Special Report: The Magic of Tile
Usually when one imagines tile or stone, they think of it being used in the bathroom, the kitchen or
an outdoor patio. In commercial space, people envision the lobby floor of a corporate building. Images
of colored 3"x3" tiles or limestone pavements predominate typically.
More and more, unusual sizes, patterns, textures and images have developed in the tile world. To drive the point home, Arlene Hirst, Deputy Director of Metropolitan Home magazine, hosted a panel discussion of the direction of tile and stone in today's residential and commercial projects.
"Tile is moving away from the kitchen and bathroom," says Arlene Hirst, "and spreading to the living spaces of the house." One of the latest trends is that tile has become fashion forward. Metallic tiles with silver, bronze or gold lights are inspired by the couture of the fashion world. Artistic Tile's Ironworks collection reflects a striking array of metallic tiles.
For the truly decadent, there are gold mosaics — as in the Damasco Oro Giallo tile collection by Bisazza Tile. Each tessara (individual mosaic tile piece) contains real 24-karat gold leaf sandwiched between layers of glass.
Bisazza Tile also created tiles mimicking fashion patterns such as the classic houndstooth pattern in their Pied de Poule Rosso collection.
Besides patterns, three dimensional tiles with texture, resembling woven fabrics or rugs are
popular, as in Artistic Tile's Sisal collection. These textured tiles now pop up in living rooms,
media rooms, and dining rooms.
Hastings Tile & Bath offers leather-looking porcelain tiles such as their MaTouch Croco series — a crocodile leather look and Bisazza as well with their Crocodile Black tile. These sophisticated, sexy tiles have moved from the bathroom floor to the bedroom walls.
Another trend is to replicate the decoratively patterned wallpapers. Bisazza Tile designed mosaics that resemble richly patterned wallpaper as in the Springrose tile — a dramatic image of large spring roses.
One of the panelists, Laurent Lisimachio of Gensler Architects, notes that "residential and commercial tile are coming closer". The boring beige or gray tiles of the boardroom are giving way to tiles with digital images embedded in it. Company logos or images can be created into tiles.
Richard Mishaan of RM Interior Design also points out the strong trend towards green products. Recycled glass tiles or recycled porcelain tiles are very popular choices. One tile company, Floor Gres of Italy, introduced Ecotech tiles — the first porcelain tile that completely uses the leftover powders and residue of other products. The resulting tile is a textured composite of chips and grain.
Sheffield Top Tip:For those who want to avoid depleting the forests, there are porcelain tiles that are created to look like wood. For instance, Gambarelli Tile's Sequoia line has the look of durmast oak and they are available in plank sizes. They also carry cherry wood-like tiles, as in the Atlantis tile collection.
If you want to bring a hint of nature into your home, there's even tile made of underwater river pebbles. Artistic Tile offers their Riverstone collection composed of river pebbles encased in transparent resin. Select tiles even have seashells embedded in them.
Many of these tiles come in different formats now besides the standard 12"x12" square tiles. Some come in rectangular sizes 12"x24" or oversized formats like 24"x48" for large commercial applications or for residential walls.
As tastes grow more sophisticated and as demand for environmentally-friendly products expand, the tile industry is ready to meet the changes. These aren't your grandmother's tiles anymore!
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