Recently we received a wonderful email from a Fireclay Tile fan that included photographs of a very beautiful Fireclay Cureda Seca backsplash that was recently installed in her urban Brooklyn, New York Kitchen.

We were touched by her compliments, and asked her if we could share her story with you--she gave us a resounding yes! Here is what she had to say about her California inspired kitchen, and how it brightens up those cold, New York Winter days!

"I have lived in Brooklyn, New York for six years, but I am originally from Los Angeles, California. Last year when I decided to renovate my apartment kitchen, I wanted to make sure to incorporate my favorite California design element, Spanish colonial tiles. I first saw Fireclay Tile at Mission Tile West in South Pasadena, California, and I thought they were amazing. (Arpita you're making us blush!) Then I saw a sample of the Cuerda Seca Lugo tile at Urban Archaeology in New York, and I knew I wanted it for my backsplash. I also wanted yellow tiles as a complement because I think it makes a kitchen cheerful."

"My designer, Karen Wright, planned a backsplash with yellow tiles, blue liner, and the Lugo tiles as a centerpiece. I love this backsplash! The rest of my kitchen is neutral (dark brown quartz counters, walnut cabinets, cork floor), so the tiles are a wonderful splash of color. The LED under-cabinet lights highlight the gorgeous peacock colors of the Lugo tiles."

I have received many compliments on my backsplash. And every time I use my kitchen, I am reminded of California sunshine and Mexican American artwork, two of my favorite things about Los Angeles. I recommend your tiles very highly!

Cheers,
Arpita Bose
Brooklyn, New York

To achieve this look, Arpita and her designer used:

Fireclay Curerda Seca Debris series, pattern: Lugo, colorway: Peacock, size 6 x 6
Fireclay Vitrail V23 color marigold, size 4 x 4, finish gloss
Fireclay Debris Series, size flatliner 1 x 6, color lapis, finish gloss
Fireclay Debris Series, size 1 X 1, color lapis, finish gloss

To locate a Fireclay Tile Dealer near you, use our handy dandy Dealer Locator.

Do you have an installation story you'd like to share with us? Email amanda @ fireclay tile.com with photographs of your Fireclay Tile installation, and your story--we may write a blog about you too!

This is part one in a series of guest blogs our friend and eco interior designer Kelly LaPlante will be writing for Fireclay as part of a new collection that she will be launching in early 2012.

Hello Fireclay Friends!

Over the past few months I've been designing an exclusive collection for Fireclay Tile—launching to dealers and designers in just a few months. Fireclay and I have had a wonderful relationship, marked with all sorts of exciting projects, custom collaborations and beautiful installations—so it was very fitting that my first licensed collection would be with them.

When this collaboration began, Paul Burns, Eric Edelson and I spent a good deal of time talking about what is missing in the tile market and what Fireclay and I can bring to the table.  From there, I began one of the most fun parts of the job—collecting inspiration!

Inspiration, of course,  is everywhere—in nature, architecture, music, food, politics... life. But to have a cohesive collection I find that it is smart to identify one great source for inspiration and run with that. I chose fashion because the idea of tile that seemed to fall right off the runway really resonated with me. I love that a homeowner could look at their back splash and feel glamorous or step into their shower and feel preppy—and I love having fun with my work— so why not use Stella McCartney and Coco Channel as my muses?

Five patterns have now been created and, as I type, the masterful Paul Burns and his team of ceramicists are turning my paper templates into prototype tiles.

I can't wait to share the final products with the design community over the next couple of months—and, in the meantime, you can view my inspirations on the Pintrest boards that I created for each look (all but one, which is so top secret that we didn't even make a board for it!) Make sure to check back in for updates about the collection, and ultimately the launch of this exciting new collection.

~Kelly LaPlante

Today I had the opporutunity to visit with one of our favorite customers. What was different is that this customer serves food - and the food is quite delicious. I'm talking about The Melt, one of the hottest restaurant concepts of 2011. Started by Jonathan Kaplan of FlipCam, The Melt's goal is to be the premier quick served grilled cheese and soup destination. After my experience today, I can say they are well on their way. Plus, we love The Melt because they were our first customers of our new glazed thin brick line (Launching January 2012)

My wife and I visited the The Melt Embarcadero location and were immediatley impressed by 4 key things:

1) FAST SERVICE: For a holiday week in SF, it was super crowded, but the line moved really quickly and very efficiently.

2) COOL ORDER SCREEN: After ordering, we saw our name show up on their "order board" which was super cool and something I'd never seen in a restaurant before. We knew exactly  when our food would be ready!

3) SODA FOUNTAIN: I love a good fountain soda, and The Melt's fountain soda machine is totally unique and serves delicious Diet Coke.

4) GLAZED THIN BRICK: We may be biased, but we think the glazed thin brick in The Melt looks spectacular!

[Photo: Facebook, New Montgomery Location]

My wife and I dined on The Mission and The Classic and enjoyed every last bite. We will definitely be back!

- Eric Edelson

Recently InteriLife, one of our great dealer showrooms in Colorado Springs, Colorado sent us a kitchen trasnformation that they just completed using our Express Series quick ship 3x6 field tile in Moss. InteriLife provides sustainable materials, natural products, & design for a healthier green lifestyle.

Our Express Series ships in one week and comes in six contemporary colors, and like our Debris Series the Express Line features over 62% recycled materials (including post-consumer waste), is made in California, and qualifies for numerous LEED points.

Here is what the kitchen looked like before it met Fireclay...

After...

