Visual artist Anna Kesäniemi flits between mediums. Collage, textile design, paint, and sculpture each offer new opportunities for Kesäniemi’s playful eye. Her roots in graphic design and illustration inject her work with stories and imagination, adding life and layers of detail in colours both bold and unexpected. Her recent focus on ceramics embraces this same style. Tiles and shapes serve as canvases where texture and … Continue reading Anna Kesäniemi
M. C. Escher lives anew in the magic creations of Lisa Schmidt. In her Seattle studio, opened in 2021, sits Good Press Ceramics, a place where the freedom of clay is explored and enjoyed. With huge amounts of freedom from finish, texture, shade, and shape, ceramics offer endless opportunities to learn new skills, hone techniques, and play with new ideas. For Schmidt, ceramics add uncertainty … Continue reading Emulating Escher
With glistening beginnings in 2001, Studio Vetro – then Vetro Designer – started off as a producer of glass tiles. Following the global tastes and trends, Studio Petro began to pivot in 2014, redirecting their energy into ceramic tiles and establishing a selection of customisable designs made in collaboration with Brazilian creatives such as Marina De Nadai, Ana Paula Castro, and Paulo Niemeyer, the grandson … Continue reading Studio Vetro
If you love playful interiors and unique, functional art, you’ll love this curated collection of companies and artists. 1) Hal Haines In bold and beautiful colours, Hal Haines translates the everyday into wonderful, whimsical scenes that live in perpetual summer. Read more about his work here. 2) César Bazaar Through collaborations with artists from around the world, César Bazaar has created a cement tile portfolio … Continue reading Six tile companies and artists drenched in colour and fun
My first look at the vibrant work of Brazilian tile company Studio Latitude was during an Instagram ‘research’ sesh, when I stumbled upon this (pictured below, and featured in our most recent Get the Look post), an intensely joyful, sunshine-filled shower decorated in tiles I didn’t recognise. Although the company wasn’t tagged in the post, a quick reverse image search revealed the tile design – … Continue reading Studio Latitude
In a collaboration with the vibrant luxury boutique hotel in Barbados – Cobblers Cove – Bert & May‘s new collection brings the lively energy of the Caribbean to a striking set of tile rugs. Leafy shapes and geometric designs form playful borders made to be mixed and matched for unique layouts. Adding layers to the tile rugs, palm frond patterns, bold cross hatching, and wavy … Continue reading Caribbean Charm with Cobblers Cove
Using the strikingly elegant wax-resist method, Artistic Abode‘s hand crafted tiles are bursting with vibrant pigments, laced with intricate designs, and dripping in timeless charm. A series of Egyptian revival tiles blend Art Deco glamour with the intrigue of Egyptian motifs. These unique creations form extravagant borders, or decorate spaced with infinitely captivating colours and shapes. The iconic forms of Celtic crosses also feature in … Continue reading Artistic Abode
A few years ago we shared a little of the magnificently unique tile designs of South Africa-based Veelvlak Signature Surfaces. Now, with the addition of Veelvlak FRĒODŌM, their artistic approach to tiles takes on dizzying new heights. Striking, hand-sculpted, multidimensional designs play with texture and imperfection for bold statement interiors. Playful colour mixing and glaze effects pair with shape for artistic features and delicate imagery scatters … Continue reading VEELVLAK FRĒODŌM
A plethora of patterns for patchwork perfection make up the creative catalogue of Moroccan company Kraftsol. With styles that track trends and motifs with a timeless soul, Kraftsol’s cement tiles are made for all. Classic waves, geometrics, and half-moons form their traditional offerings – a tasteful group of old school aesthetics in neutral tones, whilst a few circles, wave designs, and splatter effects offer retro … Continue reading Kraftsol
Adding yet again to our never ending list of tile companies and delightful patterns, today we’re talking Glazentile. Sharing a passion for authenticity in design, skilled craftsmanship, and the endless possibilities afforded by creativity, the husband and wife team behind Glazentile work with master artisans to create a collection of cement, zellige, and bejmat tiles that blend tradition with modernity. With classic Arabesque patterns like … Continue reading Glazentile
