shelley miller has expanded this idea to the streets- creating her sugary magic in a construct-deconstruct art form that imitates the historic portuguese azulejos murals that decorated the [...]]]> one of tile envy’s most popular posts featured whipped bakeshop’s amazing delft tile cookies. readers still don’t believe they aren’t tiles.

shelley miller has expanded this idea to the streets- creating her sugary magic in a construct-deconstruct art form that imitates the historic portuguese azulejos murals that decorated the streets of portugal for centuries.

miller’s work is also an allegorical message illustrating the parallels between the sugar industry’s wealth vs. the dilapidation of the areas surrounding the production of sugar. as an admitted sugar-addict i think miller’s message could double as a banner for our current health crisis relating to the global abuse of sugar.

in fact, sundays are now quite the opposite. there we are having suffered through a big sunday of too much food and a tiny bit of work- extra wired -since we know that [...]]]> yes- sunday nights are no longer a lanquid and wry slide into monday mornings, because it’s mad men season again!! woo-hoo!

in fact, sundays are now quite the opposite. there we are having suffered through a big sunday of too much food and a tiny bit of work- extra wired -since we know that in a few we’ll be settling into the next unsettling episode of anxious story-telling on that addictive hour of advertising hi-jinx.

will he or won’t he (don, of course) fall to a certain end, much like the show opening graphics? all that sunday night rubber-necking does tend to make one feel a bit too voyeuristic. however, the other reason we can’t detach ourselves from the tv screen is due to matthew weiner’s tyrannically perfected 60′s costumes and sets. he is known for breaking down the tiniest of details.

suddenly, it became all too clear that a tile envy tribute to my current tv craze was a must-

(mad men debut, tile 50′s mosaic signage)

(don and betty in the good days, tile by torkel dohmers creative lab)

(don and megan’s new nest, tile by nella vetrina)

(joanie’s pink place, tile by gio ponti)

(don and megan’s new kitchen, tile from clé )

(peggy’s apartment, tile by new ravenna)

(dinner with don and megan, tile by roger capron)

(don’s birthday, tile by little coaster gnome)

(zou bisou bisou, tile by lingua terra tile)

(roger’s impeccable office, tile by little coaster gnome)

(peggy and don, tile by gaudi)

(that fateful howard johnson’s visit, tile by lubna chowdhary)

(don draper’s office, tile by tilevera for clé)

yesterday we were visited by one of the top cheesemakers in the world- no kidding! she is renowned for her pillows of perfection- as noted here.

and because she came bearing gifts- we had [...]]]> sometimes in our design studio, things just all seem to be so designer-ly without even trying-

yesterday we were visited by one of the top cheesemakers in the world- no kidding! she is renowned for her pillows of perfection- as noted here.

and because she came bearing gifts- we had to set them on our favorite platter. we are in the midst of helping her design her own kitchen. (more about those tiles later)

after we made a dinner of cheese and bread – wow – we noticed the current clé orders that were gathered in our studio were the perfect “visual” pairing for her cheeses. well these and prosecco

a tile blog with no mention of gaudi? well, there have been mentions at tile envy- but it’s so hard to say so little about so much. the man was incomparable- yes? and the work- nothing has come near his devotion to detail of the quirky-kind. art nouveau would never have been the [...]]]> what?

a tile blog with no mention of gaudi? well, there have been mentions at tile envy- but it’s so hard to say so little about so much. the man was incomparable- yes? and the work- nothing has come near his devotion to detail of the quirky-kind. art nouveau would never have been the same without him. and speaking of art nouveau- when was the last time that eminent style was mentioned in a design blog?

this week i ran across some photos of every tile lover’s tile god- antoni gaudi- and realized the time has come…

(architecture fans, be sure to click photo for wonderful story on sagrada familia)

the clay comes from the makkum village and was originally formed into [...]]]> take a 400 year old dutch company, one family and a lot of talent and you have royal makkum. such an incredible story and an incredibly longstanding commitment to a single material- clay!

the clay comes from the makkum village and was originally formed into bricks, dishes and tiles. today, they have combined their traditions with some of the best european designers to create a new tradition of pushing the boundaries of the wares for which they are famous.

(bricks, glazed)

(tile)

at our new online tile showroom – clé – we have built the body of what we do around the heart of our artisans and artists, all struggling against the odds of the materials they love and the mystery beyond their passions. royal makkum’s story embodies what can happen with many centuries of such passion, and we applaud their newest endeavors.

here is a wonderful video of their enduring story

(click n play)

]]> http://www.tilevera.com/tile_envy/?feed=rss2&p=8970 1 http://www.tilevera.com/tile_envy/?p=8970 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TileEnvy/~3/0RGwhk6W5_M/ http://www.tilevera.com/tile_envy/?p=8922#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:28:51 +0000 admin http://www.tilevera.com/tile_envy/?p=8922 oh my…this week marks the launch of clé. it’s a beta launch which basically means that we will be testing the waters, testing the codes, pages, links and so on. and now, so will you- (we hope)

you have all been patient as we have been gathering, considering, and just plain [...]]]> oh my…this week marks the launch of clé. it’s a beta launch which basically means that we will be testing the waters, testing the codes, pages, links and so on. and now, so will you- (we hope)

you have all been patient as we have been gathering, considering, and just plain figuring out what the heck clé could be. of course we want it to be everything. but we had to step back and find a starting point for “everything”. so here’s where we are with it-

clé is a curated shopping experience all about tile.

it is an evolution of tile envy -can you believe we’re coming on 3 years!?

it is our response to all of you asking for our help and support on your tile hunt.

so basically, clé is a culmination of what seemed most important to you- 1) the most trending classic tiles as combed and collected from the blog realm (stone, porcelains, ceramics, glass, concrete and so on). tile envy has made us many, many tile friends from everywhere and along with those connections comes the ability to search for tiles from many sources. these tiles are being offered in our clé classics section.

and 2) tiles from the hearts and hands of the most unique and gifted artists and artisan studios, also from around the world. clé gallery is a culmination of my many years searching and loving tiles. but to have the chance to individually introduce each artist and studio to you so that you can catch a glimpse of their process and passions? I can’t think of a more significant tile experience!

(clé artists)

we hope you will join us over the next 30 days as we wade through this “beta” site.  we are slowly uploading new artists and tiles, everyday. we will also be adding inspirations, articles, and even some fun diy projects on a regular basis.

we look forward to your feedback and suggestions – and yes, we agree the font could be bigger! clé is created for you and will continue to be crafted by you- just give the word!

20th century architect, pedro ramirez vázquez is one of the premiere modern architects and designers of mexico. he has used his principals of modern design for the [...]]]> life is best when tile envy is inspired by friends and readers. this week, a couple of inspirations from our friend and fellow tile co-conspirator ruan hoffmann -

20th century architect, pedro ramirez vázquez is one of the premiere modern architects and designers of mexico. he has used his principals of modern design for the creation of graphic, architectural and functional design in and around his country. along with the auditorio in puebla, mexico (featured below) – vázquez developed numerous monumental structures. however, he may be most noted for developing a process to build affordable schools throughout rural mexico. this process was employed by unicef in the construction of classrooms around the world, totaling over 150,000 in mexico, alone.

today we celebrate his use of tile as external cladding and joie de vivre- (thanks ruan!)