Handmade Tile: 2009.06

hand made cake stand with birds!

Here it is - I didn't have time to get a good photo of it, because it sold to the very first person who walked in the door and saw it - there she is on the left! I will be making more cake stands over the next two weeks. Drop me a line to pre-order yours. Cake is festive! We need more excuses to eat cake!

Celebrate Summer

The studio is filled with the fragrance of antique roses. I'm making wedding cake stands. It feels like summer. Look how pretty the roses look in a blossomware tumbler!

Today In the Studio: Making a Custom Wedding Cake Stand

It's wedding season. Weddings on our little island are often gentle, handmade affairs, taking place on the beach or in the meadow, with receptions in the Community Hall, transformed for the occasion. Flowers come from local gardens, as do many of the feast ingredients. Decorations are handmade and often upcycled. Everything from gowns to cakes to rings are made with love by local artisans. This is the norm for our community, but I have been happy to see a new trend towards green, handmade weddings everywhere. More and more people are realizing that embracing sustainability and buying handmade does not mean sacrificing elegance, style, and beauty - in fact, just the opposite is true. Letterpress invitations, fresh, organic, seasonal food and flowers, lush sustainable fabrics, and of course, handmade ceramics, all add luxury to a special celebration. I'm working on a commission right now for a wedding cake stand; I'm having so much fun designing and prototyping these pieces! Several styles of cake stand, from every day sweet to all out elegant, will debut in the shop in August. In the meantime, here's a peek at a piece in progress, featuring lovebirds, whimsical scallops and a hat-box shape. If you'd like me to design something for your special occasion, whether it's nuptials or a special birthday, just drop me a line. I'd love to hear your ideas.

Whimsical Hand Made Ceramic Sunflower Vase

Coming soon to the shop!

Installation of Hand Made Koi and Plum Blossom Tiles

Here are some beautiful images from a recent installation of our Koi and Plum Blossom Tiles from the Kyoto Series. This is a great example of how to effectively mix artisan tile with commercial tile for stunning results.

Fresh, Colorful Handmade Dinnerware

Here are a couple of custom Blossomware orders fresh out of the kiln, making the showroom look pretty while they're waiting for packing and shipping. I LOVE some of the new colour combos, especially the lime/mango:

Isn't that delicious, fresh, and summery? We have some Blossomware available in our shop, but what we'd really like to do is make you some place settings in the colours you love most. Please feel free to get in touch to discuss your colour inspirations and tableware desires!

Terra Home Architectural Ceramics

All of our tiles are designed and created here, in the Terra Home studio. Each piece is made by hand, with care and love invested in each step of our labour-intensive, traditional process. Our tiles are grouped in collections, with different themes, to complement different design schemes:

Kyoto
Inspired by the natural serenity of the Japanese garden, these tiles, in colours of stone and lichen, feature koi fish, plum blossoms, bamboo, pine, and Buddhist imagery. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEAR SHEET OF THE KYOTO COLLECTION.

Alhambra
Inspired by the timeless beauty of Moorish architecture, this collection of rich cobalt and turquoise tiles feature stylized floral motifs and traditional arabesque patterns. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEAR SHEET OF THE ALHAMBRA COLLECTION.

Firenze
With motifs drawn from the designer’s Italian sketchbooks, these tiles, in rich colours of marble and plaster, feature designs borrowed from Renaissance stone carving. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE FIRENZE COLLECTION.

Hanabi
Inspired by the modern sophistication of Japanese textile design, these unusual tiles feature stylized chrysanthemums, waves, and cherry blossoms, in a soft but colourful palette reminiscent of antique kimono silks. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE HANABI COLLECTION.

Italian Sketchbook
A more whimsical take on the Italian theme, these wax-resist decorated tiles feature charming line drawings which capture the essence of the Tuscan kitchen and countryside.

Hacienda
Inspired by the courtyard gardens of Old Mexico, the bold graphics and floral motifs of these tiles capture the brilliant colours of the tropics. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE HACIENDA COLLECTION.

Vancouver Island
Inspired by the natural beauty of the Northwest Coast that surrounds us every day at Terra Home, the relief images on these hand pressed tiles are cast from actual natural objects gathered from forests and beaches.

In addition, we produce a full line of hand pressed field (plain) tiles in various shapes and sizes, including 4” square, 4” hex, and 3” x 5” traditional subway, as well as border, corner, and listello tile for most applications.

We are happy to work with you on your installation. Projects are priced individually, depending on glaze choices, custom elements, design time, and deadline. Visit our "How to Order" page for more info on ordering. We are happy to provide you with a quote for your project. We also offer fully custom project design. For a quote, contact bronwyn@linguaterratile.com

Welcome to Terra Home!

Exquisite Artisan Tile
From our sunny post-and-beam studio nestled in meadow and forest on lovely Denman Island, we send our traditionally made artisan tiles across North America. We offer hundreds of original designs in six gorgeous collections. Along with our exquisite decorative relief tiles, we create hand painted accent tiles, tile murals, field tile in square, hex, subway, and mosaic, as well as borders and listellos. Custom design is a specialty. We believe in quality, tradition, sustainability, beauty, craftsmanship, and an artful approach to life and business. Our website and blog is designed as a resource for our friends and clients, and anyone interested in creating a more beautiful, serene, hand-made, and eco-positive living space.

testimonials

"I get wonderful compliments every time someone comes into the kitchen. In addition, the tile installer stated it was the very BEST quality of tile she ever worked with!! Thank you so much for your talent and vision!!" R.M., New Jersey, 2008.
View this job here.

"Your tiles are the highlight of our kitchen!" B.C., Florida, 2008. View this job here.

"The tiles are SO worth the wait! They are absolutely exquisite; there is no way that their beauty and uniqueness could possibly be captured on a computer monitor. They are so gorgeous." E.H., Connecticut, 2009.

"Thanks again so much for the gorgeous tiles. I'm especially enjoying the many ways the Koi and Willow tiles can work together. I've really appreciated working with you both..." J.H., Colorado, 2007.

"Thank you so much for everything! We were delighted with the ease and enjoyment of the custom design process..."
M.G., Ontario, 2008. View this job here.

"The clients already had a stone back splash installed in their butler's pantry when I was brought in on the job, and were really unhappy with how monolithic it looked. I suggested an insert of your tile, and now they LOVE how it looks..." R.H., California, 2007. View this job here.

"I received the box of tiles yesterday... The colors of your glazes are so beautiful! You do good work with your art. Thank you so much. You inspire me to work in clay!" J.A., Colorado, 2009.