-weather resistance.

Atlas Concorde has created these distinct collections in a variety of smoky shades, from a bright clean white to a thick dark tarmac, with an overflowing palette of greys and warm autumnal browns in between. While Boost brings an industrial tone to understated environments, Boost Pro adds a warmer, more expressive and luxurious touch and Prism has a soft and supple quality, smooth like velvet or silk. All three designs feature a hand-troweled finish, giving the hard-wearing tiles an eternal depth and presenting the image of a moving cloudscape, as if reflected from above.

The strong, 20mm thick, anti-slip, weather-, stain-, heat- and impact-resistant exterior tiles don’t limit themselves to just simple, flat floors though. Along with the standard sizes, they’re also available in various sized trims, bringing the concrete look to rounded or stepped edges and plinths. So as well as giving a smooth style to clean-look terraces and patios, the three collections can all bring complete concrete continuity to other architectural aspects, such as swimming pools, seating, steps and fire-pits. The concrete-look porcelain tiles are waterproof and resistant to heat, fire, frost, UV, stains and temperature fluctuation, making them eternally suitable for the majority of patio-based entertaining pursuits.

With its natural tones and afore-mentioned depth, this concrete look complements many outdoor environments, but by utilising its clean, industrial-chic minimalism, the material is becoming ever more popular in stylish interiors too. To meet this demand, Boost, Boost Pro and Prism all expand once they move inside, with more sizes, colours and decorative applications available as interior floor and wall tiles.

The synergy created between indoor and outdoor concrete-look worlds builds a continuity that extends and combines space, rather than segregates it, allowing a comfortable narrative to be written that welcomes visitors to feel equally at home in both environments. By extending many of the same colour options across surface suitability, from indoor flooring to outdoor flooring, then up onto walls and furniture, Atlas Concorde has ensured tiles from separate sides of the divide can blend seamlessly from one scene to another.

Connected outdoor environments can now be created that are as cosy and as comfortable as the interiors. In these homely and welcoming spaces it can be difficult to know if you’re inside or out, but easy not to care.

© Architonic