Tile Makes the Room , a new book by Heath Ceramics co-founders Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic surveys interiors with exemplary tilework, such as the Kogure House, shown here, in Tokyo, Japan.Photo: Mariko Reed
To Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic of the California-based Heath Ceramics , tile is drastically underused as a decorative element. “So many people still see it as this functional covering,” Petravic says. “But it can be a really integral part of the design or architecture of a space.” So in their new book, Tile Makes the Room (Penguin Random House, $40), they looked across the globe to select interiors—and some exteriors—that make the best use of the material, taking it far beyond utility. From Gio Ponti’s Parco dei Principi Hotel in Italy, awash in blue glazed graphics, to a restaurant in Copenhagen that mixes different patterns into a riotous floor-to-ceiling treatment, the book compiles expertly appointed rooms where tile is the star. We caught up with Bailey and Petravic to find out five innovative ways—beyond the statement floor or backsplash—to use tile in your own home.
Employ variations on a shade to create a solid.
“Take our San Francisco location (shown here) designed by Commune,” Petravic says. “From far away it blends to look like just a blue wall, but as you go closer to it, it becomes more and more interesting. There are also glossy and matte tiles mixed in which creates added dimension.”
Take a tile that lends itself to one pattern and change it up.
“There are so many patterns you can make out of the half hex,” Bailey explains. “You can design things that are really unique.” Designer Christina Zamora’s loft in Oakland, pictured here, uses half hex tiles to create two different patterns.
Use tile as art.
“In architect Alan Wanzenberg’s house (shown here), tiles are used as a decorative element,” Petravic says. “It’s a beautiful material; it doesn’t always have to have a function. Here it’s used in a kitchen nook in between wood that’s painted this putty color.”
Highlight an architectural feature.
“When you use tile to cover the entire geometry of a feature, it really integrates it into the architecture,” Bailey says. “Try a fireplace or a section of the home’s exterior.” At MAD House in Vancouver, Canada the clean, rectangular fireplace is covered in a melange of brightly-colored tiles.
Break up a large space.
“In Gio Ponti’s Parco dei Principi Hotel in Italy, he used tile like rugs to break up the floor,” Bailey says. “We did something similar in our showroom: We have a concrete floor, but we tiled an area that was more of a lounge. It’s a great way to divide a larger space.” Many of the tiles shown here were inspired by leaves and the moon while others were made in collaboration with sculptor Fausto Melotti.