Wild Tile

Posted by Jennifer Sergent Monday July 28, 2008 - 04:50 PM

I started out writing a post about a fabulous new tile collection I first spotted on the Trendir blog, called Rako 2008 by a company in the Czech Republic called Lasselberger.

The Botanica collection in particular caught my eye. It’s along the lines of some gorgeous new Ann Sacks tile introduced this year as well, which I wrote about in May.


But as I started looking through the dozens of product shots they include with each of the new Rako lines (some of which are a little too racy for a family blog!), I just started laughing. The Europeans definitely have a different approach to marketing than the Americans.

This Denim line is beautiful for sure, but the way she is looking so longingly at it is hilarious.


Let’s see, is she getting ready for her day, or winding down after a night out?


Once you get past the flying lady in the sling (if you ever do), this tile is called Tetris.


Here, snaky, snaky! Let me give you a kiss on my beautiful Villa tile.


And isn’t that the cutest thing?? My giant python is playing hide and seek!


If you are going to exercise at home, this Shikoku tile is sure to boost your kickboxing juju. 


Or if classic boxing is your sport, do it with Dolce Vita as your backdrop.


OK, I have two young sons, but bath time has never resembled this utopian scene:


This tile is called Bonanza, and they mean it in more ways than one!

Love, From Nature

Posted by Jennifer Sergent Monday June 02, 2008 - 02:56 PM

As our kids giddily race toward their last days of school and we make all our plans for summer, don’t forget to take time for a good old-fashioned nature walk. Sticks and stones from the forest, and shells and sea glass from the beach, make glorious decorative elements. Here’s how some retailers have elevated nature walk finds into an art form.

Bliss Studio, located under California’s sunshine in Costa Mesa, just introduced these beach bottles, which instantly take you toward visions of sand and surf.

beach bottles by Bliss Studios

You can order them locally through Theodores in Washington or Ella Scott Design in Bethesda.

For more “found” objects, keep reading.

John Derian, the iconic master of decoupage, also offers eclectic “objects” in his New York store, such as these Mushroom Consoles, which are made from kiln-baked natural fungus and can be hung on the wall to display other natural objects.

Mushroom Consoles by John Derian

To order, call John Derian at 212.677.3917.

Viva Terra, (www.vivaterra.com), the retailer of all things natural, offers a beautiful driftwood container filled with succulents that looks like it was pieced together with finds from the beach.

driftwood container from Viva Terra

They also use riverstones to make these lovely placemats, perfect for an outdoor summer meal:

riverstone placemats

And for your table, try this twig flower centerpiece, made from real twigs cast in metal, which will make your flowers appear as sculpture:

metal twig and flower centerpiece

Bamboo has become a popular flooring material for eco-friendly homes, but how about the walls?  Anchor Bay Tile offers these glorious Kimono Bamboo tiles, which are end-grain slices cast in resin.

bamboo tiles from Anchor Bay Tile

And finally, Pier 1 is rolling out a new line of recycled glass bottles, glassware and vases, a beautiful way to reuse wasted glass:

recycled bottles from Pier One Imports

Everything’s Coming up Roses

Posted by Jennifer Sergent Wednesday May 07, 2008 - 01:42 PM

No WAY. That is NOT tile. Has to be wallpaper, right?  Wrong! At Ann Sacks anything is possible. 

Rose is the latest addition to Ann’s Beau Monde collection of mosaic tile. It was just introduced last month at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, darnit, so it was too late to include in our mosaic story that appears in the current issue of Washington Spaces. Just check out the detailing in this mosaic, which was crafted from white, cream and peach marbles as well as honey-colored onyx. Incredible.

Also incredible is Ann’s new line of ceramic mosaics called Perennial, which was also introduced last month. Each element of the mosaic is cut, glazed and fired by hand in a Portland, OR, studio, where Ann Sacks is based. What a serene, calming feel.