Anatomy of a Custom Job - Part One

Much of the hand made tile work we do is custom, and clients are often curious about how the process works. I thought I'd share a behind the scenes look at a custom job we're working on right now, to demystify the process. About two weeks ago a charming couple contacted us, hoping we could help to fulfill a vision they had for a special accent tile to incorporate into the tile floors in their new lakeside home in Ontario. Here is their exquisite home site:Often, the design process is the most time consuming aspect of a custom job - it's not unusual for us to go back and forth for a few weeks exchanging ideas with the client and refining their vision into a motif that will work on our tiles, then choosing colours, etc. These clients, however, were way ahead of the game. They had already chosen a glaze colour and "feel" from our current line, and they had purchased rights to the artwork they wanted, and even sized and formatted it for us to work with easily! This made it easy for me to get right to work in the studio. My first step was to create an original tile from the artwork provided. Here is my clean workspace with a pristine clay slab waiting for carving:

First, I transfer the artwork onto the slab. In this case, it was a motif provided by the clients, but often it is an original work I create in response to the clients vision:
Next, I carve the motif into the slab:
Once the original tile is carved, and working quickly before the original dries, Bob mixes up a batch of plaster:The mold form is set up, and we hold our breath as plaster is poured over my original carving: The plaster is allowed to set for a few hours, then the original tile is removed and discarded. After several days, the plaster mold is dry and ready for use. Bob cuts a slab the correct size, and carefully hand presses it into the waiting mold. Excess clay is carefully removed from the tile, and the first tile is removed from the mold! This process is repeated until we have the right number of tiles, then the tiles are off to the drying racks. That's where the tiles for this job are right now. The next step will be bisque firing and glazing... I'll post on that next week!

Another Beautiful Kichen Featuring Lingua Terra 'Kyoto' Tiles

These photos came in the mail yesterday, from a client in Florida. This gorgeous kitchen features our Kyoto Plum Blossom tiles and field tiles in Lichen. I love the way the Plum Blossoms are featured over the stove, set corner to corner to create an interesting, rotating motif - very creative! This client was a pleasure to work with and the installation is just beautiful.

Using Decorative Friezes

Here is an example of a unique and beautifully effective use of a decorative frieze as a stand alone design element. The tiles are our Koi Frieze from the Kyoto Series, used to great effect in the Design Bar at Path Design in Santa Ana, California. The designer, Rachel Hulan, has cleverly combined textures and materials to highlight these gorgeous tiles in her showroom. A frieze is simply the architectural term for a continuous horizontal running pattern. From the great abstract running patterns in Islamic architecture to the more humble Arts and Crafts fireplace, the frieze has been used often, and beautifully, in architectural ceramics. Hand pressed tiles lend themselves well to the creation of a running frieze pattern. The pattern may be created by the repeat of a single tile (as with our Alhambra border tile) , or may be created with two or more tiles to give the effect of a continually changing pattern (as with our Bamboo Forest and Koi patterns from the Kyoto series.) The frieze creates an effect of rhythmic, but interesting, repetition that can't be achieved with the simple repetition of a single motif. Making an effective and graceful continuous pattern is a tricky bit of design work. Both edges of the pattern must meet up flawlessly without a visual break. The motif must stand alone as an effective composition, without sacrificing grace and fluidity in the overall rhythm of the repeat. The eye must flow along the horizontal with ease. Creating the patterns for the sophisticated friezes in our Kyoto series was a long process of trial and error, but I think the results are worthy. In creating the Bamboo forest set, I wanted to achieve a pattern that emphasized the graceful verticals of the stalks and the dynamic horizontal reaching of the leaves. I wanted the pattern to communicate the serene feeling of standing in a grove of bamboo, and to represent the nature of the plant as both erect and supple. For the Koi pattern, my goal was to capture the abstract elegance of the traditional Japanese water/willow pattern, often seen on textiles. Here are some examples of installations using the Koi Frieze; you can see how custom colour can really change the feel of the tile, from elegant to whimsical.

There are many ways to use a decorative frieze of ceramic tile in your home. They make a beautiful backsplash, as in the bathroom shown here, or a featured accent combined with other materials, as in Rachel's Design Bar. Use friezes on stair risers, fireplace surrounds, fountain surrounds, above doorways or decorative niches, or inset into furniture. Tile friezes can be used in place of baseboards and window trim, or as a border on a ceramic floor. So many possibilities! For more information about the friezes in our Kyoto and Alhambra series, visit us here.