June 29, 2011
Miles of Tiles
As a designer working on new construction and remodel projects, I am always surrounded by tile. Miles and miles of tile. It is my job to not only to assist clients in selecting a tile that will be appropriate in their home but also relevant or on trend for the next ten to fifteen plus years. Thus being said, I am always on the search for the newest and most interesting never before seen tile.
While still in design school, I toured a home on the AIA Austin homes tour and I distinctly remembered stepping into a study in which the floor had been laid with 12” x 12” leather tiles. Leather is a very durable product and I assumed this was an ok installation because this was not a high traffic area. I thought this was a beautiful design touch on the part of the designer/architect.
I recently attended the reopening and newly remodeled tile showroom, American Tile. There, I was introduced to the company Stonepeak Ceramics and their tile was nothing short of pretty damn cool!
Now, thanks to Stonepeak Ceramics, I can have “leather” tile anywhere I like with the added bonus of durability and easy maintenance:
Also on the market, is a new technique of printing on ceramic or porcelain tile. Instead of rolling on a pattern onto the tile, the tile is now stamped via ink jet giving a the tile a more realistic appearance. Sometimes, I am even fooled by ceramic that looks exactly like travertine. What is really impressive is the Slate Series by Stonepeak Ceramic. Slate, which is a commonly used as flooring and roofing shingles is on avgerage more expensive than other natural flooring products. But with new advances in technology these visible difference between natural stone products and man made are becoming pretty blurry (in a good way)!
Can you tell which is the real slate???
Ha, fooled ya!!
Neither! Both are ceramic material AND 71% recycled material. I wish I had known of this ceramic “slate” earlier and I would of suggested installing it on the patio of the custom home I just completed designing. View the home here: Stephen F. Austin.
I have one more tile trick up my sleeve and I’ll let you carry on. Can you guess what the flooring below is made of??
NOPE, its not wood. It’s ceramic tiles made to look exactly like wood! The benefits to installing this look alike wood product is endless. Durable, inexpensive, easy to clean and will not warp with the ever changing climate in Austin.
What’s not to like about all of these new ceramic products. Who’s ready for a new floor to dance across?
Find me and my other interior design projects on my website: allisonjaffe.com
