when i'm asked what space i think of most when designing tiles- for me it's always the kitchen backsplash. i'm not sure if that's because the kitchen is the "hearth" of the home- but i do find the kitchen splash to be the most significant design horizon in a home.
sure there are feature walls, fireplace surrounds, master bath showers and other places that traditionally enjoy a dressy cladding of upgraded tile. however, the kitchen splash is the focal point that i think stands out the most for the homeowner and their guests.
and based on that- i find it amazing that after all these years, the number one tile for kitchen backsplashes is still white ceramic tile or white marble tile. even though the use of white tiles for a kitchen splash is more tradition than trend, be clear that the traditional white ceramic tile and white marble tile, both pretty and pristine, are slowly being eclipsed by gutsy, imperfect and resplendently hand-hewn not-so-white tiles of which it is certain, no two tiles are ever alike.
but that's the best thing about them.
every week during this white december, i'll be revisiting a series of blogposts i wrote early in the fall featuring cle's top 10 favorite and extraordinary white tiles for the kitchen backsplash:
today, for your hot, hip, and oh so artful nest, the first two white tiles of our top 10 white tile countdown:
1. moroccan tile: white zelliges
white zelliges kitchen by vincent van duysen
subtle and shimmering, moroccan zelliges are also known as north african tiles, and tunisian tiles. hand cut and hand glazed squares or rectangles of terra cotta clay; they give off a glimmer because of their irregular shapes as well as the unreliable firing atmosphere that turns their finish into varying shades of the same glaze. with the pink hue of the terra cotta forcing its way through the thin drippy glazes, zelliges are selected because they are lively and unpredictable and we, at clé, love that quality for a kitchen splash OR bath. it's a look that is timeless...for at least the past several thousand years!
2. white glazed brick tiles
clé "paper" glazed brick clé client's glazed brick installation
matte or gloss, white glazed brick tiles are the urban, slightly industrial and distressed version of the standard white subway ceramic tile. with glazed brick tiles you forfeit the more regular edges and the 3x6 size of standard subway tiles for a thinner brick size with uneven hand cut edges. it's a mod-retro tile for a loft-like kitchen space. nothing says urban, quite like brick. and nothing is as modern for the home as glazed brick.
next week, over sized ceramic tiles and traditional subway tiles with a twist...