Why We Chose This Tile For Our Office
sharing all of the things that we love about Fireclay + what colors/sizes we chose
If you follow us on Instagram, you might know that we’re in the middle of remodeling a new office in Holladay, Utah. When we started the design process, we wanted to be thoughtful of what materials and brands we chose to use. Today, we’re going to share our plan for all things tile.
SELECTIONS FOR OUR OFFICE
The overall feeling for our new office is an east coast style that feels reminiscent of a retail store or cafe. Below are some of the photos that inspired our entryway tile and bathroom tile. We loved how all of these spaces felt timeless while still having personality, and tried to incorporate similar colors and tile patterns in our own space.
The process: We were inspired by the custom mosaic floors that you see in hotel lobbies, shops, and storefronts (see Scotch & Soda example above). We wanted the entry to our office to feel unique and custom and thought this would be a fun place to add some color.
To create this, we needed a colorful floor tile and after looking into some tile vendors, we found that Fireclay is one of the few companies that offers durable, floor-rated ceramic tiles (in well-curated color palettes). Their tiles come in 120+ hand-mixed, lead-free glaze colors which is honestly very hard to come by.
As we looked more into Fireclay, we were so impressed by them as a brand and it really solidified our choice in partnering with them for all the tile we are using in the office. Their tiles are made in the USA, and they are located in California and Washington State, so pretty local to us! We also think that the mission behind their company (doing good–for the planet, people, and communities) sets them apart and encourages integrity within the design community.
For our entry, we ended up choosing 4 different colors of Fireclay’s 1”x1” square ceramic tiles (see our drawing below). Ivory is the main floor color, with Basalt, Antique, and Sunflower tiles for the contrasting border trim. If you are wanting to create your own pattern, Fireclay offers free design assistance, realistic renderings, and has a great return policy to ensure your journey with them is as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
Our entry floor will be a high traffic area so we wanted to make sure this ceramic tile would be durable. One of the biggest advantages to using Fireclay’s ceramic tiles is their durability. Their tiles can be applied on backsplashes, walls, and floors. The few areas where the tiles are not suitable for are inside the firebox of a fireplace (though they're perfect for fireplace surrounds!) and some are acid-sensitive and not recommended for pool or fountain use.
In the bathrooms: as you know, small bathrooms are a great place to play with more bold designs and colors, so for both of the bathrooms we chose playful yet historic tile colors. Because Fireclay is handmade (which is the more historic way of doing it) these subway style tiles feel a bit more unique and timeless. We wanted to showcase the new wall coverings and lighting from our very own W.D.C. Home Collection, so we chose tile colors that would compliment those as well. For now, we’re sharing our CAD mockups of these spaces, but will share images in the future (so keep an eye out for those).
For the left bathroom, we chose a 4x8 in Ivory, a 1x6 Round Liner Trim in Sunflower, and a 6x6 Cove Base in Ivory.
For the right bathroom, we chose a 4x8 in Pyrite, a Serilio in Navy Blue, and a Naxian in Navy Blue.
Honestly, ceramic tile is a great timeless material that stands the test of time, and handmade tile in particular, (with its’ slight imperfections), has more character and as you see in the subways of NYC or walls in Europe, it just has a different feel that porcelains can’t emulate.
We’ll continue to share progress of our new office, with lots of updates and content in the next few weeks (we’re in the final stretch of the remodel and can’t wait for you to see everything). Thanks for following along!
As an American tile producer with over 20 years of experience, it is always of interest to me to pose the question: does authenticity matter? If you care about that question, you might look a little deeper into the craft of tile making and our uniques.y American heritage tilework.
Fireclay produces their tile using a “cookie cutter” process and roller kilns. This is a highly mechanized process used around the world for its low manufacturing cost, and not at all “handmade” as it is marketed. As far as the glaze options are concerned, quantity is not the same as quality.
If you value authenticity in the tilework you specify for your client’s projects, I would be interested in your review of the Heritage Tile portfolio of truly authentic tilework. You can find personalized design services and professional educational programs at heritagetile.com.
Love this behind the scenes on your process. I'm about to start designing my interior design office as well--looking forward to the reveal of yours!