Take your pick from Italtile’s exclusive selection of large-format Spanish wall tiles, in a most beautiful range of delicate pale tones and textures – like Savona Grigio, seen here. 

A white-bodied tile – what the Spanish call pasta blancas – Savona Grigio’s lack of colour in the tile body or ‘bisque’ allows the glaze to really pop. This also results in a much sharper rectified edge, while the relative lack of hardness means it should only ever be used as an interior wall tile.

Neutral palettes that include subtly mottled creams, milk-whites and pearl greiges help create a sense of spaciousness, lightness and brightness. Add to that, layered textures, natural materials and calming variations on a theme – such as pairing Savona Grigio with its matching décor tile, Caph Savona – and you have a double act in soft, harmonising marble-travertine, that slots beautifully into contemporary South African homes, with our outdoorsy personality and love of open-plan living.