Johnson Tiles Brings Material Detail to a Growing Padel Club

Padel has become one of the standout growth stories in UK sport, with participation rising from just 15,000 players in 2019 to over one million by May 2026, across 1,825 courts and 551 venues (Source: LTA). That growth has brought a wave of new venues into towns and cities across the country and with it, rising demand for design-led clubs built around social connection and recovery as much as the game itself.

That shift is reflected in the latest UK opening from Padium, a premium padel operator building on the success of its London flagship with a new destination in Cardiff. Working alongside interior architecture practice ORCA Studios, Johnson Tiles supported the specification for the project helping translate an ambitious design brief into a workable material scheme.

Set within a converted warehouse, the Cardiff club is arranged across two connected zones, a social clubhouse area and a competitive court space, linked by a mezzanine level and a dramatic tunnel-style entrance. The layout was designed to take members on a deliberate journey, shifting the mood from relaxed social space to high-energy sporting arena.

For the changing suites, spa and recovery areas, the specification called for surfaces that could hold up to sustained footfall and moisture exposure while still contributing to the elevated, considered feel ORCA Studios wanted throughout the building. Johnson Tiles’ Minerals Wall Dolomite Natural Linear tiles were specified for the walls, paired with District Ash porcelain flooring in both Grip and Natural finishes at 900x900mm, a large format chosen to support the scheme’s more refined, spa-like aesthetic.

Matthew Constantinou, Founder of ORCA Studios, said the ambition for the project was to raise the standard across every part of the build, from the spatial planning through to the material choices, particularly within the wellness areas where finish and consistency mattered most.

Padium’s Operations Manager, Max Lutostanski, described the Cardiff site as a step further into the brand’s wider vision, one focused on recovery, connection and a genuine sense of occasion, with material selection playing a central role in achieving that.

The finished scheme brings together structured wall tiling and large-format flooring to create a cohesive, tactile backdrop across the club’s changing and wellness spaces, supporting both the practical demands of a high-traffic leisure venue and the growing ambitions of one of the UK’s fastest-expanding sports.

Photo credits: Jon Aaron Green

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