Thursday, May 20, 2010

When size does matter

Our designers love a challenge.  Send us your odd-shaped rooms, crazy backsplash measurements or impossible looking spaces and we'll help you figure out a tile layout that will work.  You might be surprised by all of the tricks and workarounds we can come up with to modify our designs

Here is an example.  A client really loved the Marseille Red pattern.


It is shown in our catalog with the middle pattern on eight 6x6 tiles and border listellos as 3x6 tiles with 3x3 corners.   As you might already know, we can print any of our designs in any size that you want.  You can also choose any of our stone types (or send us yours.)  

This person had a particularly small space to work with - 34 inches across and 10 inches high.  Here is what we came up with:
In this modified version, the middle pattern is a single row of five 6x6 tiles.  Border listellos are 2x6 with 2x2 corner pieces.  (You can click on any of these pictures to get a better view.)

At first glance, it might be easy to miss all of the detail changes that had to be done to the design in order to fit that space.  For instance, the middle pattern is usually made up of four tiles, but in this case we had to shrink the whole pattern down to fit on a single 6x6 tile.


It normally takes two listellos in the border pattern to make up the design.  The little flower thingy is in the middle.  

But in this case there was an uneven number of listellos needed.  For the 34 inch width,  we had to use five 2x6 tiles across.  (Five 2x6's give you 30 inches and then add 2 inches on each side for the corner pieces to come up with the total of 34 inches.)

How did we solve this issue?  We created a new listello that has the flower in the center of the 2x6 tile that lines up with the regular 2x6 tiles so that the pattern continues to flow.


This allowed us to use five 2x6 listellos to border along the top and bottom, like this:


Et voila!  The same Marseille Red pattern, still balanced and flowing evenly, in a much smaller space.


We have to give credit to the designer who worked this out.  Drew is the Pattern King.  We can always rely on him to solve problems like this.  He is somehow able to see the flow of the patterns and the connections in all the chaos.  He has the attention to detail that is necessary to make sure the lines line up and and swirls keep swirling.  But he also has a good sense of design and knows when something has crossed over into "Boy, that looks stupid" territory.  

So don't be afraid to give us a call if you need help with some odd space.  There is a chance that we have already made some modifications for another client that will work for you too.  Or we can continue to throw challenges to Drew to see what he can come up with.  

Now that we've bragged about him, we are hoping it doesn't go to his head.  So send us your most difficult layout issues and let's see if we can stump him! 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Sneak peek - New Tile Designs


We are this close to introducing our brand new tile book.  Get ready for a huge expansion of our pattern and motif tile collections, with inspiring new shapes and color palettes ranging from bold to natural.
Stay tuned! 


Color Wash Silhouettes - Pendant



Altalena Collection

Go ahead - click on the pictures to get a better view.
Let us know what you think!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Sexy shower drains - really!

Just thought these stylish drains from California Faucets were pretty darn cool looking.   




Isn't it amazing how the little details can make a huge difference?  Your shower drain is something you'll see 
every 
single 
day.   
Why not make it fun?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Stunning Custom Tiles

In an earlier entry - Pattern Inspiration - we featured the incredible variety of patterns that are available to use for custom tiles through our licensing partner, Rosenstiel's.  

A client in  New Mexico, who is clearly not afraid of color, chose the designs below to make their custom tiles.





Each square is an individual 6x6 Limestone tile.  The original artwork that was used is called Arabian Nights I and Arabian Nights II by an artist named John Douglas.

Simply gorgeous.  A few of us were standing around the work table ogling them and our shipping person had to shoo us away so he could pack them up.  We didn't want to see them go!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

FAQ - Can I have that in a different size?



Q. I like one of your designs, but the size that you show is too big/small for my space?  Can I have it in a different size?


A.  Absolutely YES!  We make all of our tiles when you order them, so we can size it to fit your space and also put it on any stone you choose. 

Metal Amore design shown in a vertical orientation 
on 6x6 Durango tiles. 
This mural is 24" high x 18" wide.

The same Metal Amore design shown in a horizontal
orientation on 4x4 Durango tiles. 
This mural is 16" high x 28" wide.

We originally created the Napa Valley design as a vertical mural.
Shown here on 4x4 Durango tiles.
The size is 24" high x 16" wide.


We received so many requests for the Napa Valley wine mural 
as a horizontal, that we created that design too. 
This size is 18" high x 24" wide on 6x6 Travertine tiles.

You might be surprised by what we can do to make an image work - even if it is a significant size difference from the original design.  We have tricks to stretch and squoosh our designs in a way that keeps them from looking too distorted.  And we can always email you a picture of what the design will look like in the size that you want, so you can decide for yourself whether or not you like the change.

Another nifty trick that we have is to fit your design into odd size spaces.  The most common tile sizes that we print on are 4x4 and 6x6 inch.  So in most cases, your dimensions will be in multiples of  fours or sixes:
  • 16x24 size uses 4x4's 
  • 18x24 size uses 6x6's 
  • 12x24 size can use 4x4's or 6x6's 

But what do you do if your space is only 14 inches high and 22-13/16ths wide?  We have a solution for this.  We will still print on 4x4 tiles, but we can position the design so that it fits your odd dimensions.  Then when you install the tiles, you cut off the excess stone to fit.

This is the Cynara mural as it would usually look in a 16 high x 24 wide size.

This is the same Cynara design but resized.

In the second picture, the Cynara has been resized and positioned on the 4x4 tiles so that you can trim the tiles to fit your space.  The shaded areas show where you would cut.  You can take 1 inch off of the top and bottom to fit your 14 inch height.  And you can cut off approximately 1/2 inch from the left and right sides to fit your 22-13/16ths width.  We have positioned the design so that when you make these cuts, you do not cut off any of the image.

We do not cut the tiles for you.  That is a task that is best left to the installers when they are on the job site.  There can be small adjustments to cuts that have to be made when they actually get there and start laying out your tiles.

So, to summarize:

Different sizes available? 
Yes!

Can you email me a picture showing a any size?
Yes!

Can you fit my odd-sized space?
Yes!

Will you cut my tiles for me?
No!

Well, three out of four isn't bad.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Rock n Roll Sunday


We're still standing after the 7.2 earthquake that happened on Easter Sunday.  The epicenter was a couple hundred miles east of us.  Fortunately, no damage here and nobody was hurt.  Not even a single broken tile!

The experienced earthquake veterans didn't break a sweat.  Melinda, a California native, described it as "...one of those rolling ones, not the shaky-shaky kind."  Kathy thought it was "Awesome!"  Even though she's been in California for almost 17 years, it was the strongest one she's ever felt.

It is a good reminder to us all to get prepared for that big one that will inevitably happen.  Some links:

USGS - Lots of good links about preparation.

Quake Quiz - Test your knowledge - really fun animations.  When you get the wrong answer, they give you a good shake.

LA County Department of Animal Care & Control - Great tips on making preparations to keep your pets safe.