Sometimes life is all about a fresh start. Sometimes all one needs for a new perspective is the inspiration of another person’s actions.
One glance at Gaspard Tiné-Berès’ design work caught my attention, but it was as I learned more about his Short-Circuit trio of appliances and the affirmative business plan behind them that inspiration came.
Tile mosaics, and thus tiny tile, have been around since before the fall of Pompeii…
image via thedogsofpompeii.com
However, the little tiles had to be hand cut, and the mosaics carefully assembled by hand. All of which made them a luxury item for centuries.
These days, the advent of new, computerized manufacturing techniques have made teensy, tiny tile increasingly easy to produce in a uniform manner. Some of these tiles are no more than 1/4″ to 1″ square, and come pre-assembled on backing sheets which significantly reduce the labor needed to install them.
This has made it ever more affordable to cover entire floors and walls with beautiful mosaics made of ceramic, porcelain, and even glass tile. You can see more examples on my “Trending – Tiny Tile” board on Pinterest.
Personally, I love the shimmer of the glass tile mosaics, especially the metallic ones. There is something so magical about them when the light hits just right.
How about you? Have you seen a tiny tile installation recently? What did you think?
Happy Friday everyone! See you next week!
Rachel
The glass panels are clean, contemplative, luminous… and evocative of spring?
Well, yes, all that. There are a many sustainable glass products out there, but this creation by Coverings Etc. is impressive in a quiet, well-grounded, Zen kind of way.
Seen close up, Bio-glass evokes carpets of emerald moss, the dark, bare beauty of trees after an autumn rain, the shimmer of ice and snow. As part of a project, it’s sumptuous, striking, and restful all at the same time. Take a look here. Read the rest of this entry
In the depths of winter the primal side of us emerges in a longing for nourishing food, cheerful company, comfort, and the security of warmth. In the past all this often came together before the fireplace. What better than to snuggle up and watch the flames flicker and dance, as the fire turns one’s home into a snug little burrow?
Today, however, the sheer energy-inefficiency of a traditional fireplace can make it a less-than-desirable fixture in one’s household. Yet the allure of captive flame remains. So, how to satisfy that ancient longing?
Why, bypass the fireplace, of course.
Enter Wall Flame I & II, the sleek brain-children of Michael Rösing, managing director of Radius Design, in Brühl, Germany. Gone is the large, surrounding containment structure, gone the flue, gone the chimney. In short, gone is the fireplace itself, and in its place is left a simplicity of flame. Read the rest of this entry
This little jewel is already creating buzz, but, in case you haven’t seen the Plantini yet, be prepared to be charmed.
Okay, so I’m a sucker for the Victorianesque. But isn’t it exquisite? Thanks to the collaboration of Glasgow architectural model makers Finch & Fouracre and the folks at Another Studio for Design in London, U.K., one needn’t have a grand estate in order to own a beautiful Victorian hothouse… in miniature, that is. Read the rest of this entry
What do post-consumer porcelain, empty glass bottles, and post-industrial process granite dust have in common?
No, it’s not their presence in a landfill. Not if Fireclay Tile has any say in the matter.
Since its founding in 1986 the San Jose, CA, company has striven to minimize its environmental impact. The product is hand-molded from extruded clays using recycled materials, unprocessed stoneware clays, and minerals, so each tile has its own natural character. Glazes are mixed in-house and never contain any lead material.
Fireclay recycles its kiln heat, water, and all manufacturing waste, which is then re-used in other parts of the business. 99% of all scrap clay is recycled back into new tile and 80% of all glaze over-spray is collected and recycled. Waste not, want not.
In particular they produce two tile lines to which I’d like to draw your attention. Read the rest of this entry
Sometimes a company’s product is difficult to define: I had this trouble while browsing Tim Leefeldt’s RailroadWare website. Is it rustic? Industrial? Modern? Nostalgic? Well, take a look.
You decide.
There’s simplicity in these glass and steel designs, a clean look, one that’s versatile enough to be used in any number of decoration schemes. I think they would complement just about any setting.
As much as possible, the materials are reclaimed objects. Old glass & ceramic insulators, traffic light lenses, and hardened steel parts – the clips, spikes, and random hardware so abundant along unused rail lines – all hand-gathered by the artist and repurposed into lighting, door & cabinet hardware, and home furnishings. Read the rest of this entry
Although I no longer provide full service residential design, I do consult on projects for several general contractors and architects. One such contractor I LOVE to work with is Wes Harding of Harding Construction and Sustainable Solutions. His clients love him too, hence him and his team (including moi) being invited to a client’s house for dinner to celebrate a recently completed kitchen remodel. And celebrate they should, because look where this project started…
This is before. Isn’t that a weird location for the sink? Not to mention the majorly blah nature of that white and beige scheme!
So look what we did….
Does anything feel as luxurious as a warm towel on a cold autumn morning? Mmmmm…. Cozy!
With the Thermique Heated Glass Towel Warmer, you can have have that wonderful warm fuzzy towel without sacrificing style, or the environment. Read the rest of this entry
Although having your own business has many perks – making your own hours being a major one – there is a big downside in that if you get sick, there is no one who can really take on your workload until you get better. I found that out the hard way this year, when I became very ill in January, an illness which left me functioning at about 50% for most of the rest of this year. Not good!
Happily, my doctors have figured out how to bring me back to 100%. I feel GREAT!
Now comes the tough part – getting caught up! So, in the interest of keeping my clients, editors, friends and family happy, today’s post is short.
Really short….
Behold!
My current favorite tile. Oceanside Glasstile’s Muse Ovation in Tidepool.
The End.
Thanks for visiting,
Rachel
The interioRevolution is a design blog devoted exclusively to sustainable interior design. Through product reviews, guest blogs by experts in their fields, special features and spirited discussion, the interioRevolution provides new knowledge and expands the dialogue on sustainable interior design.
