Matching indoor and outdoor tiles part of your design plan is something that can unite home and garden. We look at how a leading landscaper created a connected space.

Render of garden showing lawn, decking, seating corner, pergola and porcelain paving.
The plan by Harrington Porter for the garden, sowing decking and porcelain paving.

Indoor/Outdoor paving

It was only a small part of a design, but a vital one. The client told Chris Harrington of Harrington Porter that the garden had to complement the house interior. The problem was the the tiles indoors had already been laid, so it was a matter of finding the perfect match.

You may wonder why Chris didn't just lay more of the indoor tiles outside, but laying interior tiles outside is not recommended. And as Chris adds, “Since thicker porcelain came in, it's much more adaptable. For thinner tiles, we used to pour a concrete base—which means bringing in a lot of material to a small garden—and then glue them down, because they're so thin. This porcelain you can lay on wet cement.”

Close view of sliding door opening showing matching indoor and outdoor tiles separated by Iroko decking.
lab Coke porcelain is virtually indistinguishable from the interior tiling. Picture: Harrington Porter.

Another advantage of outdoor porcelain paving is the number of dark colour options - the client had chosen a very dark grey tile for the interior. “We were very pleased to stumble across Slab Coke porcelain as it was such a good match for the ceramic tiles indoors,” he says.

We weren't surprised. With the variety of finishes and colours available in porcelain, there's a good chance you'll find what you need. That's one of the huge advantages of this paving.

Other benefits of porcelain paving

Would he use porcelain again? “We're using it more and more,” says Chris. “We would always use porcelain as our first choice. It's less messy to cut, though you do need skill and the right equipment.” Chris uses a wet saw to cut. “If you've got the skills, you can be very, very accurate.”

Other garden design details

Small garden with lawn, wooden decking, porcelain tile edging and planted beds. Design by Harrington Porter.
Iroko decking and trellis matches furniture indoors, and blends the bicycle shed into the garden. Picture: Harrington Porter.

Paving sorted, Chris turned his attention to other design elements. He chose Iroko decking. It not only picks up the tones of the wooden furniture indoors, but contrasts nicely with the dark porcelain in colour and texture.

Attention to small details was all the more important because the client works from home as a therapist for disabled children. The garden has to have easy access, so there was no scope for creating different levels. “We combined the decking and porcelain for interest,” explains Chris. “Small gardens are all in the detail.”

Harrington Porter, colour match
Colours outside echo colours inside. Picture: Harrington Porter.

Highlighting connections between indoors and out

With lime-green and pastel-pink splashes indoors, Chris chose these colours for the soft furnishings of the outdoor seating and the tall planters, reinforcing the connection between the two spaces. To ensure there was no distraction from the uniting factors, he limited the number of materials used. He kept storage, for example, sympathetic to the design by building a bespoke bicycle shed from Iroko trellis.

Find out more about designing with indoor/outdoor tiles and, if you don't have much space to play with, find inspiration for small gardens.

Or go straight to our porcelain products to find the outdoor paving to match your interior tiles.

Post updated: July 2023