Sisters of the Sun and Moon Mural

Bringing to life landscape architect W. Gary Smith's wonderful mural design, Statements supplied the tile for this lovely mosaic entitled "Sisters of the Sun and Moon."  Working with local tile artist, Alessandra Haines to produce the dancing Beans, colorful Corn Cobs and striated Corn Leaves, this project was a joy.  The grand opening party, at the Ojos y Maños exhibit in the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, will run from 11:30 AM to 6 PM on October 22nd. 

Here's a preview of the design: 

I looked forward to my site visits to see the daily progress.  What an amazing addition to the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens spaces:  an amphitheater and metal canopy will be the location for many wonderful events to come.  And the mural is at the heart of it all.

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And, revealing the finished product: 

Join us at the Grand Opening on October 22, all day!

A Tile Lover's View of Santa Barbara

On a recent sojourn to Santa Barbara, I visited some old haunts to remember the lovely tile that is so much a part of the architectural history of Southern California.  

This porcelain mosaic mural of the "Modern Industrial World" once adorned the side of the Safeway grocery.  Luckily it was recently saved by the developer who converted the space into a chic, multi-space eatery and market. 

The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is adorned on many sides with tile murals commemorating historic events and scenes.   All of them are colorful and pop from the stark whitewashed stucco walls of the building.

A very traditional use of tile for exterior applications is to surround a door with decorative patterns.  We love to highlight entryways and add color to exteriors.  Here are two wonderful examples.

Decorative patterned floors are a very important element in Spanish Colonial architecture.  I'm showing two wonderful patterns:  The Basketweave using decorative 2x2 dots and the Picket and Square pattern with alternating decorative and plain inserts.

The exterior fountain in the entry courtyard of the Arlington Movie Theatre on State Street is something to behold!  Pattern on tile pattern and an elaborate shape make this fountain especially memorable.

Faceted and bejeweled, these wrought-iron lanterns are a signature element in many of the Spanish Colonial buildings around Santa Barbara.

Oh what a tiled bench!  If you love the idea of tiling a bench- in your garden or bath- these are two to admire and perhaps emulate.  Fabulous patterns collide and colors abound.

Last, but certainly not least, this wainscot could be a tile display in our showroom!  Many of these patterns are still available today, on tiles that remind us of the amazing heritage of the Moorish tile in the Alhambra of Spain. 

A Tile Lover's View of San Antonio

On a recent visit to San Antonio, TX, I was amazed at the wealth and variety of tile installations that adorn the city.  The Riverwalk is enlivened by colorful tile murals as you pass under the bridges.  As a tile lover, I really enjoyed recognizing the origin of many of the mosaic tile used.

At the Hotel Valencia on the Riverwalk, I loved seeing the patterned carpet restated in the public restrooms by a wonderful decorative cement tile, inset into the marble floor.  The arabesque shape from the floor pattern is repeated on the wall tile behind the vanities and in the WC.

San Antonio is filled with amazing architecture restored from the 19th and 20th century.  The Texas Theater is a fine example of tile that adds color and and dimension to the building facade.  The lovely tiled lamp structures on Houston Street bridge, add color and visual interest, as well as lighting the cityscape.

This eye-stopping mural reminded us of the "Pattern Mix" trend we recently featured.

The ornate historic buildings offered a welcome break from Santa Fe Style...

- Kim