While the attractive cast iron centrepiece and the wooden surround were a delight to view in their own way, they were dominated by an expanse of very plain looking tiles, which oveshadowd the detail and design of the main features.

With ripping out the fireplace or retailing not an option, in addition to ensuring that the design could later be removed and returned to its original state, the pair utilised their knowledge of and experience in design to come up with a unique method that combined both of their skills.

Grady runs Norwich-based marketing agency Marketing Matters and lists the transformation of furniture and décor amongst her hobbies, while Mingay, who first began work in the sign industry when he was 15 and has now been working in this sector for more than 23 years, is senior manager at the Signs Express Norwich arm of franchise network Signs Express.

Mingay, who is no stranger to the art and science of wrapping, suggested the idea of using this technique in the application process for a Portuguese tiling design that the pair had sourced from a range of stock images. Mingay also overlaid vector detailing on the high resolution image so that each tile could be scaled and contour cut as an individual element, while at the same time maintining a high image quality.

For the printing of the design, the pair opted for Metamark MD5—part of the MD-Class media and DécorMark portfolio—as it had all mechanical and handling attributes needed for the unique application project. The print was laminated with Metamark’s matched matt laminate.

Although the couple admitted that the application of the individually cut and printed MD5 laminated tile wraps was a painstaking affair, with much time spent on in heating and burnishing the printed material over and around the tiles’ contoured edges, they both agreed that it was worth it when the project was complete.

And while the project is now complete and the fireplace in a much better state than before work began, the “beauty” of this installtiom is that it can be removed when the pair move out of the house to a new home. By using a heat gun, the wrap can be taken off, exposing the brown tiles that were previously in place. However, should the new tenants approve of the work done by the pair, the option is there for them to leave the colourful design in place and enjoy the work down by the duo

This project demonstrates the limits that wrapping technology can be pushed to. While often thought of as a solution for decorating cars and other vehicles, this type of technique can also be used in other key areas of the market that are also showing growth, such as the interior design area.

Those companies that are active in this market are already well aware of the many opportunities available with technologies such as textile print and even printing onto furniture, but this example could open up a whole new area within this market.

Differentiating yourself from others and showing that you can offer something that competitor companies cannot goes a long way to helping secure new work, and pushing the boundaries of technologies and techniques is often the best way to discover new profit paths such as this.