This week I wanted to do something different — so come on a journey with me to Milan Design Week. I had never been before. And in my honest opinion, if you’re a designer and you haven’t made the trip yet, you need to go. Not just for the products. For the ideas. For the […]
I haven’t been quiet — I’ve been choosing. Why stepping back for family sharpened our design-led surface consultancy, and what’s next for Aura.
This week’s article is a more personal one. It’s a direct reflection on where Aura Surfaces sits today, the journey over the last two years, and the reality of building a business that prioritises relationships, project outcomes, and long-term thinking over volume and transactions. Below, I’ve also shared a short video expanding on these points. […]
There are weeks in this industry that remind you how much is happening behind the scenes. This week has been one of those weeks. Transport costs have suddenly jumped again. There are conversations happening around fuel and gas surcharges returning across parts of the European supply chain, and you can feel the pressure building in […]
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that people often assume specifying materials for a project has to be a long, drawn-out process. In many cases that’s true, and quite rightly so. When someone is designing a home or a hospitality space that they want to last for decades, those decisions deserve […]
Design led luxury surface consultancy wasn’t a phrase I originally set out to build a business around. However, after more than twenty-five years in the industry, I realised that the traditional supply model no longer served complex projects properly. For years, I worked within an industry that often treated surfaces as commodities. Materials were quoted […]
A 22,000 square foot project isn’t a “big tile order.” It’s a live, moving ecosystem of decisions. On a scheme of this scale, we’re rarely supplying one surface. We’re coordinating multiple environments: Large-format porcelain internally External paving with load requirements Engineered wood flooring across transitional zones Marble within a five-star steam room Terrazzo in high-traffic […]
Luxury tile reseller challenges are rarely visible to the client, until something slips. When that happens, the consequences land on the project timeline, the budget, and the overall outcome. This is not a complaint piece.It is an explanation of why serious projects require serious planning — and why the right partner removes risk long before […]
The surfaces industry saw some huge changes in 2025. Huge evolution. Huge disruption. And, for those willing to see it, huge opportunity. Across the year we witnessed a clear shift, in how materials are specified, how projects are delivered, and how customers make decisions. The industry is evolving quickly, and for the first time in a […]
For 25 years I’ve been surrounded by tiles, factories, showrooms, lorries, containers, fitters, reps, customers and every headache this industry can throw at you. It gave me stability. It gave my family a life. It gave me pride. And most of all it created a relationship with my late father that I will cherish forever. […]