Colorful Tile

I've been seeing colorful tile designs more and more these days and I'm totally loving it!  I wouldn't say its a trend so much as its a lasting style that's been around for centuries.  Specifically I'm talking about Encaustic tiles (Or Cement, Moroccan, Spanish, Caribbean, Cuban, Victorian  or any tile of the sort).  Encaustic means that the pattern isn't just on the surface of the tile, it goes all the way through each individual tile.  It's a laborious process, which is reflected in the price tag for sure.  But even after hundreds of years of wear the tiles will still have the same design and pattern as they did from day 1.  You definitely get your money out of them if you keep them for a very long time.

 

The colors, patterns and designs are endless with these tiles.  I rounded up some of my favorite looks, take a look 

 

Elle Decor Photo by Simon Upton

Elle Decor Photo by Simon Upton

 Elle Decor Photo by Simon Upton

 

Elle Decor Photo by Simon Upton

Cle Tile

Cle Tile

El Mueble

Elle Decor design by Steven Gambrel, photo by Eric Pizsecki

Casa Josephine

 

Elle Decor, house of Nabil Nahas from the April 2011 issue

Nuevo Estilo

Nuevo Estilo

Original Mission Tile

Cement Tile Shop

unknown

 

While I really think the elloborate designs are beautiful I tend to be drawn to the more simple & geometric designs.  There are numerous websites that sell encaustic tile and I rounded up my very favorites.  Now I just need a client who loves them as much as I do so I can get to work installing them in a home! 

 

Top to bottom:  Villa Lagoon Tile, Mosaic House, Popham Design

Avente Tile, Villa Lagoon Tile, Mosaic House

Popham Design, Popham Design, Cle Tile

Cement Tile Shop, Mosaic House, Cement Tile Shop

 

 

The hexagon star tile from Popham Design is the front runner for me.  I just love it in the bedroom above and I would LOVE to use it in a house of my own! 

 

What do you think, any favorites?  Do you like this look?

 

 

for humans, not farm animals

I've got a little crush on wall mounted sinks.  Specifically cast iron, trough style ones.  They obvi arent perfect for every bathroom but I'm totally loving the look of them right now.  They can be country, transitional, industrial, kid friendly, laundry room perfect, and so much more.

 

Country Living, photo by Bjorn Wallander

Scavullo Design, photo by Matthew Millman

 

Carla Lane Interiors

 

Austarchitect

House Beautiful

Houzz, designer unknown

Russet and Empire Interiors

Traditional Home

Waterleaf Interiors

Bedford Magazine

 

My favorite sink is the Kohler Brockway, and it's not cheap.  But just think about how long it would last, it IS cast iron after all.  Plus, it can be painted! I love that about this sink. 

 

Off to start saving my pennies. 

Polka-dot-in-time

Ever since I saw Stephanie's adorable closet nursery post I've been looking for a spot to do my own dots.  (PS if you haven't seen it, go check it out, it is beyond cute)

 

The stencil seemed easy enough, I mean who cant tape up a stencil and color in a few dots?  WRONG. 

 

Holy cow does it take time, and patience and did I mention time.  I thought my bathroom was the perfect place to add some pizazz with dots, after all I have been looking for a way to give that pink tile an update.  But after 2 full nights work, this is where I'm currently at

 

 

I thought I had a tiny apartment bathroom, UNTIL I look at it in measurements of 1" dots and 12' ceilings. Holy time consuming to say the least. 

 

Needless to say my weekend will be filled with stenciling and more stencling.  Good thing the weather man says its going to rain all weekend, I wont feel as bad staying indoors. 

 

In the meantime lets take a look at how I hope my walls might look when I'm finished

 

Good Homes

 

via avotakka

 

anyone know the original source to this one??

 

 

Wish me luck this weekend, I'm going to need it!

 

 

 

Fringe Detail

Living in an apartment can sometimes drive me nuts.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE calling the landlord when something goes wrong.  But at the same time it takes a lot of self control not to take a sledge hammer to the tile in my bathroom or kitchen and start some renovations in there. 

That being said there are creative ways apartment dwellers can make a rental space feel like their own. I know I've talked about this before on here, so it's nothing new, but those details and personal touches are what usually distract me from seeing the yucky pink tile in my bathroom. 

Lately I've been loving fringed hand towels.  The fringe adds a fun detail that says I'm care free, cool and have style.  The photos below show some cool bathrooms with that little fringe touch

House and Home photo by Angus Fergusson

 

Lloyd Ralphs Design, photo by Virginia Macdonald

Michael S Smith, photo by Mikkel Vang

West Elm

Young House Love

Apartment Therapy, Kathryn Bentley House Tour

Architectural Digest

Anna Spiro design, photo by Simon Kenny

House and Home photo by Per Kristiansen

I have a bunch of these hand towels around my apartment but my most favorite one is in my kitchen.  You can see my DIY monogram here.

Here are my favorite sources for these hand towels, West Elm & Turkish T's.

West Elm even has great sales every so often, so keep an eye out!  Also if you are in the market for some pretty amazing beach towels for this Summer, look no further than Turkish T's.  They are seriously my FAVORITE ever.  They are light weight, colorful, and double as a cover up.  (I'm not getting paid to say this, I really just love them)

West Elm  -  Turkish T's

Toothpaste Art

Trying to explain to my husband why it was most certainly necessary to bring home multiple tubes of toothpaste was futile. He thought I was nuts.  "Don't they sell toothpaste in the US?", he asked.  I then went into a little explanation of why this toothpaste was special, that the packaging was just so pretty and that it was cheaper in Italy. He just shook his head while giving me the evil eye as I continued to pack my toothpaste ever so carefully. 

What toothpaste was worth using up 5 of my 50 pound limit? MARVIS!

I just has the prettiest packaging and makes for a lovely addition to any sink. I mean the cap alone is a work of art and the taste, well that's just an added benefit.  I used the Jasmin Mint the other night, and I was seriously like brushing my teeth with a field of flowers and mint at the same time.  Weird at first, but I grew to like it.

 

Martha Stewart really loves using it in her styling

And so do other stylists, these are just a few I found  

All in all I think carrying home the multiple tubes of Marvis from Italy was a good choice.  I'd do it all over again if I could.  In fact I might even up my game to a dozen tubes. Imagine that husband!

Have a good weekend everyone!!

(Photos from Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Pottery Barn, Apartment Therapy, and Country Living by Wendell T. Webber)