20 Years of Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms: How Our Woking Showroom Is Evolving
Twenty years ago, Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms opened its doors with a simple ambition: to create somewhere that felt different from a traditional tile or bathroom shop.
We wanted customers to be able to explore beautiful products, see how they could work together and receive genuine, knowledgeable advice from people who understood design as well as the practical realities of a renovation.
Two decades later, that principle has not changed.
What has changed is the showroom around it.
Since opening in 2006, Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms has grown into an award-winning independent tile and bathroom retailer with an established reputation across Woking, Guildford and the wider Surrey area. Our Woking showroom has evolved into a complete design destination, with more than 35 bathroom room-sets, extensive tile collections, interactive displays and dedicated spaces for planning projects.
As we celebrate 20 years, we are looking back at how far we have come — and why continuing to evolve remains such an important part of what we do.
From a Single Display to a Complete Design Destination
The Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms story began long before today’s showroom took shape.
Founder Phil Shorter had already spent years working within the tile and bathroom sector before developing the business from modest beginnings selling end-of-line Porcelanosa tiles from a small sales counter with a single display stand.
Today, that has grown into an award-winning showroom built around tile and bathroom design, but Phil remains very much involved in the business and with customers visiting the showroom. You can meet Phil and the wider team on our Meet the Team page.
That continuity matters to us.
Although the showroom has become larger, more sophisticated and more design-led, we have deliberately remained independent and personal.
Customers are not simply selecting a product code from a catalogue. They can discuss how they use their bathroom, what they like, what frustrates them about their existing space and what they want the finished room to feel like.
A Showroom That Keeps Changing
A 20-year-old business does not need to look like a 20-year-old showroom.
During 2025 and 2026 we invested significantly in creating a new-look showroom experience, with the final phase of the transformation now complete.
The changes include a redesigned tile gallery, refreshed bathroom room-sets, new bathroom brands, improved design spaces and more interactive ways to explore our collections. (surreytilesandbathrooms.com)
The aim was not simply to make the showroom look newer.
We wanted to change the way customers could use it.
A bathroom project involves dozens of interconnected decisions — tiles, colours, furniture, taps, showers, storage, lighting and accessories. Our showroom has evolved to make it easier to explore those decisions together rather than treating each product as a separate purchase.
Our Tile Gallery Has Become Interactive
Tiles are one of the most difficult products to choose online.
A small digital image cannot properly show scale, texture, variation or how a finish reacts to light.
Our reimagined tile gallery allows customers to browse hundreds of wall, floor and feature designs in a more accessible format.
We have also introduced our “Explore, Scan, Discover More” experience.
Individual tiles include QR codes that customers can scan to see additional information, including available formats, pricing and complementary designs. There is also a dedicated Creative Zone where tiles can be placed together, samples compared and combinations explored before decisions are made.
It combines something we strongly believe in — seeing and touching products physically — with the convenience of having additional information instantly available.
35+ Bathroom Room-Sets — Because Products Need Context
We have always believed that seeing a basin or tap individually is very different from seeing it as part of a finished bathroom.
Our showroom now includes more than 35 bathroom room-sets, designed to demonstrate how furniture, sanitaryware, showers, baths, brassware and tiles can work together.
The displays cover everything from compact cloakrooms and en-suites through to larger principal bathrooms.
They are also continually refreshed.
New products, colours, finishes and design ideas are introduced so that the showroom remains useful to customers looking for current inspiration rather than becoming a static display.
You can explore some of the products and combinations currently featured in our bathroom inspiration gallery.
Porcelanosa: A Relationship That Goes Back to the Beginning
Porcelanosa has particular significance in the Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms story.
It was the first brand featured in the showroom when we opened, and today we continue to offer one of the UK’s most comprehensive independent displays of Porcelanosa tiles and bathrooms.
In 2025, Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms was named Porcelanosa’s No.1 Independent Retailer in the UK, performing ahead of more than 125 retailers.
It was also the 12th time we had received this recognition from the brand.
