Styling Your Home with Large-Format Tiles

From rich textures to minimalist matt faces, tile trends are offering more versatility to create harmonious, high-impact spaces that balance functionality and interior design. But when you look closely at design magazines for inspiration, you’ll see large-format tiles taking over.

They’re rapidly becoming a favourite choice for homeowners, architects, and interior designers across Australia, and for good reason. Their enlarged plate minimises grout lines and showcases its finish, allowing them to become synonymous with sharp, sophisticated spaces.

It’s not as simple as choosing any tile face — style, shape and pattern all play a huge role. Want to learn how you can integrate large-format tiles into your interior and exterior? Here’s how.

What are large-format tiles?

Also known as slab tiles, large-format porcelain tiles are any tiles that feature any side stretching at least 400mm — though it’s more common to see options exceeding 600mm, 750mm, 1200mm or more. They’re available in an expansive variety of materials, shapes, thicknesses and finishes — from matt stone-look designs to high gloss polished options. Thought these were big tiles? Wait till you hear about our mega slabs!

The popularity of slab tiles stems not just from their bold dimensions, but from the visual continuity they bring to surfaces, making them an ideal solution for open-plan homes, minimalist interiors, and creating spaces that blur the line between internal and external boundaries.

Benefits of large-format tiles

Whether used as floors or wall tiles, on splashbacks, tiling with large-format tiles allows you to benefit from several practical and aesthetic advantages that make them a smart choice for modern spaces, such as:

1. Fewer grout lines, cleaner aesthetic

With larger surface coverage, the number of grout lines are reduced, helping you maintain a streamlined, seamless look that’s perfect for achieving a sense of modern luxury. It’s why you often see large-format tiles in bathrooms. By carrying them from the floor to the wall, you can create a spa-like atmosphere.

2. Create the illusion of a larger space

By reducing visual fragmentation caused by grout joints, large tiles help expand the perceived space of a room. This makes them especially popular in cosy spaces like ensuites, powder rooms, narrow corridors and walking patios.

3. Easy to clean and maintain

Fewer grout lines means there are less chances for dirt and grime to collect, making them ideal for kitchens and bathrooms. If you’re renovating to prioritise low maintenance features, we recommend installing a large-format tile splashback instead — there’s less risk from spills and bubbling pots of tomato sauce splattering and staining. In washrooms, it means there are fewer grout joints to scrub, keeping mould at bay.

4. Versatility across rooms and surfaces

From walls to floors, and from kitchens and bathrooms to courtyards, large slab tiles can be used across a wide range of applications. Whether you’re creating a feature wall or tiling entire surfaces, you have endless options to design your space, achieve an immediate impact and create a finish that looks high-end without the price tag.

5. Built to last

Thanks to advancements in manufacturing, large-format porcelain tiles can now replicate natural stone, marble, or concrete finishes at a fraction of the cost. They also benefit from added durability, helping to resist light impacts and everyday accidents.

How to style your home using a large-format tile

Large-format slabs can be used across various spaces to create a high-impact, cohesive design. Whether you’re aiming for bold, dramatic finishes or a more understated, minimalist look, their scale and surface continuity help unify zones and draw the eye across a room. Here are key areas where they can elevate your space:

• Brighten living areas

From long, narrow hallways to cosy rooms and spaces that receive little natural light, large-format tiles are a superb option to help small spaces feel a little grander and welcoming. Simply, select a high-gloss finish to reflect light and create a more inviting feel.

• Bring the outside in

While slab tiles are an exceptional style to use anywhere from kitchens and dining rooms to patios and terraces, they’re even better when you use the same design to link internal and outdoor spaces. By continuing the design, you can blend the areas together and make your living and entertaining spaces feel larger and more open. Even when it rains and you’re sitting inside, you can still feel like you’re sharing a meal alfresco while staying shielded from the elements.

• Design more than your room, curate an atmosphere

Large slabs can be used more than just for floor tiles and wall cladding — they can help your room feel like an experience. Particularly in bathrooms, large-format tiles can transform the space into a spa-like retreat where you can practice self-care and relax. Simply choose a textured, earthy palette and install the same style across the floor and walls to maintain continuity and soften the look of hard surfaces.

• Support busy lifestyles

If you’re looking for solutions to bring your interior design together and accommodate the needs of a busy household, large-format porcelain tiles are the perfect solution for spaces. Their durable build is designed to support constant foot traffic, making them ideal for the busiest places of your home — typically, kitchens, lounge rooms and hallways.

Thanks to their hard-wearing construction, they are the ideal option to furnish a fireplace and its surrounds. Not only can they withstand high heat, but their modern look helps you contemporise hearths that have seen better days.

Large-format tiles you need on your design plans

Fell in love with large-format slabs as much as we did? Check out some of our favourite styles:

Elevate your home with Large Format Tiles

Large-format tiles aren’t just a design trend — they’re a practical way to create seamless, low-maintenance spaces that feel open, refined, and considered. Whether you’re renovating a bathroom, refreshing your kitchen splashback, or curating a living area that flows from indoors to out, these oversized slabs offer the versatility and durability to bring your design brief to life.

Achieve the look you’ve always dreamt of with Elegance Tiles. As one of Australia’s leading retailers, you can rely on us to find large-format porcelain tiles to the dimensions, shape and finish your project requires. Discover our collection in person at any of our showrooms or shop online and enjoy easy delivery that aligns with your schedule.