French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile Will Always be in Style

As quiet as my blog is...this does not mean we are not creating!  So many new collections in the works - from our new Ancienne Provence Wide Plank Oak Flooring to Carriage House to On the Road to Florence - a variety of options of European flooring using French technique, European terra cotta tile and hard work in our Massachusetts facility.  Phew!  Soon you will see the results.  But like fine wine - good things take time.

In the meantime, I jumped for joy after seeing this article in Maison Francaise Juillet/Aout 2012.  On display - a gorgeous French reclaimed terra cotta tomette floor installed in the Chateau de Moissac in France. This photo was taken by Bernard Touillon for an article written by Cécile Vaiarelli in Maison Francaise Juillet/Aout 2012. The article is entitled Haute Spheres - and creative as the French are - understanding that contrasts highlight one another.  The beauty of this old floor with its patina and texture next to the light and air and sheen of these ultra modern furniture pieces.

It was a Sunday morning, and as François and I were drinking our coffee and conversing with our chatterbox daughter, Isabelle  - we both smiled.  Our love of French terra cotta tile - of European terra cotta tile and of old world European aesthetic - will always have a place in this crazy design world. 

A bientôt!
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile & Stone, Inc.

La Maison de Tunisie - Handmade European Terra Cotta Tile in the Moresque Style

According to Wikipedia, "Moresque is an obsolete alternative term to "Moorish" in English, and in the arts has some specific meanings. By itself the word is used of forms found in ornament and decoration in the applied arts in Europe. Often it is a synonym for arabesque or interlace patterns in the Mannerist and Northern Mannerist styles of the 16th century, derived from Islamic ornament."

Moresque design is not to be confused with Islamic designs - the first being derived from the second - and then mixed with the Italian and French Renaissance applied arts.  This comes as no surprise then how designers and architects have embraced this Moresque style.  How we love French and Italian Renaissance!  Then mixed with the larger geometric patterns found in the Islamic arts?  Subtract the religious motifs...and the combination is a thoroughbred for the American design palette.

I must admit, when creating our latest terra cotta tile collection, La Maison de Tunisie -I did not know the nuances between Morsque and Islamic applied arts. François and I created La Maison de Tunisie for the connection François has with Moorish culture.  Growing up in Tunis, Tunisia as a child while his father was a professor at University, François connects with this specific applied art...but maybe he did not even realise that it was with the Moresque and not the Islamic arts that he truly admires.  Going back to the definition of Moresque style - Francois' French culture combine with motifs pulled from the Islamic culture - and thus...La Maison de Tunisie at Pavé Tile was born. 

Yet...we must add in another culture...my American culture.  Understanding the American color palette - specifically for flooring! - bright pinks, greens and yellows are wonderful -  but not for the majority - and not something to live with long term and on a daily basis.  We seem to value natural earth tones - and tone on tone patterns.  Patterns that are certainly there...but not overwhelming the rest of the room.  We also value a neutral color palette- grays, black, white and brown.  This is quite different from both the French and Italian Renaissance and the Islamic applied arts where pinks, greens, yellows and bright blues are the norm.

Pavé Tile was born from a marriage of François and me - two cultures in symbiotic harmony...(except late at night when we still have dishes to do and lunches to be made).  Pavé Tile is the deep understanding of the artistic American aesthetic - those who value open culture mixed with traditional elements - fusing French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and now Moresque design.

La Maison de Tunisie is first, an incredible collection for it's beauty.  The geometric patterns appeal to our visual concepts of what we like to see  - not to frilly or floral - a balanced mix of masculine and feminine qualities.  Pattern is something we love - and one can have it here.  Endless pattern covering an entire floor or create area rugs - visually this floor will always be breathtaking.

