product: Custom tiles
manufacturer: Heath Ceramics
web: heathceramics.com

The I-shaped tiles seen on this six-story mixed-use building in North Hollywood, California, were custom-developed according to a design by Palm Springs-based artist Jim Isermann as part of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency's "1 Percent for Public Art" program. The tiles are featured on the balconies and also in the lobby of this retail and residential project designed by DE Architects of Santa Monica. Each tile is created by hand, giving rise to slight variations and irregularities in shape and intensity of glaze and light reflecting off each tile. Depending on special requirements such as usage, size tolerances, manufacturing process, and quantity, there is a large range in cost.

product: 3-D tiles
manufacturer: Heath Ceramics
web: heathceramics.com

Last year, Heath reintroduced its midcentury modern 3-D tiles. Now the line, originally created for Heath by artist Leon Galetto in the 1950s and 1960s, is available in more than 70 hues in matte and glossy finishes and many new tile shapes and sizes. Seen in the new glaze, Citrus, the distinctly modern looking 3-D tile "Diamond" was released this year to join its peers "Oval," "Triangle," and "Bow Tie." All of the tiles are made from two high-fire stoneware bases of white and brown clay developed more than 50 years ago for high resiliency. The tiles are appropriate for use in interior and exterior spaces.

product: Metallica
manufacturer: Tau Ceramica
web: tauceramic.net

Spanish tile manufacturer Tau Ceramica has launched a glazed porcelain tile series with the texture and look of metal. Available in three hues, ranging from rusty steel to beige, Corten can be used on interior walls and floors including medium traffic commercial floors. In a metallic dapple gray, Titanio can be used for interior walls only. Each color is available in four sizes ranging from 12-inch squares to a 24-inch by 48-inch rectangle. All tiles are rectified allowing for tight grout joints. Bullnose and stair treads are also available.

product: Angela Adams Collection
manufacturer: Ann Sacks
web: annsacks.com

Couture tile manufacturer Ann Sacks has enlisted textile designer Angela Adams to design a collection of five new schemes. (Her tile debut, Adams made her name with rugs, handbags, belts, and home accessories in organic geometric patterns.) Taking their cue from these other disciplines, her tile designs begin with basic forms and shapes and then abstract them (left). New products called Manfred, Corice, and Mona tiles are cut or raised in relief, while Spike and Kenga are crafted through a graphic dry line process, a production technique where lines are hand drawn and glaze is filled in between the patterns. A 4-inch-square tile, Manfred is offered in three tone-on-tone variations inspired by the rounded tops and square bottoms of vintage radios and televisions and their long, straight rabbit ear antennas. When the three tiles are combined the effect is an abstracted, cascading droplet pattern. Corice, available in 4-inch or 6-inch tiles, was inspired by the irregularities found in leaves or fruit. The color palette for Corice includes: Chocolate, Frost, Citron, and Graphite.

product: Savoy
manufacturer: Crossville
web: crossvilleinc.com

Tennessee-based tile manufacturer Crossville launches Savoy, a line of wall tile with a handcrafted texture and look created by subtle variations in size and glaze in both the field tile and trim. Meant to recall the elegance of the nineteenth century, Savoy comes in five colors: white, linen, blush, sea mist, and café. Lighter shades have an opaque glaze, while darker ones have a transparent glaze. The sheet-mounted tiles can be used in both residential (bathrooms and showers, kitchen backsplashes, and accent walls) and commercial (vertical surfaces in hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments) applications. Savoy is available in three-inch-by-six-inch and six-inch square field tiles, a six-inch-by-six-inch beadboard, and pinwheel and brick patterns.

product: Surf
manufacturer: Appiani
web: appiani.it

Surf, a series of double-fired glazed wall tile, measures 40 inches in length and is 3 or 8 inches wide. Designed for vertical surfaces, Surf is suited for residential kitchens and baths, as well as various commercial applications. A variety of finishes are offered, ranging from soft matte neutrals and pastels to gloss white. An edge strip measuring 1/2-inch by 40 inches and a stainless steel 1/2-inch square are also available.

product: Bergamo and Murano Series
manufacturer: Laufen
web: laufenusa.com

Laufen has introduced two new tile series: Bergamo and Murano. Bergamo is available in two sizes—13 inches square and 17-1/2 inches square—and three colors, haze, cashmere, and fawn. Trim options include a 3-by-10-inch wall bullnose and a 3-inch-square bullnose corner. A 2-by-10-inch listel and a 2-1/2-by-13-inch border coordinate with the line’s colors. Murano is an 18-inch-square polished porcelain tile. It also comes in three colors, nocce, beige, and light gray, and a 12-by-12-inch mosaic field (made up of 36 smaller pieces) is available in each of the colors.