I personally styled my 1924 cottage with period Arts and Crafts features and colors. I found it instantly drops my blood pressure upon entering because it is such an inviting environment. Think subdued colors, warm lighting, lots of wood and few right angles. If you have ever visited the Gamble House in Pasadena you know what it is like to be lovingly embraced by a home.

Value is in the details.

September is an exciting time in the tile industry as summer-time construction completes. With walls up and the roof on, finish surfaces are the next items to check off.  It is more important than ever to invest in your home. Installing quality surfaces will create environments you want to live in over time, which in turn adds value. Using cheap materials often proves to be  false economy, as they are more commonly ripped out and replaced. Quality surfaces are timeless and enduring.

By working with Norberry Tile you can be assured of beautiful and appropriate surfaces for your style of home.  Bring a designer in with you for a third opinion.  Our goal is to have you install the tile once and be happy with it for your entire life in the home.  That’s adding value!

Green Roof or Living Art?

Probably the most satisfying detail of my remodel is the green roof outside the kitchen.  It is simply a living piece of art!  Every other week it has a new appearance.  The Summer display going on now is chock full of color from flowers to succulent leaves.  The roof is composed of drought tolerant sedums, and they are growing on less than 4″ of soil.  It was installed as 12″ x 24″ living tiles.  The biggest contrast is the winter foliage when the roof turns burgundy red.

I can only note that Rookwood is on the verge of releasing a tile line.  What exactly will be available is not clear yet, nor the distribution channel.  However, I can mention that they are very close in reproducing original colors without the benefit of lead.  Also,  they have copies of original molds to reproduce the fabulous Rookwood decorative tile.  I will forward images as I receive them.

Tabarka Studios is sticking with their soft glazes and adding to their traditional European decorative patterns.  I gave Tabarka my vote as “the most beautiful booth at Coverings award”, I’m still working on a trophy though.  In the meantime enjoy a little eye candy.

One surface that ages like a fine bottle of red wine is exposed metal.  Metal exposed to the Northwest climate, develops a deeper, darker patina; especially tile made from recycled nickle, bronze, or sterling silver.  A shiny new look can be maintained with an occasional application of clear shoe wax.

One favorite metallic tile line is Metaphor Bronze developed by Jay Gibson, a talented artisan and Pratt Institute graduate. The Timberline Series are realistic impressions of pinecones and oak leaves possessing leathery detail. For those who desire simple accents of metal, effective in tying fixtures and fittings into overall design, might favor moldings to frame out or terminate edges of plain field tile.  Metal tile looks especially beautiful paired with natural stone and rustic ceramic tile.  Visit Norberry Tile to experience and feel these beautiful finishes.

Even when recycled content and LEED standards aren’t drivers for selecting a tile, the beauty of Fireclay Tile places it in the realm of the most beautiful handmade tile manufactured.  Norberry tile appreciates that we can make the most beautiful installations possible with Fireclay Tile.  The most beautiful commercial projects work with Norberry Tile to capture responsible and beautiful installations.

Trails at Newcastle, a soon to be built concept.

Norberry Tile is a big supporter of  good quality development practices. One of the most exciting sustainably built communities yet is  ”Trails at Newcastle.”  This project consists of beautifully designed homes, possessing the most sought-after details such as: 

- Cottage homes ranging from 1,300 -2,100 square feet.

- Hardwood Floors

- Super insulated with radiant heat

- Wired for solar power and hot water tubes

- Zero VOC paints and low/non toxic finishes

- Dual flush and other water saving features

The location is another feature that sets this project apart.  It is located at the base of the Cascade Mountains surrounded by wetlands and green fields that back up all the way to the beautiful hiking trails of Tiger Mountain.  The community will be  self-sustaining, whithin walking distance to various amenities.  Located adjacent to bus routes and bikes paths, “Trails at Newcastle” will be a very convenient commuting distance to Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond.

For more info contact:

brenda@trailsatnewcastle.com or

ben@greenworksrealty.com

Norberg in front of Sandhill mosaic wall

Norberry has supported sustainable surfaces, even before they were considered responsible building materials.  After recieving a Sustainable Building Advisor Certificate, Craig Norberg discovered three of the most beautiful LEED qualified tile lines containing recycled material.  All of Norberry’s custom ceramic tile lines originate in the USA and practice sustainable manufacturing processes, but tile lines containing at least 50% recycled content are valuable toward recieving LEED credits for sustainably built projects.

Today’s featured tile line is Sandhill Glass.  Manufactured with 100% recycled glass, Sandhill tops the list for recycled content.   It’s proximity within 500 miles of Seattle gives a LEED project the maximum number of points possible when utilized here in town.  Sandhill Glass products increase the overall percent content of recycled materials used on a job. A little Sandhill can go a long way toward achieving maximum LEED points.

Design tip: Since Sandhill tends to be very color-consistent, try blending several similar colors to create a dynamic colorway.  A good example of this can be found on the back wall of the Norberry Tile showroom.  Changing the shape and size of tile within an installation further adds to the dynamic feel.

Contemporary Design is certainly one of the hallmarks of Norberry Tile’s offerings.  It is an understanding of historical design that makes designing for the present and future a natural fit.  Contemporary surfaces maybe rather simple and less decorated than revival surface treatments, but there should be treatments.  If we can identify inspiration it could come from mid-century architecture.  Walls, flooors and ceilings need to be treated as planes of different materials.  Surfaces should contrast or complement each other, but should have a treatment and not be left denuded.  Natural stone, colored fields and texture are the elements that comprise the planes that are acceptable in contemporary design.

Within the last 10 years porcelain tile has become one of the acceptable surfaces in contemporary design.  No longer are they trying to be the fake stones, rather they are durable surfaces that are treated to have their own character.  Core “10″ Tile are one such product that has character relavent to contemporary design, and architects have been eating it up.  In this case no two tile are alike as they are plated with real metal and have a natural variation to the pattern.  Sharp or rectified edges allow for tight grout joints and allow for a rather seamless effect.  Because of the durability of the porcelain the same tile can run the plane of the floor and directly up an adjacent wall without concern for either plane wearing out its surface and looking different from one another.  As a whole it looks like a deep, rich coppery finish.  Very handsome!

Do you have any installations to share or experiences with Core “10″ that you can share?

Frederick William Anhalt was a developer and contractor in Seattle that worked in the period surrounding the Great Depression.  Although not trained as an architect, he designed and built rather large luxury apartments in a variety of revival styles especially espousing the Tudor style.  These same apartments are recognisable as gracing some of the oldest neighborhoods in Seattle, primarily on Capital Hill and Queen Ann.

Norberry Tile was approached by a property owner of one of Anhalt’s Capital Hill Apartments to redo a bathroom in the period style.  The project was a fun challenge in that we had only two weeks to deliver the material as it needed to fit the installers schedule before the holidays and it needed to fit the closet sized bathroom so commonly constructed during the period.  In early homes bathrooms and kitchens got very little respect!  Partially driven by what could be acquired quickly we settled with combining stylized patterning and color from the Art Deco era with the classical elements of marble and mosaic that the Tudor Style reflected.  The reflective white marble helped make the closet/bathroom appear just a little bit bigger.  The completed bathroom was more beautiful than what Anhalt installed, but fit his insistence for beautiful materials, and to the unknowing eye, it certainly looked original.

Norberry Tile was awarded Bronze for this project as the Northwest Bath of the Year award with Home Magazine in 2000.