InteriLife used our Express Series Quick Ship 3x6 field tile in the color Moss.

If your kitchen could use a little refreshening, check out our Dealer Locator to find your nearest Fireclay Tile Dealer Showroom.

Fireclay Tile has stunning reddish orange selections to add real pop to your next project.

                             Vitrail Series in Tangerine                                                    Debris Series in Coral

        Crush 100% Recycled Glass Tile in Habanero

Fireclay Tile is thrilled to be participating in a Dwell Media Event in honor of the Junior League of San Francisco. Attending the event will be top San Francisco and Bay Area designers, along with several manufacturers showcasing their modern collections.

Fireclay will be on site showing ourf our Crush 100% Recycled Glass tile as well as a new glazed brick product we are soon to be introducing!

Join us this weekend for this exciting event!

Stunning Designs by Urban Archaeology

We love when our exclusive Fireclay Tile dealers come up with their own creative ways of displaying tile designs. Today, we received some photos from one of our favorite showrooms, Urban Archaeology. Without further delay...

Debris Series Paseo in Chartreuse

Debris Series Ogee in Sapphire

Debris Series Hexagon in White Matte

Debris Series Ogee Drop in Tomato Red

Debris Series Star and Cross in Pine Grove Matte

It's also worth noting how exceptional Urban Archaeology is as company. For those who do not know, there are four showrooms across the country. Two in Manhattan, one in Chicago, and one in Bridgehampton. I had the pleasure of meeting with the company's co-owner, Judith Stockman, last November and taking a tour of her Franklin St. location in Manhattan. Unbeknown to me and all my friends in New York, Urban Archaeology is actually a manufacturer,and they are literally the last manufacturer located in southern Manhattan. They are known for their architectural productions of amazing features such as lighting and hardware.

The Urban Archaeology factory and hardware being made on site

Virginia and Judith (Founder), Final Lighting Fixture Ready for Sale

Thank you to the team at Urban Archaeology for all that you do to keep local manufacturing alive, and of course for doing such a wonderful job showing Fireclay Tile. We love your entire tile selection and encourage those in New York City to check them out for all your interiors needs.

Last week we had the honor of attending the opening launch party for Ciao Bella Gelato's remodeled Ferry Building location in San Francisco, CA. In the Spring Ciao Bella solicited Fireclay Tile for the backsplash tile, focusing on Fireclay's huge range of bright, vibrant colors. This is what they came up with!

We are so thrilled with how it turned out! Using a combination of 36 colors from our Debris Series Recycled Tile line (and 3 colors from our Vitrail Series), Ciao Bella designed a backsplash that emulated its brand perfectly, highlighting bright, beautiful colors, just likes its delicious gelato.

You can read more about why Ciao Bella chose Fireclay in this great blog post here.

To check out some Fireclay Tile for your own backsplash, consider ordering some samples!

We are so excited to announce a wonderful collaboration between Fireclay Tile and New Avenue Homes, a Northern California start-up that finances and builds backyard cottages and second units. A fantastic new concept being led by Kevin Casey, when New Avenue went to look for surfacing material partners for its kitchens and bathrooms,we were so happy they found their way to Fireclay Tile.

The idea behind New Avenue Homes is that home renovations and additions are expensive. At the same time, many homeowners have unused land and would like to create additional living space, either for friends, family, or perhaps additional rental income. Though the idea of modular homes has been tried numerous times with so far little success due to the financial costs and scale, New Avenue’s model of modular cottage homes makes perfect sense, both financially and aesthetically.

Kevin and the team at New Avenue Homes have made a smart decision to focus on environmentally friendly cottages, with everything from power, to sewage, to building materials. They chose Fireclay’s Debris Series Recycled Tile and our new Crush 100% Recycled Glass Tile for both their beauty and sustainability, and for their first two homes Fireclay’s Design Specialist, Amie, came up with an eye-catching mix of ceramic and glass tile colors that carried through New Avenue’s desire for a natural looking surface.

Crush in 3x6 Freesia (16) in Matte and Gloss with Debris Series Bamboo Matte 4x4

“I chose Fireclay Tiles for several reasons. They are beautiful, high quality tiles that have a fantastic natural look. Fireclay Tile is also a domestic company focused on sustainable manufacturing through great recycled product lines and low environmental impact processes. As a company their values matched the values New Avenue Home stands behind and very simply their tiles are stunning.”

– Kevin Casey, Founder New Avenue Homes

Today, New Avenue unveils The Home of Innovation - The central home for the Pacific Coast Builders Conference. The home is sponsored by GE, New Avenue, Southern California Edison, Apple and many others, and it is located inside the Moscone convention center.  This home is open for three days - Wed June 22 through Friday June 24. To register for your free pass go to www.pcbc.com/go/freepassand at check out, use discount code newavenue.

Inside the Moscone Center you will also find the San Jose Clean Energy Showcase Eco House - A model of sustainability and energy efficiency. This modular home is located in front of the main entrance to Moscone Center on Howard Street (at 3rd Street and Howard in San Francisco). This home is open for four days – Wed June 22 through Saturday June 25. Tours are open to the public, with no registration required.

Also be sure to check out Kevin Warnock's blog highlighting the cool journey of these modular homes from San Jose to San Francisco.

About New Avenue Homes:

New Avenue makes it possible for every homeowner to turn their house into two homes so they can share their lives with family and friends or earn additional income. Backyard cottages and second units are one of the the most sustainable, convenient and enjoyable ways to live. For a free consultation or to learn more visit their website: www.newavenuehomes.com or email them at: info@newavenuehomes.com