It has been four years since our last look at Austrian company Karak so it’s time for a refresher. If you’d like a bit of background or more information on their production process read this first! Their trio of first-rate finishes (Screenprinted Raku, Screenprinted White, and Embossed Relief) all tell the tales of an artisan’s hand. Crackles, pockets of pigment, and marks from the tongs … Continue reading Karak Revisted
If you’re into unique, striking, and boundary-pushing art, today’s tile company feature is exactly what you need. Based in Girona, Spain, Bussoga blends the modular magic of mathematics with a wildly creative attitude, giving life to an enormous catalogue of incredible ceramics unlike any you have seen before. Founded in 2010 by Josep Motas, who was later joined by Irina Grosu, Bussoga was created to … Continue reading Bussoga: Beyond Brilliant
It all began on the Isle of Skye in 2007, supplying ceramic picture tiles of castle views to the local castles. Now Skye Tiles is a whole operation with over 250 designs of art tiles depicting scenic Scottish views, wildlife, flowers, sea-life, holiday scenes, clan crests, and a whole bunch of nostalgic imagery. The tiles are tube-lines, creating a delightfully tactile 3D relief to capture … Continue reading See Scotland through Skye Tiles
During a routine scout about the internet to find tiling treats to share I stumbled across a veritable treasure trove of hydraulic designs. The name of this treasure trove? Tsourlakis Tiles. This Greek company’s catalogue features all the greats – traditional Victorian designs, geometric patterns, and intricate repeat motifs – but amongst these wonderful tiles sit a bunch that are a whole lot more unusual. … Continue reading The Treasure of Tsourlakis Tiles
Today we’re sharing two branches of the same creative family tree – StoneImpressions and Livden. The story of StoneImpressions began almost three decades ago in a makeshift studio where Melinda Earl transformed simple natural stone into patterned beauties using a patented process. Textured stone and the irregular patterns created by veining and tonal variation create an enticing background for the orderly and finessed designs printed … Continue reading Creative Company Duo
This one’s for all the Canadians looking for artisanal cement creations! Based in Quebec, Hydrotuiles produce custom, made to order, handmade hydraulic tiles one by one. Their catalogue includes countless patterns to pick from, with traditional motifs, modern abstract designs, and simple arrangements all ready to be picked and personalised. Falling maple leaves and flying geese bring the Canadian spirit whilst patterns like Petrus, Sirius, … Continue reading Canadian Cement
We’re adding to our massive list of companies today with an online retailer offering tiles full of finesse. Thoughtfully formed 3D shapes and watercolour glazes as well as deeply pigmented Moroccan zellige, handmade terracotta, and hand painted traditional Portuguese tiles make up the curated collections from Loja Do Azulejo. Twisting, angular, geometric roses, 3D striped hexagons, asymmetric wedges, scored motifs, and classic shapes in a … Continue reading Loja Do Azulejo
Apicer’s 2024 The Art of Possibility Tour of Portugal proved hugely inspirational. It offered Diary of a Tile Addict’s Joe Simpson a wonderful opportunity to visit some of the country’s leading manufacturers, see numerous examples of ceramic street art, experience tile’s massive contribution to contemporary Portuguese architecture, and – best of all – get fully immersed in the history, heritage, and passion that drives Portugal’s … Continue reading Primus Vitoria: production paradox
One of the most respected Portuguese tile brands, Recer was founded in 1977. Today it is a medium sized producer of porcelain tiles, and ceramic wall tiles, offering home owners and designers a wide range of contemporary solutions with its wide and diversified product portfolio. In 2022, Recer produced around 5 million sq. metres of tiles, achieving total sales of Euro 45.3 million. Sustainable … Continue reading Recer: sublime surface selection
Folding, rippling, and forming into a cane is what millefiori is all about. Literally ‘a thousand flowers’, millefiori is an ancient process used to manipulate clay or glass, with each bend and twist creating a uniquely kaleidoscopic pattern hidden within a long, unassuming pole. And it’s millefiori that forms the basis of the many marvellous designs found on DoodlePippin. Artist and DoodlePippin owner Ruth uses … Continue reading DoodlePippin
