The IDC Library

Guides, Written From the Studio Floor

The questions clients ask us every week, answered in plain language. No catalogue talk — just what we would tell you across the consultation table.

Most material decisions go wrong for an avoidable reason: the decision was made in the wrong order, at the wrong time, or from a photograph. These guides exist so that by the time you visit a studio — ours or anyone else's — you already know which questions matter for your project. Each one is written by the team at our Sector 82, Mohali studio and comes from real project conversations, not from a manufacturer's brochure.

Stone floor terrace living room — large-format tile ambience
Tiles · 5 min read

The Tile Size Guide for Indian Homes

From the ever-dependable 2x4 to the 32x64 and the new 1200x1800 (6x4) floors premium homes are moving to — where each size shines, and the planning that lets a large format deliver everything it promises.

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Freestanding bathtub in a marble bathroom
Bathrooms · 5 min read

Bathroom Materials, Planned in the Right Order

The bathroom is the most sequence-sensitive room in the house. Which decisions must be locked before plumbing closes, which can wait, and the coordination mistakes we are most often called in to repair.

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Gold floor-standing bath mixer beside a freestanding tub
Brand Study · 4 min read

Fima Carlo Frattini, Explained for Owners

What distinguishes an Italian house once it is installed and five years old — cartridges, PVD finishes, concealed systems and serviceability, explained for homeowners and architects.

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Open living space finished in large-format stone-look porcelain
Tiles · 6 min read

Large-Format Tiles and Slabs, Explained

What actually changes past 800x1600 mm — substrate flatness, adhesive, handling, layout and edge detail, and how to brief an installer for it.

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Concrete-look porcelain floor in a lounge setting
Planning · 4 min read

How Much Extra Tile to Order

Why area alone never gives an honest order quantity, what drives wastage up, and why a few boxes from the same batch matter years later.

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Monochrome checkerboard floor tile showing fine grout joints
Detailing · 5 min read

Grout and Joints: What to Specify

Joint width, cementitious versus epoxy, colour strategy and movement joints — the detail that decides how a floor looks after five years.

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Poolside terrace paved in textured outdoor porcelain
Safety · 5 min read

Slip Resistance in Tiles, Explained

R ratings, barefoot classes and DCOF in plain language — and which surface belongs on a bathroom floor, a terrace and a poolside.

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Grey marble-effect porcelain slab display wall
Brand Study · 4 min read

Nexion Large-Format Surfaces, Explained

Book-matched slabs, oxide and concrete finishes, formats to 1600x3200 mm — where a slab surface earns its place, and how to judge one honestly.

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Matt black basin mixer on a stone vanity
Brand Study · 4 min read

CoalBrook Bath Fittings, Explained

A restrained, architectural vocabulary — where considered proportion and quiet detailing matter more than a statement fitting.

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Why we publish these

Imperial Design Concepts is a curated material studio, not a volume retailer. Our work begins with helping clients make better decisions, and a good decision needs context that a product display alone cannot give. New guides are added regularly — they follow the questions we hear at the studio in Mohali from homeowners, architects and builders across Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur and wider Punjab.

Reading is preparation; seeing is deciding. Every guide ends where every good material decision ends — with the material in your hand, in daylight, at the studio.

Questions We Are Asked Often

Questions about this guide

Are these guides specific to Indian homes and conditions?

Yes. Everything here assumes Indian construction practice — RCC structures, wet-area bathrooms, Indian plumbing conventions and the climate of north India. Advice written for dry-wall construction or European plumbing often translates poorly, which is why we write our own.

Can I get advice for my specific project?

That is what the studio is for. Bring your drawings, or simply your room sizes and photographs, to Imperial Design Concepts at Plot No. 729, Industrial Area JLPL, Sector 82, Mohali — open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. A consultation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Do you suggest new guide topics?

The list grows from client questions. If something confused you during your project — a term, a claim a contractor made, a choice you were rushed into — tell us at the studio or on WhatsApp and it is likely to become the next guide.

Continue at the Studio

Reading prepares the decision. Seeing settles it.

Bring your drawings or simply your questions to the studio in Sector 82, Mohali — we will work through them against real material.

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