Over-the-top tile

Back to the bathroom. When my mother and I went to the A&D Building on Wednesday, we were both overwhelmingly smitten by some marble tile we saw at Artistic Tile. The collection is called "Musee".

This one's called Eden - the first picture is a 12"x12" sample, the second is a 12" wide strip that I tiled together with a paint program on my computer:























This one's called Terme - the first picture is 3"x12", the second is a 12" wide strip I put together (rather crookedly, I'm afraid):






















They both come in other colorways too.

The problem with all these tiles is that they're really overwhelmingly insanely expensive. (Matthew was with me when we asked about the price of something I liked at Mosaic House, another impossible-dream-of-a-store; I'll just say that these are comparable.)

But another concept I picked up at the A&D Building is that you can use just a little bit of a knockout tile creatively, and complement it with much cheaper stuff, like plain matching cream and white marble tiles. One designer pointed out that you can even use large white glass tiles to complement marble - it's more practical in the shower.

The accent tile doesn't have to be the traditional border running around the room at chest level (I can't do that, I've got way too much perimeter for such a tiny bathroom). I might, for example, run a narrow scarf of stunning tile down a strategically chosen wall (even better if it happens to be opposite a mirror ... ) It's not so frightening if I only need eight square feet of it.

Kitchen tile

I love tile. Love, love, love it. I've been picking up tile - azulejos and Iznik and Delft - since long before I had anywhere to put it.

Now I have a kitchen! What to do, what to do? There will be tile on the backsplash, of course, and also tile all the way up the facing wall, starting above the pop-up counters and wainscoting (see previous post) and continuing to the ceiling molding.

One idea - in keeping with the Mission cabinet style - is relief tile. L'Esperance tile, which is designed and handmade in Saratoga Springs, NY, has some lovely things:




















They're 6x6, and they're not so unreasonable as accent tiles. She'll do them in a range of glaze colors (more decisions!).

I lust after the hand-glazed field tiles to match:















Though I could also use stock ceramic field tile, of course.

Almost by accident, I'm buying (mostly) American: cabinet doors made in Pittsburgh, tile made in upstate New York, a bathtub made in Texas (that's where Sanijet's only factory is). That makes me happy.

If I go for stone countertops (a whole 'nother post) maybe they'll be serpentine from Vermont Danby

or New England granite from Rock of Ages (and not just because I love the name!)

By the way, while I was looking for tile online, I found an odd relic of global capitalism: apparently the best place in the world to get antique European tile is Uruguay. Yes, Uruguay. As the seller (who rejoices in the name Weinstijl, in Uruguay!) explains, back when Uruguay was riding high, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the wealthy imported "large quantities of rich material" profligately from Europe. Now Fortune's wheel has turned, and the mansions of Montevideo stand empty. Enter Weinstijl, who salvages their beautiful tiles to resell online. Some of the stuff he has is really stunning - whole sets of tiles like these and these - but imagine the shipping!