Acrux and Hexil mosaic tiles are being used throughout the bathrooms and en suites of homes at Royal Exchange, Kingston. This prestigious development sees a mix of high-specification homes with residents enjoying a 24-hour concierge, gym, screening room and meeting room. Across five main residential buildings, the development provides 320 apartments and homes in Kingston Upon Thames.
Inspired by the architecture of the Grade II listed Old Post Office and Telephone Exchange buildings within the development, the design team at St George selected Hexil mosaics and developed a bespoke tile to create a link to the heritage of the site in new buildings. The stylish cross motif with a handmade feel is now part of the Parkside collection as Acrux, made with 39% recycled content.
“We wanted to make sure that the bathrooms and en suites referenced the original finishes of the Telephone Exchange building at the heart of Royal Exchange,” says Jane Bartlett, St George. “Struggling to find what we needed in a standard range, we developed a bespoke tile with Parkside, creating a bold motif and a hand-crafted quality that references heritage. We’re thrilled with the final look – it has just the right nod to heritage, while still maintaining the smart and contemporary feel wanted by our purchasers.”
The design team paired the bespoke Acrux wall tile with Hexil, a mosaic available in two finishes, including 36+ PTV, which allowed it to be used as a floor tile throughout Royal Exchange. Purchasers can select from two colour combinations of Acrux and Helix when specifying their new home. A total of 12,000 square metres of tiles will be installed by specialist contractor Stone & Ceramic Ltd, with the entire project expected to be complete by March 2023.
Thomas Hayden, Stone & Ceramic, explains: “The Royal Exchange site is large with phased developments, customer specifications and minimal on-site storage, so service is important to keeping things running well and ensure timely handovers. We’ve been able to rely on Parkside to provide us the service needed, delivering tiles on a ‘just in time’ basis so that we stay in line with the schedule.”
