Meet The Designer
Melanie Mathews

What is your background?  
I have a background in Advertising + Graphic Design. 

I started my career in an Advertising Company before moving Print Production. I have Renovated/Designed/Styled/Flipped Homes for several years. 

I won a Colour + Design Scholarship to the International School of Colour & Design and came top of the class with An Award of Excellence. 

I started as a Design Consultant at THYNK in July 2017 and was promoted to Team Leader/Manager in November the same year.  

What made you want to get into interior design? 

My love of art, design, colours + textures meant this was always a path I wanted to follow. 

How do you tackle the design process? 

By starting any 3hr consultation with a conversation -getting to know the client and walking them through their house plans. Listening to their likes, lifestyle and initial ideas. This -builds not only a rapport but a basis in which to start creating their perfect selection. 

What do you love about your job? 

Problem solving -from finding the perfect tile for a client they saw on Pinterest, to recreating a display home bathroom, to seeing clients leave our showroom happier than they walked in. I love that its fast paced and no, one day is ever the same as the next.  

What tile designs really get your heart racing? 

I love the coolness of marble;  the stunning veins, colours, patterns,  to the shapes and textures of a handmade tile. 

Tell us about your favourite selection?  

My favourite selection was that of the installation of our upstairs Showroom Bathrooms. 
I went for moodier, darker tones with pop of gold  

What’s the most common question you get asked during a selection? 

“What is the most popular tile”?! Clients want to make sure they are making the right decision, that they are also choosing tiles that are on trend. 

What product trends are you seeing when it comes to tile and flooring? 

Still a lot of herringbone floors from using timber in a herringbone to a porcelain rectified tile to create the same look.  

Hamptons is still going strong with the handmade subway look,  to patterned decorative tiles. 

 What colour trends are you seeing when it comes to tile and flooring? 

Darker timbers for the clients that love a dark Hampton’s look to natural palettes starting to come through for a warmer neutral look. 

If you could makeover your own kitchen, what would it look like? 

Kitchens are the largest piece of furniture in your home -besides your main floor it is the most important part of your home. It would be a darker palette -a dark matt timber with a veined stone. 

As contrast I would add a textured bronze tile for the Splash to give a metallic shine to the darkness.