Needing an easy-to-clean floor in a rental beach condo a client used our Basketweave cement tile to replace carpeting that was needing frequent cleanings.
The living room and kitchen areas were already tiled with a nondescript big box tile which of course was thinner than our cement tile. This is no problem as the creative tile layer picked up some pre-assembled mosaic tile strips at Lowe’s to use to create a threshold between the rooms. They work beautifully.
We think the Basketweave is a great choice for a beach-y tropical look and we promise to add photos to the blog when the rooms are completed.
For the longest time we only had graphic images of our popular Patchwork Mix tile. Now that the weather is so perfect, we went to the warehouse and lay out one box of each of the 8 mixed tile boxes. To make a complete rectangle we had to also slip in 2 or 3 extra tiles to finish it out. But now clients can see exactly how the actual Patchwork Cement Tiles will look. See see the finished Patchwork Cement Tile layout here.
We visited Mexico and while there we took snapshots of shop and office cement tile floors as we strolled around. Amazing cement tiles were everywhere. Often times the office personal or shop keepers would invite us in for better photos. Everyone was proud of their historic tiles…well, not everyone. Some shops had covered over their tiles with cheap ‘modern’ flooring, which usually was not holding up nearly as well as the old tiles. Villa Lagoon Tile just added one page of old Mexican tile floors and another is soon to come.
The word “ikat” means “to bind.” It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing the threads before the fabric is woven. The resulting fabric has a soft zig-zag edge where colors change.
Our new Ikat Tiles reflect this popular look in a mix and match set of four patterns.
VLT Exclusive Ikat Cement Tile
Create an exotic tropical look using our Ikat Tiles wall to wall or visualize a woven rug by combining central pattern tiles with border tiles.
We will put notice on the website when the in-stock tiles arrive… pre-orders are accepted. Remember that in-stock tile is convenient for quick delivery but costs more than custom orders…warehouse overhead baby !
Cement tile enthusiast Susanna, living in Sevilla has a nice blog about discovering old cement tiles. Her latest post is about looking up at the undersides of balconies in to see the cement tiles which probably cover the top sides of the balconies too. Susanne was in Cocentaina (Province of Alicante) in Spain and took some interesting photos of some very old cement tile while she looked upward.
How fun is this ? To put cement tiles facing outward UNDER your balcony. What a great decorative touch on a home’s exterior. When you think about it, all balconies are just plain fun anyway.
Today one of our clients sent us this in progress cement tile installation going on at her home in Dallas. You know how big things are in Texas, well this home is no exception. The photo shows what we call “Jorge’s Sister’s Layout” named for Jorge’ sis and her Loggia. But actually this type of tile floor pattern is economical since the ratio of 1 color tiles to multiple color pattern tiles is 5 to 4. And single color tiles cost less.
A boutique hotel captures the essence of its iconic location while reflecting the sensibility of a chic urban European inn. The PaliGroup contacted us about custom hexagonal tiles for the new hotel venture, PaliHotel on Melrose in Los Angeles, a former 1960’s senior living residence-turned-hostel and includes massages. We are happy to say that the whole project including our tiles has attracted a lot of publicity.
The kitchen above is in a vintage home in Seattle Washington. The designer was The Kitchen Witch. See how creatively they used our Foliage Border in “Antique” in all its forms. The designer used the corner tile as a field tile which surrounds a medallion made from the regular border tile. Working out a nice design on paper is worth the effort.
A small bathroom projects style with an interesting floor.
You can certainly take the emphasis off the smaller size of a bathroom with a jazzy floor. Look how this Cuban tile pattern becomes the focal point for this Miami condo bathroom.
An Art Deco Patio – Variations in Gray, Black and White
For an upcoming project we have been asked to help design a tile layout for a large outdoor patio at a California home that will soon be undergoing renovation. This is the property of an Oscar nominee actor. The kitchen will be our classic Cubes tile in Black, white and gray. The owner wants a complimentary design for the patio but something on a larger scale.
Here are some of the designs we sent to the client:
Dekor pattern cement tile in 3 colors
Using our tile design tool we put together an assortment of possible patio tile layouts. Some are using 8 inch cement tile, others are 12 inch tile. They may opt to have one of our eight inch designs custom made in a 12 inch mold. This is an important project and this home will be featured on television in 2012. So ck back later for links to the TV show when it is announced. You better believe we will feature it on our home page !
Same tile as above, just rotated differently.
Checkered tile pattern in 3 colors, an eight inch tile.
This pattern, Harlequin III is set in offset rows.
Harlequin Square 8″ cement tile…3 colors
Damsella cement tile in 8″
Quadro Centro 12 inch cement tile in 3 colors
Benedetta Art Deco cement tile design in 8 inch
Of course we will add some photos of the final tile design choice.
A Cement Tile Foyer in a California Home
Want the look of a narrow border and a cost savings at the same time ? One of our clients picked a standard border tile (Ritz) that could be cut in half to create two 2 4″ x 8″ matching border tiles. See Ritz Border before it is cut below.
Very thrifty and just the look he wanted. Not shown in the images is some monochrome black tile from the pattern border to the wall.
Ritz Border tile and New Castle in custom colors for the field tile.
Take the emphasis off a small space’s tight dimensions by using a lively floor that gives the eye and mind some entertainment…it works !
No End to the Variations…
This week we had an inquiry from a famous London dept. store for a classic tile pattern for a new part of their store. I requested some images from our Euro partner’s design dept to pass along. Of course they sent the basic layout suggestion in very pretty but subtle colors..but…
Zak, the graphic artist started to have some fun…look what can happen if this same tile pattern (#112 on European Patterns) is made in bright colors:
Now check out these variations of floor tile patterns by alternating the colored areas and rotating the tile in different directions as you lay it.
And this is only the beginning !!
Gettin’ Jazzy
Just look what you can do with one corner tile. We love this look and it reminds us of Art Deco designs. One corner tile is poured two ways, one half of the tiles are the reverse colors of the other.
Imagine a jazzy foyer that energizes you every time you come or go. Look at these patterns couple of feet from your monitor to get the real effect.
We think this black and white version would look grand with a monochrome black border.
In a Pinch
Ever wonder what to do with you only have just so many pattern tiles and you need to cover a larger area ? You can create a great layout using the 5 to 4 lattice of five solid tiles to 4 pattern tiles as shown below.
You can get a fabulous look and really save money too as solid color (monochrome) tiles are less expensive than pattern tiles.
Here is another take on this method:
In this photo of a hallway, (baseboards were not yet added) the pattern tile are surrounded by solid color tiles.
Laurel Anderson sent us a wonderful hand painted canvas floor cloth rug in our winning design. We haver given Laurel permission to offer her colorful canvas rugs in some of our tile designs. Be sure to check out her website.
This is the way to get our great tile designs in a durable, yet lightweight, portable format.
