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I was fortunate to catch the last day of the exhibition, SELLING the DWELLING, The Books that Built America’s Houses, 1775-2000, at the Grolier Club in New York. Richard Cheek, exhibition curator and author of the accompanying book, is a photographer who records the visual history of America’s architecture as well as a bibliophile.
This diagram provides the most accurate illustration of specialized ceramic tile trimmers that I have seen. Using the right trimmer makes the installation look so much better.
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I certainly do not know how to install tile. However, I do know a really good installation when I see one. I look for tight grout joints, carefully calculated and pre-planned cuts so there are no unsightly shapes in the grid and finally, in the case of ceramic tile, the use of correct trimmers. This edition of The Perfect Bath is about the very special tile pieces that are available to create an impeccable installation.
Imagine this pattern in larger format. It feels fresh and current today even though it was created and installed hundreds of years ago.
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I simply love mosaics–from the earliest ones I’ve seen at Ephesus, Herculaneum, St. Mark’s and other Venetian churches, to the charming creations in the foyer of early 20th century Paris apartment buildings as well as modern interpretations of any of these designs. I always look for elegant cuts, artful arrangements and placement of the tesserae, the tonal value of the palette and the skill of the artisans. The beauty of mosaics is in the detail. Whether simple black and white or multi colored, mosaics use thousands upon thousands of small and precious tiles to tell their stories, assessing the effect of light and shade or exploiting complementary colors.
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This will probably be the final post on my trip to Israel.
