If, like me, you love Moroccan encaustic tiles or the decorative floors of Spain’s Moorish palaces – and you still want a tile fix even if you are not heading out to Bologna for Cersaie this year – why not trot along to the Restaurant & Bar Design Show at ExCel on 26th and 27th September?
I can’t promise a vast array of tile exhibitors, but I can guarantee that at least one very special portfolio will be laid out in all its glory. That is because Alhambra Tiles, who made such a strong impression at Clerkenwell Design Week earlier this year, will be exhibiting.
Restaurants are among Alhambra’s biggest clients, and the company has fulfilled some very interesting projects, including bespoke colours, bespoke patterns and bespoke shapes; such as giant hexagons for the Stokehouse in the Nova Building, London. Other clients include Pizza Express, La Tasca, Parkers (Dubai), Pink Mamma (Paris), Gorms Pizza (Copenhagen) and the Nico Osteria Restaurant within the Thompson Hotel, Chicago … an impressive list indeed.
Alhambra can supply bespoke patterns for private clients, but also offers a cool choice of ‘off-the-peg’ designs; many of which come in at surprisingly low prices. Underlining the Moorish heritage conveyed by the company’s name, stand-out ranges include the exquisite Granada and Seville / Cielo collections, which can provide a clear note of authentic Spanish style to any project.
In contrast to Alhambra’s signature patterned tiles, the company has now curated a great selection of keenly-priced cement-effect porcelain; a truly on-trend collection for today’s interior stylists.
Alhambra will also be presenting the fabulous yet functional Modern Industrial Range, whose Kilim Collection has undergone a quiet revolution of late.
And if past Tile Addict postings have alerted you to the delights and design possibilities of cobogós – pierced construction elements used to construct screens or walls that allow the passage of air and light, while at the same time providing privacy and protection – Alhambra has something to offer that is very hard to find in the UK. The fabulous Gaudi Lattice Brick Collection is billed by Alhambra as “the most cutting-edge thing out there, in our opinion, and not available from any other UK supplier, as far as we know.” I tend to agree on both fronts.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, September 2017.