Second, La Maison de Tunisie is an incredible terra cotta tile collection for it's durability and quality.  Using our handmade European terra cotta tile as our canvas - we distress and kiln fire all our designs.  An installation of a Maison de Tunisie floor will outlive your grandchildren. As well, terra cotta tile is a living material - it will age beautifully.  This means endless beauty and character for the generations ahead of you.

Lastly, La Maison de Tunisie is an organic material that will bring warmth to any room.  Combined this with metal and glass elements - a mix of vintage and contemporary decor - and you will create breathtaking elegance outside the box.

To see the entire collection, please view it on our website: http://www.pavetile.com/detail.php?xsid=1&xpid=33.  

Enjoy your month of August and come September, if you yearn for the hot temperatures again, think of the warmth of La Maison de Tunisie and have sunshine in your home all year long.

A Bientôt,
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile and  Stone, Inc.

French Country in Chevy Chase, Maryland

When something is beautiful, usually words cannot describe it.  It's a feeling - an emotion that sends to our brain a sense of tranquility.  Different cultures see beauty in different ways - and many times, we as human beings, don't always agree on what's beautiful.  An interesting point here in America, as we at Pavé Tile are creating and promoting a French aesthetic.  We can provide authenticity, but when the final installation is complete, at times we often see two cultures clashing instead of being symbiotic.  Extreme French Country can be brash with too much color and extreme American aesthetic can be at times too neutral and safe.  This is why I am writing my blog today.

I received photos from one of our clients today who finished her French Country kitchen in Chevy Chase, MD.  How pleased I was to see Tracey's simple elegance.  The colors are in harmony.  The textural elements from the rustic French reclaimed terra cotta tile parefeuille to the honed limestone counter tops make a beautiful contrast...just how nature likes it.  It's "American" in terms of it's tight design and clean lines, something that appeals to me being American...but the French aesthetic is what is highlighted here - beautifully. 

This kitchen is not garish, not over the top mixing too many elements.  It's simple.  Simple beauty.  Simply elegant.  This is what French country is when done right...and this is why we American's fall in love with it every time.

Félicitations, Tracey!
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile and Stone, Inc.

 

Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile Collection

Villa Raffinato Italian Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile Collection

François and I are in the midst of working on a new terra cotta tile collection called La Maison de Tunisie.  François, living in Carthage, Tunisia for 3 years as a child, it's to no one's surprise that Pavé Tile will soon offer a new European terra cotta tile collection inspired by the architecture of the Moors from the 16th century.  I have drawn from inspiration and historical context patterns and arabesques - creating breathtaking beauty for the floor and wall - perfect for contemporary and historical decor.  There are many installation options, and one is to add La Maison de Tunisie as a third collection in our Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile selection.  Which we will.  Which I find beautiful, durable and smart.

However....

I love Houzz,  I love being inspired by the photographs and the array of products people post.  But, it also helps me understand what people are looking for and what they want to install in their home.  Leave it to François and I to wander a bit from the beaten path.  We meander down our own cobblestone path in hopes others will see the beauty in our own vision.  Our vision is not cookie-cutter decor.

Let's take outdoor decor.  How many times do we get a call for a brown terra cotta tile for a pool surround?  Too many.  Terra cotta tile - whether it be European like Pavé Tile's or from another country - 99.99% of fired terra cottta is not naturally brown.  Any brown terra cotta tile installation usually comes from the final installation treatment - whether it be a wax, oil or stain.  And these products are not suited for exterior application.  So where does that leave those who are looking for brown terra cotta tile for their outdoor decor?  Well...it leaves them wondering what else is there, perhaps?  And this is why I am writing my blog today - to educate those wanting to learn that the natural color of terra cotta tile is GORGEOUS and not everything has to be brown (or gray or beige or cream).  (Did I mention brown, gray, beige or cream).  Our colleagues in France, Italy and Spain chuckle a bit by these color idiosyncrasies...calling this ambiance "à l'americain."  At times the tone-on-tone of beige, cream, white or gray - one cannot decipher lineal differentiation between the floor, counterop and cabinets.  I won't even begin to praise the joy of living with natural terra cotta clay colors indoors (l'ambiance français) - I don't have enough energy, for my daughter woke-up me in the middle of the night pleading to help her find the glow-in-the-dark bracelet she received for her 6th birthday...so I will focus on asking you one question...why not fall in love with the natural color of terra cotta tile for your outdoor living decor?

