Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Owning a home on Tamborine Mountain means being surrounded by beauty every time you step out of your front door. But what about the inside? That’s where Erin Lane of The Hill Station Interiors comes in, who since May of 2023 has been offering quality products and an expert eye to mountain residents for all their tile and flooring needs. It’s been an interesting journey with unique twists and turns, and she’s more than happy to lay some tiles down on memory lane to walk it with us today.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How did you get started with the business?
We’ve been in the construction and design industry for many years. We moved up here at the end of last year, and we have always sold tiles and flooring on the side. We did it by referral and to people that we already knew, local builders, and we just wanted to offer people on the mountain the opportunity to get really good quality premium products without paying a premium.
For those who might not be familiar, can you explain what it is you offer here?
We offer a very large range of tiles and timber flooring. We have mostly engineered floor, but we also do hybrid flooring as well. All sorts of wall and floor tiles and marble mosaics.
Where does the name come from?
I’ve loved travelling and I really like cooler mountainous climates. Up from the coastal cities in south-east Asia they would have these hill towns where people could escape to on holidays to get away from the heat. They’re always very charming places, a lot like Tamborine Mountain, with beautiful buildings and parks and gardens. They call them hill towns or hill stations! I liked the name because that’s how I see Tamborine Mountain, like a little respite from the coast.
Do you do custom orders? How does the process work?
Yes, everything is custom order. I’m a designer, and my husband has been in the industry for almost 30 years. He knows what works, having been a wall and floor tiler by trade. We work really well together because I push the envelope a lot more design-wise, whereas he can just talk through all of the technical information with a client. We work well in that regard. We’re more than happy to help someone put together a design scheme because I find that most people have an idea, or a concept in their head of what they want, but they’re not sure how to bring it all together. We have a number of suppliers, and we’ll place an order through them and it’s usually a 2-3 day turnaround, provided stock’s in. It’s a very straightforward process!
Where do you source your stock from?
Most of our tiles come from Italy, Spain or China. We do have plenty of Australian-made tiles as well, and we use some of Australia’s biggest and most trusted tile wholesalers.
What’s your most popular product?
I would say people still really enjoy a small patterned tile. They’re also really enjoying a large format, like a 600 by 600, that looks like a terrazzo. They look good, they have a bit of a mid-century vibe and they work great in a lot of coastal homes.
Are there any particular trends in your clientele?
Younger people, older people, there hasn’t been a particular demographic. What I am noticing is that so many people on the mountain are renovating something for an Airbnb! I think it’s because there’s been a real shortage of holiday accommodation so people are renovating an old cottage or something like that and fitting it out.
Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
We are, we live just up the road! I love it. We lived down the coast for 10 years. As much as my husband loved living on the water, I needed to be surrounded by green again. I wanted to live somewhere where my kids could walk to school, where there was a stronger sense of community. We’ve met some great people here, like Victoria from The French Garden next door and Phil & Lorraine who own Willow & Sage. Everyone’s been extremely welcoming. I prefer to support local business wherever I can so at the moment, I’m trying to find out where I can get all those little bits and pieces and build my routine around that!
Is there anything you personally like to do in the area?
I’m a potterer, so if I’m going to go somewhere, probably my two favourite places are the health food stores, Sacred Earth and the Olive Branch over on Main St. I love gardening and being at home. That’s pretty much us!
What do you think The Hill Station provides to the area?
I think it provides an option for people who don’t want to go down the mountain, because it’s become very strongly apparent that once you’re up here, you don’t want to leave! That’s what it is: we’ve got great local builders and trades, and the Mitre 10 is excellent, so it’s just about giving people an option where they can get service and more design consideration without paying more for it.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
The design side. I get really excited when I put a scheme together and I know it’s going to look amazing. And when clients get excited about it! That’s probably the best part. The worst part is that you don’t always see the finished product!
What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here?
We had a couple in on the weekend who were referred to us. They wanted to make a feature, and all they could come up with was an idea that they didn’t really like that much. So I made a suggestion for a really beautiful 150 by 150 artisan tile, which look really handmade and come in these beautiful glaze variations. I showed them a couple of inspiration images of other bathrooms that I’d seen and suggested alternating two of these colours on their feature wall that would harmonise with the rest of it, and you could tell they were getting excited about it!
Do you have any plans for the future of The Hill Station?
The other thing that I’m looking at doing in the next few months is expanding my range. I would like to add cabinetry, hardware, tapware, and custom-made curtains to our list of services.
The Hill Station Interiors
8 SIGANTO ST, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN, QLD 4270
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com
