OUR PHONES ARE DOWN

ORDER VIA WHATSAPP |060 996 7745

CALL A DESIGN CONSULTANT |010 271 2272

How To Create Inner-City Cool With Italtile’s Guide To Urban Modern Style.

November 7, 2024

Urban Modern Style lives on the spectrum that includes contemporary, industrial and modern looks. This uber-cool aesthetic offers an upscale inner-city lifestyle with a sleek, minimalist silhouette lifted by little pops of warm colour. Vibey city credentials bring that cosmopolitan sophistication. Industrial heritage offers that desirable edginess. And thanks to a contemporary root system, it will always be an on-trend and “now” space. 

 

Your Urban Modern space can be as edgy and industrial as your personal preferences allow... but never lose the comfort factor. An urban space should be a haven, a cocoon, curated to replenish your embattled soul after the bustle of the everyday hustle. Whether you’re 20 storeys up, overlooking the city rooftops, or at street level, your Urban Modern oasis will be defined by three words. Chic. Cosmopolitan. And... comfortable. 

 

The quintessential Urban Modern sanctuary is an inner-city loft or a renovated warehouse space. But even if you’re tucked away in the suburbs, Italtile’s style guidance will help you recreate that highly desirable industrial aesthetic with ease. It all starts with: 

 

  1. Statement-making architectural cues that deliver light, airy, open spaces.  
  1. Carefully considered canvas of textured, stress-busting décor.  
  1. A minimalist curation of high-end furnishings and fewer, large pieces of furniture that exude relaxation and comfort. 

 

Creating the Urban Modern space. You’ll find strong architectural cues here, creating the bones in an airy, open-plan space:  

-Reclaimed wood looks.  

-Purposely exposed brick, piping and concrete.  

-Huge windows for floods of natural light.  

 

Creating the Urban Modern canvas and colour palette. 

Base notes: Natural neutrals anchored with black, white, grey, brown and beige. 

Textural layers: Urban style loves to play with glamorous metals, like brass, copper, steel, wire and metal, often powder-coated with matt black. Wood works a storm in this arena, but in an interesting way – think exposed wooden beams or floating shelves. Concrete, cement screed, brick. A sense of reclaimed surfaces revealing their original integrity.  

Top notes: Urban loves leather. Worn, butter-soft and storied. It also favours geometric patterns, vintage décor elements and pops of colour reminiscent of nature. Plain walls and colour schemes tied together with graphic artwork. You might include tobacco and charcoal tones, warm greys, forest greens, dark navy. This is a handsome aesthetic, rather than a delicate feminine one. A spirited curation that keeps it real, raw and honest.  

 

Urban Modern Style is Eco-Chic. There’s a powerful sustainability vibe here, with the second life ethos strongly at play. Reclaimed, recovered, repurposed elements. And artisan-crafted pieces with a deeply sustainable provenance. Biophilic elements are everywhere, whether in colour palette, organic shapes or plant life. These are the comforting elements that connect the urban dweller to nature when parklands are far away.  

 

The Tiny Inner City Balcony. A small balcony is a lifesaver in the inner city. Please resist using it as a storage facility for bikes and boxes – you are wasting precious outdoorsiness. Put it to work for you. Transform it into a tiny oasis of fresh air and green things. Your irresistible outdoor retreat high above the city will love pot plants, creepers, a hammock, chairs with a bamboo or rattan feel. Shade cloth angled to protect you from midday rays. A wood look “deck feel” underfoot. Lanterns for soft evening light. Turn your balcony into a retreat of its own, pay attention to the details, and you’ll create a rewarding, inner-city sanctuary that will add value to your apartment when the time comes to sell. 

 

Italtile’s Urban Modern Mood Board Must-Haves. 

 

Let’s start by building the canvas with top-tier porcelain tiles: 

-If the second-life and metal aesthetic grabs you, consider our superb DripArt Verdigris Rectified Matt Glazed Porcelain Tile 600 x 1200mm by Ceramica Sant’Agostino. An absolutely stunning reimagining of the magic that happens when metal is exposed to the elements. Sant’Agostino have conjured up an imaginative interpretation of Verdigris - the end result of saltwater on copper. A statement floor tile which will transform wall spaces too, with its powerful allure. Made in Italy. Exclusive to Italtile. 

-Wood looks work a storm in the Urban Modern décor choice set. Showcase your appreciation for natural looks with our locally manufactured Oakland Wood Matt Rectified Glazed EcoTec Porcelain Tile Range 220 x 890mm.  

 

Layer it up with urban-style details: 

-The Black Onix Iron Oak Vanity And Basin Set combines light wood and matt black metal to bring urban style to your bathroom sanctuary. Made in Spain and exclusive to Italtile. 

The Tivoli Cavallino Dark Mirror Basin Mixer Range. Glossy ink-black beauties, designed to bring ultra-cool urban-style depth to your bathroom. Backed by a 15-year guarantee. 

 

Urbanise the details:  

Décor tiles will do it for you every time with their upscale elegance.  

Terracotta Handmade Matt Soldier Tile in a rich earthy brown, to recreate that beautifully textural, exposed old brick feel, on an accent wall or splashback. 

KitKat Smoke Gloss Porcelain Mosaic offers pattern, texture and colour. 

Subway Tiles, aka Metro Tiles, will bring a nostalgic industrial feel. Shop our enormous range, from glossy black, or white, through to more colourful iterations of the original urban tiling solution. 

 

#JustAsk Before you dive into the delicious cool pool of Urban Modern Style, have a chat with Italtile’s interior design-certified sales consultants –  we’re all here, looking forward to assisting with your Urban Modern mood board, guiding you through the appropriate colour schemes, and suggesting the beautifully functional, top-quality products that will bring your inner city sanctuary to life. 

 

Live Beautifully, Beloved Urban Dweller! 

Ciao