What could be more organic, work with the natural environment, durable (European terra cotta tile durable) and slip-resistant?   Terra cotta tile is an excellent heat-conductor and exudes warmth of ambiance.  As well, each tile...each made-by-hand, high-fired terra cotta tile - is a canvas onto which Pavé Tile kiln fires original designs...not cookie-cutter ubiquitous patterns - but elegant and inventive ones.

Villa Raffinato Italian Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile Collection

For example, Pavé Tile's Villa Raffinato Italian Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile Collection is an epiphany between contrasts - the ideal of smooth kiln-fired glaze deigns onto a more rugged Italian terra cotta tile.  The contrast between these two surfaces are lovely and practical - perfect for long-term wear around a poolside.  But that's the beauty for all our outdoor living terra cotta tile collections - the natural clay that is high fired - will last generations with no additional anything. 

Villa Raffinato Italian Outdoor Living Terra Cotta Tile Collection

For those of you who want an outdoor terra cotta tile but not in the red terra cotta tile family, we offer South Beach 1930.  A unique high-fired parefeuille (9"x 15"), this is a terra cotta tile with  Antique Blush and Straw colors.  Soft, calming and lovely around the quiet rippling of a terrace fountain.

Inspired by an old world Americana context, we designed decors and cabochons from the architecture of South Beach 1930 - with colors such as Saddle and Ocean Green.

Can you envision this in your outdoor kitchen and poolside dining?  We hope so. Yes, these are building materials that do not look like your neighbors.  There is no beige, cream, or gray.  But these are building materials that place quality and craftsmanship above all else.  Pavé Tile's terra cotta tiles will last for generations and will live with your family...uniquely. 

À Bientôt,
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile & Stone, Inc.

The Old World Crackle Tile Collection

Happy Holidays to everyone!  Although the holidays are busy for all, François and I are probably busier for we are in the throws of developing four new Collections for Pavé Tile.  The first of our new collections soon to be available is called South Beach 1930.  How I would love to go into detail about this Collection - but we will do it correctly with the bells and whistles of what each line deserves to have - a fabulous header to let you "feel" the ambiance of the tile, the incredible photography and the detailed specs. Just know it's a gorgeous European terra cotta tile collection that will fill a void in the industry for the outdoor lifestyle of elegance and nostalgia of historic South Beach 1930.

In the meantime, I decided to blog on another lovely tile line we offer - The Old World Crackle Collection in Charcoal.  I designed this line while pregnant with my daughter Isabelle.  I wanted to see pattern in a more elegant form - yet still reaching across cultures and time periods.  Onto a hand made European terra cotta tile with a crazed creme glaze - we hand decorate each piece followed by a ramp kiln fire.  The result looks like jewelry.   The craze intermingles with the charcoal glaze giving it an almost reflective quality like a tree silhouette onto a placid lake. 

And because it's a pattern, the design blooms to infinity, allowing one to cover entire back splashes or shower surrounds in elegance.

The colors - creme and charcoal  - with the varying degrees of light and dark values of charcoal - make this collection suitable for the elegant American home decor.  Although the patterns are reminiscent of old world European and Moorish decor - the monochromatic color scheme lends this collection to a modern edge.  Placing this tile next to a dark granite or concrete countetop is glorious - not to mention the sleek stainless steel of the refrigerator and oven.

One of my favorite designs is the one below entitled "Versailles".  It reminds me of a French garden with the pattern being intricate and complicated yet ethereal all at once.

I find it fascinating how one decorative can become so many patterns!

