One of the unique attractions of Coverings to UK visitors is the opportunity to see a great selection of the plethora of committed, creative artisanal tile producers active in the USA: companies that otherwise would not come on the UK tile sector’s radar.
For 2017, as in previous years, they were largely grouped in a compact village of small stands; so the impact value per square metre is significantly enhanced.
One of the standout manufacturers this year was Lunada Bay Tile. They are at the larger, more ‘professional’, end of the artisanal spectrum; but are no less impressive as a result.
Lunada Bay Tile designs and produces hand-crafted glass, ceramic, pewter, stone and wood tiles with the emphasis on simplicity, texture and colour … so you know you are going to like the results.
There were two particularly striking ranges on offer this year. Origami Mosaic takes inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. The result are delicate angles and subtle geometries that take the typical forms of origami and recreates them in 3D glass mosaic. There were four patterns: Nami, Sway, Vesper and Vesper Twist (all shown above). The shapes include hexagons, squares and elongated hexagonal cuboids. Very beautiful and an extremely versatile up-market decor option.
Tommy Bahama has partnered with Lunada Bay Tile to create a premier collection of tiles featuring hand-crafted glass blends inspired by exotic, virgin habitats from around the globe: The Maldives, Cocos Keeling, Kangaroo Island, Raja Ampact, Surin, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Socotra, Atacama and Aogashima.
They come in 1in by 1in square, 1in by 2in and 1in by 4in brick, 1/2in by 4in brick and zigzag chevrons, and an effective combination of 1/2in by 1/2in squares and 1in by 2in brick termed Vineyard. The blended colours are restful yet powerful, with subtle notes of stronger hues artfully mixed with restful neutrals. This is a truly stunning addition to the mosaic pantheon.
Further coverage of the design trends at Coverings 2017 can be found in Tile & Stone Journal May 2017, Pages 48-65, or online.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, April 2017.