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Home Design
What’s new for fall at Statements? Well we are bringing you, Home Design, a new color-bodied porcelain line by Cercom. Cercom is a new company joining the Statements family and is an offshoot of the parent company Ceramica Serenissima S.p.A in Casalgrande Italy.
Ceramica was founded in 1968 by Sir Lamberto Romani. The company prides itself on constant research in the technical and aesthetic aspects of production, combined with an imaginative approach to design and manufacturing. In addition, Ceramica is always trying to create original products that stand out in the design market.
Cercom, the creators of Home Design, joined the Ceramica group in June of 2005. They specialize in the manufacturing of solid porcelain stoneware for technical applications, intending their products to be used in retail, industrial and urban design, in addition to the ever-present residential applications. Cercom’s creation of Home Design is a project employing cutting-edge technology to create tile guaranteed to produce unique looks. It is through the teaming of technique and aesthetics which create quality and perfection in Home Design.
Home Design expresses itself through textures and colors making this tile perfect for modern day design. It is Home Design’s subtle balance of technology and material which drives Cercom’s vision for this new line as the front runner for a new era in, well, home design.
Statements categorizes Home Design with the likes of Bloom II and Zebrano. Available in six colors–four of which Statements will stock–in five sizes and two textures, and one very unique lineal mosaic. The four colors are Vaniglia (a french vanilla ice cream color), Kaki (a dark khaki pants color), Bruno (dark grey-brown) and Carbone (very dark brown-black). All colors will be stocked in a smooth finish in 24×24 and 12×24, in addition to a 12×12 abrasso which has a texture similar to the Natura line and 12×24 graffiato which is linera like Groove but with the Home Design you can actually feel the grooves. All colors will also come in a 1/2×24 mosaic on a 12×24 sheet and a 3/16×24 battiscopa (bullnose). This new tile is just what you need to kick start a new look in your, home design.
Alumillenium
Going green has never been so popular. It’s everywhere from trying to ban plastic shopping bags to not using plastic bottles, but what about tile for home interiors or commercial spaces? A great stylish option that is also good for the planet is Alumillenium recycled metal tiles.
Alumillenium was founded in 1996 in Iropuato, Guanajuato, Mexico “….with the idea to create a new innovative concept using recycled metal materials as the principle component for tiles.” Alumillenium the company was way ahead of the whole green movement but it wasn’t until recently that people have really started to notice how amazing this product really is.
The first of the two recycled metals is aluminum which comes in three finishes, brushed, natural and sandblasted. The aluminum is a 100% post industrial and post consumer products, coming from the recycled combination of aluminum cans, windowry scraps, used transformer coils, trailer pulley wreckage, industrial scraps, offset sheet metal, caning left over’s and combustion motor pistons.
The other metal choice is brass, which comes in four finishes; antique, rustic, green and sand brushed. The brass like the aluminum is post industrial and consumer as well but has between a 78%-88% recycled content. Products used are copper pipes, water meters, burned magnet wires, brass keys, brass cut outs from coin makers, used faucets, burrs from spinning lathe work and brass zippers. A fun little characteristic of the brass tiles is the fact like any brass they patina with age, giving them the classic green tint.
Due to the recycled content of both metals and the fact they are completely handcrafted each tile will exhibit a wide range of tone in addition to some warping.
Alumillenium is a truly a unique tile and will add an extra special relatively contemporary quality to any room. The tiles are intended for interior vertical and some horizontal surfaces in most residential and some commercial applications, but can also be used for exterior applications, however, remember the brass will patina. Applications also include bathrooms, walls, shower walls/floors, vanity tops, wainscoting, kitchen backsplashes and counters.
Who knew going green could be so stylish.
Pietra Riciclata
Pietra Riciclata is the newest of the eco-friendly recycled tiles from Cerim, an innovative Italian tile factory and the producer of Bloom II. Pietra Riciclata is a porcelain tile made with pre-consumer recycled materials. The homogeneous (through-body unglazed porcelain) tile is designed for interior and exterior installations and is both durable and environmentally sustainable. The surface of Pietra Riciclata is slip-resistant, making this tile especially suitable for rainy climates.
Statements will stock four of the five shades; roccia (light gray similar to a cement look), muschio (darker gray with a hint of tan), ruggine (dark rust to a red brown) and castagna (warmer gray brown).
Because of the recycled content, Pietra Riciclata can also contribute to a project’s LEED certification. Cerim took the additional step of certifying Pietre Riciclata under Eco-Label.
The collection comes in four sizes: 12×24, 6×12, 6×6 and a 3×12 single edge bullnose. Aside from great indoor and outdoor residential uses, we expect Pietre Riciclata to be a hit among our commercial designers as well.
Have you ever had a client ask, “What is the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile?” and been unable to give a concise definition? We get this question a lot in our showroom, and so we thought we’d give a little primer on the difference between porcelain and ceramic tiles.
Porcelain Tiles
Much of the confusion over the definition of porcelain comes from the fact that the term was originally a marketing term and not an industry definition. However, as more manufacturers used the term “porcelain” to describe their densest ceramic tiles, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) decided to create a standard. In short, the current industry definition of porcelain tile is: ceramic tile that has a water absorption of less than .5%.
So what’s the easiest way to explain that to your clients? If you were to weigh a porcelain tile, and then put it in a bucket of water for 24 hours, and then weigh it again, it would only weigh .5% more. Standard ceramics would absorb more water and therefore add more than .5%. Because of their low water absorption, most porcelains are not susceptible to breakage as a result of rapid freezing and thawing. As a result, these porcelains can be used outside even in cold weather regions.
Ceramic or Non-Porcelain Tiles
The TCNA defines ceramic tiles as a non-porcelain made predominantly of a white clay body. They have a water absorption greater than 0.5%. Ordinarily, non-porcelain tiles are unable to be used outdoors due to their water absorption, however there are some manufactured with similar properties to those of porcelain tiles.
Overall, a general rule of thumb is non-porcelain tiles are great on walls and light- use countertops, while porcelain can be used pretty much everywhere in residential applications (and often in commercial applications as well), but there are always exceptions. Therefore, it is a good idea to check with the manufacturer and, if it’s available, to ask for a tear sheet for application information.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting a group of Portland area interior designers in our Seattle
showroom for lunch and product presentations. During our meeting, Carole Jackson showed me a photo of a recent project incorporating the Jeffrey Court Raindrops Series — easily one of our most popular glass tiles over the last two years. And when you see Carole’s beautiful installation, you can see why our clients appreciate the series so much. Besides the luster of an iridescent surface, the Raindrops series comes in a soft color pallet with enough variation in natural tones to be interesting without overwhelming. As you can see in the photo, Carole combined the glass with contemporary countertops and elegant appliances for a modern but not austere look.
For more information about the design, contact Carole by email: carolejacksondes@aol.com
To order a sample of the Jeffrey Court Raindrops Glass, click here.
8/26 DIY Roundup
This last weekend I was able to wrap up a DIY tile job in my kitchen that, I’m ashamed to say, I started last summer. About midway through everyone of those projects, I find myself wondering why I didn’t contract a professional. At the same time, once it’s all finished, it’s a good feeling to see the results of your efforts every time I step into the kitchen.
For others considering a DIY tile project. Here’s a couple of good articles:
Using mosaics in tile patterns is a little bit tricky. In this pattern the Concreate black 1×1 mosaics on a
12×12 sheet was cut and five 1×1 tiles by twelve 1×1 tiles were used with the Concreate black 18×18’s and 18×24’s. When using mosaics in tile patterns watch the mosaic tile thickness. Often times the mosaics or field tiles do not always match up.
Concreate Black