For us, awards are not simply something to place on the wall. Recognition from a manufacturer we have worked with for almost the entire life of the business reinforces the importance of maintaining strong product knowledge, presentation and customer service year after year.
Recognition From The Tile Association
2026 brought another milestone.
Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms was named Small Retailer of the Year at The Tile Association Awards 2026.
The award recognised the showroom’s continued investment in retail experience, including the redesigned tile gallery, interactive technology, new Signature Collection and updated bathroom displays.
This followed our Excellence in Retail win at The Tile Association Awards in 2023, when the showroom was recognised for creating something more than a conventional retail space — a place where customers could explore design ideas in a personal, creative environment.
Our award-winning status is something we are proud of, but what matters most is what customers experience when they walk through the door.
What Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms Reviews Tell Us
People searching for Surrey Tiles and Bathrooms reviews are often trying to answer a simple question:
Can I trust this company with my bathroom or tile project?
The customer feedback featured throughout our website repeatedly highlights several things: product choice, knowledgeable advice, attention to detail, helpful service and the support customers receive from initial planning through to delivery.
Customers from Woking, Guildford, Dorking, Virginia Water and surrounding areas describe everything from full bathroom design projects to choosing tiles for kitchens and renovations.
That feedback matters because bathrooms can be significant investments.
Customers need to feel confident not only that the products are right, but that someone will answer questions, help resolve problems and guide them through decisions when required.
That personal service is one of the benefits we believe an independent retailer can provide.
Design Has Become an Even Bigger Part of What We Do
As the showroom has evolved, so has our approach to bathroom planning.
Our 3D bathroom design service gives customers the opportunity to work closely with an experienced designer and explore how the finished space could look before ordering products.
Rather than simply deciding whether a bath or vanity will fit, customers can consider:
- Layout
- Storage
- Tile combinations
- Product scale
- Colours and finishes
- Lighting
- Practical circulation space
Private design areas within the showroom provide space to develop those ideas while surrounded by the products and materials being considered.
It means the showroom is increasingly somewhere to plan a complete project, not simply somewhere to buy individual products.
Still Independent. Still Personal. Still Evolving.
The bathroom and tile industry has changed enormously since 2006.
Products have become more sophisticated, tile formats have grown, technology has changed the way bathrooms are designed and customers arrive with more inspiration than ever before.
Our role has changed with it.
But the core idea behind Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms remains much the same: offer quality products, give honest and knowledgeable advice and create a showroom where people can feel inspired rather than overwhelmed.
Being an independent business also means we can continue choosing the products, brands and displays we genuinely believe deserve a place in the showroom.
Alongside established names such as Porcelanosa, Hansgrohe and Villeroy & Boch, we continue to introduce new brands and have developed our own Signature Collection of tiles to broaden the choice available to customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms been established?
Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms opened in 2006 and has now been helping homeowners create bathrooms and tiled interiors for 20 years. The independent business has grown from modest beginnings into an award-winning bathroom and tile showroom serving Woking and the wider Surrey area.
Where is the Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms showroom?
The Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms showroom is in Woking, Surrey. It features more than 35 bathroom room-sets, an extensive tile gallery, creative planning areas and interactive displays where customers can compare products, materials and finishes in person.
What awards has Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms won?
Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms was named Porcelanosa’s No.1 Independent Retailer in the UK for 2025, having received Porcelanosa recognition multiple times. The business was also named Small Retailer of the Year at The Tile Association Awards 2026, following an earlier Excellence in Retail award
Come and See How the Showroom Has Changed
Twenty years gives us plenty to look back on, but we are much more interested in what comes next.
The latest evolution of our Woking showroom brings together more than 35 bathroom displays, hundreds of tile designs, interactive technology, creative planning areas and a team with decades of combined industry experience.
If you have not visited for a while, it may look rather different from the showroom you remember.
And if you have never visited before, we would love to show you around.
Explore our Woking tile and bathroom showroom, discover our latest bathroom collections and tile ranges, or speak to our team about using our bathroom design service for your next project.
Twenty years in, we are proud of where Surrey Tiles & Bathrooms has come from — and just as excited about where it is going next.
