Your Fireplace, Your Way with Sunshine Living Tile and Stone
When it comes to fireplaces, two very different materials can shape how it feels in your home. Kathy Sundstrom consults the experts to find out more.
There is something about a fireplace that shifts the way a room feels. It draws people in, sets the tone and quietly becomes the place everything else orbits around. Which is why the question of how it looks matters.
At Sunshine Living Tile and Stone, Ben and Crystal Bylett see that decision play out every day. Not as a right or wrong choice, but as a reflection of the person making it.
Crystal works with tile. Ben, a stonemason, works with stone. Their approaches are different, but the goal is the same: to help people create a fireplace that feels like it belongs in their home.
“People often come in thinking they need to choose what’s on trend,” Crystal says. “But it is not really about that. It is about what feels right for them.”
Tile, for Crystal, is where personality comes into play.
For Crystal, tiles offer flexibility that is hard to match: colour, pattern, finish, scale – bold and expressive or soft and understated. A tiled fireplace can become a centrepiece, something that anchors a room and adds a layer of individuality that goes beyond function.
“You can really shape the look and feel of a space with tile,” she says. “It gives you the freedom to create something that feels considered and personal.”
That might mean a statement surround with texture and pattern, or a more tonal approach that blends seamlessly into a coastal or contemporary interior. The point is not the style itself, but the ability to choose it.
Stone sits at the other end of the spectrum and for Ben, the appeal is in its natural qualities. The variation, the texture, the sense that no two pieces are ever the same.
“Stone has a presence,” he says. “It does not need much added to it. It already has character.”
A stone fireplace tends to feel grounded and permanent. It adds depth without relying on colour or pattern, and it brings a connection to the outdoors that is difficult to replicate with manufactured materials.
“It is more about texture and feel,” Ben says. “It creates a warmth that is not just visual.”
Where tile allows you to direct the outcome, stone asks you to work with what is already there. The result is often quieter, but no less impactful.
What becomes clear when you speak to both of them is that the choice is not about which material is better. It is about what you respond to.
Tile suits those who want to shape a space, to introduce colour or detail and create a focal point that feels intentional.
Stone suits those who are drawn to something more organic, where texture and natural variation do the work and the result feels effortless rather than designed.
Neither approach is fixed. Both can be adapted, refined and tailored to suit the home they sit within. But they start from different places, and that is what makes the decision interesting.
“It usually comes down to instinct,” Crystal says. “People know what they like when they see it.”
That instinct is something Sunshine Living Tile and Stone has built its approach around. Founded by Crystal, the business focuses on helping locals find materials that not only look good, but feel right for the way they live.
From classic natural stone to contemporary porcelain tiles, the range is curated with that in mind. It is less about following trends and more about giving people the confidence to choose something that will last.
Ben’s work as a stonemason brings a practical understanding of how those choices translate into finished spaces.
It is not just about selecting a material, but about how it will sit, how it will age and how it will be experienced every day.
Together, they offer two perspectives that meet in the same place.
A fireplace that feels like it belongs.
Because in the end, it is not a question of tile versus stone. It is a question of you and whether you are drawn to the colour, flexibility and expression of tile, or the texture, depth and quiet strength of stone.
The right choice is simply the one that feels right and quite literally lights your fire when you walk into the room.
Head to the Coolum Beach showroom to discover the options or book an consultation today.
TILE OR STONE?
Tile
• Design-led and highly versatile
• Works across coastal, contemporary and Mediterranean styles
• Allows colour, pattern and texture to shape the space
• Ideal if you want your fireplace to feel like a feature
Stone
• Natural, organic and timeless
• Adds depth, texture and a sense of permanence
• Connects the home to the outdoors
• Ideal for a more grounded, understated look
The takeaway
There is no right or wrong choice. Tile and stone simply offer different ways to express how you want your home to feel.
Visit www.sunshineliving.com.au to find out more about the range, service and advice.
