last week we had to take a drive down the left coast in order to find a touch of white december.
it all began two weeks ago with an exploration of white tiles for the kitchen that had perfect imperfections. and then last week a fun white tile road trip through exaggerated subway tiles from our new series: simple ceramics served up some over-the-top traditional tiles. if you haven't caught the white tile bug yet, because you feel they are just too, well, obvious, then today's introductions of our "art house" version of white tiles will surely convert even the staunchest opponents.
first, there is nothing obvious about john whitmarsh's white end grain ceramic tiles with every single tile being hand pressed and formed by john, himself, then carefully hand loaded into art kilns in order to produce tiles that - though very minimalist white- are anything but mundane. a methodical artist with a keen eye for everyday details that you or i might walk past without notice, john reintroduces us to the everyday textures of our world in a modern elegant format. for more on john, be sure to check out hand full of salts captivating interview (here). thanks, regina!
we love john's end grain tiles for the kitchen- especially when paired with our favorite US made home cabinetmaker, case 540- it's a match made in tile heaven!
whitmarsh white end grain tiles case 540
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did you ever see tom ford's movie, a single man? i swoon just thinking of it.
between that sorrowful, yet seductive tale of mournful dismay and tilda swinton's, il sono amore, another story of human pathos- my affection for the tribulations of the heart can't get enough of both films. the cool, elegant fashion and furnishings had me enraptured- but when i think of the spaces that hold such architectural presence i realize it's due to their salute to a specific period in time (a single man and the mid-century mystique) & (il sono amore and the severe milanese post-fascist era architecture). these references make me love the spaces so much more for the historic inspirations.
presently, design seems to be celebrating history as it pertains to a modern sentiment and for il monile and their modern mosaics, the "hand crafted" warmth of their sophisticated hand chiseled assemblages turns a mid-century twist on the art of mosaics by using a high fired porcelain to produce the ultimate in tactile tile. i want an entire kitchen wall in il monile's sensual mosaics just so i can run my fingertips across the surfaces while enjoying a morning coffee. molto fantistico, si??
here, i've paired il monile's byzantina in moonlight with the lautner kitchen used for tom ford's haunting lead in a single man. white tiles never looked so good! (do i keep saying that?)