In the end, François and I strive for beauty - so for those of you who love pattern, perhaps you will find beauty in our Old World Crackle Tile Collection.

After the holidays, be sure to view our first of four new Collections - South Beach 1930 - which will be a floor and wall tile collection..with of course..decoratives.

Have a wonderful holiday.
À bientôt,
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile & Stone, Inc.

The Montmartre Collection - Inspired French Encaustic Terra Cotta Tile Flooring

 

François and I have been busy creating new lines that we will soon offer at Pavé Tile.  We tend to become so involved in the creative process that we lose sight at times of The Cobblestone Path - our Blog.  So I return to highlight one of our most popular European terra cotta tile flooring Collections:  The Montmartre Collection - Inspired French Encaustic Terra Cotta Tile Flooring.  As artists, we create Collections that we are drawn to - and the Medieval Period of France fascinates us both. 

Life during 14th-16th Century Europe was beset with religious wars, plagues and to say the least - an entire lack of sanitation.  But to those who lived back then, it was their will to survive - and perhaps thrive as seen  through their artistic expression.  A holy war drove many and churches became a focal point artistically for expressing their ideals.  Floors were consecrated with hand made terra cotta tiles upon which were inlaid intricate patterns of life, of glory, of the natural environment.  Technically, encaustic tiles are terra cotta tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. For Pavé, we felt this technique was too time consuming and ultimately not cost effective for an American company of the 21st Century.  So we took artistic license and developed our own technique using glazes that we kiln fire - new hand made European terra cotta tiles made to look old and will  last centuries.

Can you believe these are new European terra cotta tiles????  This Collection - if I may say - looks like museum pieces thanks to years of testing and developing our propriety techniques of aging European clay.  Aesthetically, these are perfect tiles for someone who wants a French old world aesthetic - but mixing them with modern elements will absolutely produce a fresh look that so many designers are showing today.  Combing Vintage and Contemporary decor like Cortney and Robert Novogratz at SIXX DESIGN is a perfect example.

At Pavé Tile, you could say we go against the grain.  The grain being that many many importers and companies no longer show or even sell terra cotta tile.  Or they are sold with disclaimers saying they make a porous, weak floor.  Or the terra cotta tile sold is bad quality giving European terra cotta tile already a reputation of an inferior product.  If European terra cotta tile was so inferior, why is French Reclaimed terra cotta tile flooring existing even today?  A paver that was excavated from a 100 year old farmhouse still intact and reinstalled in an American home that will last another 100 years...that is inferior??? 

Quality European terra cotta tile, precisely hand molded and high-fired in wood burning kilns (like at Pavé) is an organic, green product from the earth that is a fantastic heat conductor.  This is a product that will patina over time to only darken and become more leathery with age - more glorious over time.  It will wear wonderfully with a family full of children and pets.  It's a product that does not seek perfection - but imperfection that defines it's beauty.  Installed - it will not need to be resealed - retreated - resurfaced - like many wood floors bathed in polyurethane - it is an ageless, green product for the home. Period.

When you are considering flooring, do not rule out hand made European terra cotta tile.  At Pavé, we are continually developing new Collections using our first love - European terra cotta tile as our canvas.  Soon we will present exclusive lines for poolsides and outdoor installs and our own terra cotta collection inspired from Moorish architecture.  This is how Pavé Tile stands out from our competitors.  We are artists - not just importers or promoting a tile line created by another artist claiming it to be our own.  The internet hides no secrets!  These are our exclusive designs that are only available through Pavé Tile.

Click here to view the entire Montmartre Collection - and imagine living with beauty, with history and with warm terra cotta tiles underfoot.  Let your footprints make history.

À Bientot,
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile & Stone, Inc.

