Blue Moods

Two days ago, while on a walk, I was struck by this amazing winter sky:

Infinity

It reminded me of the light blue cement tiles that were so popular in Florida years ago. They had just a hint of white, wispy pigment--like smoke winding on the surface--and I even think they were called "clouds" or "nubes". I'm not sure why they appealed to me so much, but I always liked the idea of floors that looked like the sky.

At this point, my walk turned to thoughts of tile, and it occurred to me that I haven't dealt with color as a topic for this blog. Our culture tends to associate certain colors with emotions and this concept fascinates me because sometimes the connections seem quite random. Other times, depending on the context, they make perfect sense. So, with the beautiful sky as my inspiration, this seems like an appropriate time to show you some blue tiles that I like.

This dark blue porcelain would be peaceful and soothing in a bedroom. The surface of this tile seems to change color depending on the light. Right now, the room where I sleep is painted a navy/plum color and although it can be somber, I enjoy the darkness it provides.

Atlas Concorde -- Plentitude -- Blue Avio
30.5 cm x 91.5 cm white body wall tile

The color blue is often associated with melancholy. Picasso's famous blue period depicts the emotion perfectly. From 1901 to 1904, he used a predominantly blue palette to express themes of hardship and misery.

La repasseuse, Pablo Picasso
Paris, spring 1904. Oil on canvas
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 

I get why the woman looks so sad--I hate ironing too. But blue doesn't have to connote angst or despair. The sky on my walk was certainly a mood booster, for example.

Here's a cheerful bathroom in gorgeous shades of blue from Tile of Italy:

Miss Fap -- extra glossy white body porcelain
rectified 30.5 cm x 91.5 cm

Color theory is pretty complex, and I'll write about it more in another post. In the meantime, I hope that my musings on the color blue lifted your spirits today. :)

Porcelain that looks like concrete

Inalco, a tile of Spain branded manufacturer, has just released their "Sensations" collection. Among the new releases is "Concrete" which uses "environmental materials in their purest state," according the the press release.  I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds good. This large format tile is 23.6" x 23.6" and comes in neutrals, grey and white (shown here.)

Obviously, this is a gorgeous installation. I'm wondering though, what do you think about using a high-tech product to replicate a low-tech one?

Ultra-Thin Technical Porcelain

For several years, tiles have been getting larger and larger. This year, several manufacturers have introduced ultra-thin, high-performance, large-format porcelain tile. These tiles are very light, minimizing transportation burdens and reducing installation costs, which is great for the environment.

Here are some of the new introductions:

SlimmKer by Inalco is 4 mm thick porcelain, available in 18” x 35.” It is easy to cut or perforate, and is lightweight. A new anchorage system allows for easy replacement, reducing landfill waste and demolition mess.

Ceramiche Ceasar offers large format porcelain, 3m x 1m and only 4.6 mm thick, mounted on fiberglass, with 40% recycled content.

Lea North America introduced SlimTech, a 3mm thick tile. According to Cesare Cabani, "The tile has all certifications for eco you could possibly get." Slimtech is the result of a rolling and compression technology, which totally modifies the traditional production process, the tile is extremely resistant, easy to install and flexible.

Provenza's EcoMood is a very thin tile for walls and floors with texture available in large format. It consists of 40% certified recycled content.

Kerlite by Cotto D'Este offers a range of colors and sizes in 3mm thick porcelain tile for interior and exterior cladding. Optional fiberglass backing adds one half millimeter to the thickness. The tiles are available up to 3m x 1m.