As the taste for fine tile made by artisans expands, so do the opportunities for scoring unusual styles. In the South Bay, a new showroom will be offering some top-quality tile from American and foreign producers as well as the Tres Feltman line.
Michael Harris, owner of Artisan Tile,
Marble & Stone in San Luis Obispo, sees the opening of his Mountain View store as a return to where he first got the inspiration to move into the field of fine tile.
A second-generation tile and stone contractor who grew up in Monterey, his visit to a Bay Area client in the 1990s inspired him to begin importing fine tile to central California. Later he bought the Tres Feltman Tile Co., which was making tile for big-time tile merchant Ann Sacks.
Harris' company does its own design and production, plus it imports from emerging potteries and artisans throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Asia. He also specializes in extra-thick stone material for countertops and floors.
He's part of the reawakening interest in beautiful tile, both new and traditional. "We have stuff that has not been offered to the public since the 1920s," he said.
Artisan Tile works in the Asian tradition of high temperature firing of porcelain, aiming at a result that is both decorative and durable.
Examples of his studio's work include Tres Feltman pillow field gunmetal at $47 per square foot (shown above left), Reed and Bamboo (shown above right) at $42.46 per square foot and Reed Gloss Black (shown at left) at $42 per square foot.
Imported tiles include a Moroccan Desert Tessera Blend from Baja at $32 per sheet.
While granite is already a popular material, Artisan Tile has decided to offer stones with finishes as well as less popular but more unusual material such as
limestone.
Harris acknowledges that nice tile installations can be expensive, but promises that his staff engages in "value engineering" where a job can be designed to give you "the emotional response" you want at the price you can afford.
Artisan Tile,
Marble & Stone is at 1954-C Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, (650) 237-9177. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday or by appointment.
-- Laura Thomas
STICK
AND STONES / Ann Sacks goes beyond clay
In just the last five or six years there's been an explosion in the use of decorative tile.
It's no longer just a "practical surface," said Deedee Gundberg, senior designer for Ann Sacks in Portland, "It's something beautiful. It's now a design statement. We like to see tile as something like fashion."
Ann Sacks leads the crowd with eight new product launches a year and the most recent, in April, offered an astonishing array of decorative tile for all tastes and needs.
Some examples:
You can bring the outdoors in with the Bali collection, tiles made of small stones worn smooth and fitted tightly together (shown below). It can be installed vertically or horizontally for an effect that evokes ancient stone walls or river beds. At $11.69 a square foot it is one of the least expensive of Ann Sacks' many lines.
Another extraordinary line is Mesquite, from wood harvested in Texas. Ann Sacks chief merchandising officer John Hart said, "Because it is such a dense wood, it has minimum warpage and absorption. It holds up extremely well over time, taking on a distinctive patina and personality."
Hart also said the Mesquite has an open grain with a reddish teak-like tone and a contrasting black color. It's installed with adhesive instead of
grout and won't splinter. Prices start at $42 per square foot.
Artist Erin Adams, known for her glass mosaic work, has designed two tile lines, one that presents a pattern of leafy vines and the other a graphic assortment of circles (shown above).
The effect is of deep jewel tones in a brilliant display. Imagine an ultra-luxurious wallpaper. The cost: $84 per square foot.
The lines join a parade of others, with prices starting at $13.77 a square foot, that include a geometric pattern by artist Andy Blick; concrete and
marble floor tiles, including Eclipse, a
marble pattern with no veining; three wall tile collections by designer Barbara Barry in neutral off-white; and a selection from Sausalito's Heath Ceramics Co.
Ann Sacks Showroom is at 2 Henry Adams St. (at Division) San Francisco, (415) 252-5889. It is open to the public. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-- Laura Thomas
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 | | Marble | MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS
This standard includes general information on the characteristics
and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems
associated with the material.
INTRODUCTION
Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite
(CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of
limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic
processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone
with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite
porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high
polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and
sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially
polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects
of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed,
is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is
readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the
actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the
acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds
react differently with marble and produce various by-products,
which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability
of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine
the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration.
Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the
other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid
attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the
brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red,
yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition.
TYPICAL USES
Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for
outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture
it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative
features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is
used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of
exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the
feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not
the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage
to which marble is susceptible. | |  |
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Linear Mode