Blue and White Tile - 18th Century Inspired Cuisine de Monet and 17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile

Cuisine de Monet - 18th Century Inspired Designs from Rouen, France

It's been a busy summer for us at Pavé Tile.  Although the world seems to be in a bit of turmoil, there is nothing more zen then art and creative inspiration.  Keep our souls singing with beauty and, at least for me, I feel at peace.  On that note, we are proud to finally offer our 2-3 week (not 4-6 month ETA like many of our competitors) 18th Century inspired Cuisine de Monet and our 17th Century Antiqued Delft Tile.

17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile - Ships

 

 

As an aspiring professional painter, these Blue and White Tiles were a joy for me to draw and paint.  Studying various original Delft Tiles and Blue and White Tiles from 18th Century Rouen, I redrew (and continue to redraw, for the Delft Tile Collection is still growing) my own designs.  It's a challenge technically, for the medium I have to use and the paper onto which I have to paint is simply not oil on canvas (or acrylic on canvas...thumbs up for acrylics, please!) 

The final tiles, I must say, have achieved what François and I wanted for Pavé.  Why is this.  Well, for one we are extremely picky.  And a few things went very right with these collections.  The tile looks and feels old.  That was the main goal.  Using a hand made European terra cotta tile as our bisque with a crackled white opaque glaze, set this tile apart from other antiqued Delft Tiles.  "It's all in the tile, baby!" - as François would tell me.  It would not matter if Vincent Van Gogh or John Singer Sargent painted the Delft Tile themselves, if they painted on a random machine made white tile - their art would be devalued and the tile would leave us feeling cheated.

Cuisine de Monet - 18th Century Inspired Designs from Rouen, France

It took one year to obtain the tile we wanted.  Back and forth with one of the best tile manufacturers in Europe - we knew after many prototypes later - we were finally heading in the right direction.  It took another two years to paint for I unknowingly painted the entire collection on the wrong paper.  Oops.  Plus my daughter was only in school half days - so there was juggling to say the least.  What I learned however, is the more I paint, the more I learn.  I in fact, painted and repainted some of the ships, flowers and Children at Play maybe 15 times?  Did I say I was a perfectionist?  And to my eye, I would want to repaint them again...but that's another story.  Luckily I have four more Antiqued Delft Tile Collections to do:  Sea Creatures (they are beautiful - nearly done), Les Paysages, Les Bourgeois, and Les Villageois.  Why do they have titles in French when they are inspired by Delft Tiles?  Why do we only speak French in the home and my daughter's first language is French?  As the French would say, "Pourquoi pas?" 

17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile - Blossoms and Butterflies - The  Lilly

17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile - "Our friend, Goat".

17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile - Blossoms and Butterflies and Children at Play

 

17th Century Inspired Antiqued Delft Tile - "Ships".

Cuisine de Monet - 18th Century Inspired Designs from Rouen, France

 

Cuisine de Monet - 18th Century Inspired Designs from Rouen, France

 

Cuisine de Monet - 18th Century Inspired Designs from Rouen, France

 

On looking back at the photos, I realize that these classic Blue and White Tiles - either the Delft Tiles or Cuisine de Monet - is a matter of taste.  However, how creative are designers these days?  Mixing and matching vintage and contemporary elements - like husband and wife team Robert and Courtney Novogratz at SIXX DESIGN (www.sixxdesign.com).  Opening all doors to creativity, throwing out rules of design and going on sheer inspiration and eye for beauty, they create extraordinary living spaces.  They have taught me that mixing these elements - vintage with modern decor or vice versa -make two disparate components  - a sum of it's part. I however love the elegance and lightness of the blue and white tile - with designs that recall history - time spent in the 17th and 18th Century - they are a narratives to  me, little stories that speak to me about life lived long ago.  But I smile knowing these people aren't different than us now...we are all the same, a glorious sum of many parts that we call humanity.  Let's help our humanity in creating more beauty - maybe we will all smile more in these bizarre times in which we live.

À Bientôt,
Emmi Micallef
Pavé Tile & Stone, Inc.