Breaking News: Granada Tile in Print and New Additions to the Stripes Range of Cement Tiles

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Lisa

Three new tile designs from Granada Tile appear in the June 2013 issue of House Beautiful

Our big year here at Granada Tile continues! We’ve been thrilled to receive lots of press coverage for our stunning cement tile designs. In just the past few months alone, we’ve been featured in Architectural Digest, Dwell‘s special renovation issue and Angeleno. Today we’re so excited to report that our wonderful concrete tiles have been covered in yet another outstanding design publication: House Beautiful.

Yep. That’s right. A few of the newest sensational additions to our Echo Collection, from our Stripes range, have hit the magazine’s pages. If you’ve checked out the Echo Collection catalogue, you might have caught a glimpse of these guys, but in general we’ve been keeping them under wraps for a bit, until the big reveal. Now the cat’s out of the bag.

Without further ado, we’re delighted to introduce you to three additional members of the Stripes family—Miami, Chicago and Boulder. The concrete tiles join Boston, Nashville, Philadelphia and Seattle, which we shared with you a couple of months back. All of the tiles in the the range are a geometric homage to the spirit of some of America’s great cities. They rhythmic patterns distill the rich, diverse culture found in them. Both Boulder and Miami have wide rows of stripes (Boulder’s are a bit thicker). Chicago boasts thinner stripes in two shades.

Boulder, Chicago, and Miami are three new tile designs from the Stripes range. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

As with all of our Echo Collection cement tiles, these tiles are as durable and versatile as they are beautiful. You can’t go wrong when you opt for cement tiles from our Stripes range for your kitchen tile, bathroom tile or wall tile. Visit our interactive Echo Collection and see for yourself how you can personalize them for your next tile installation.

Get the Look: Inspired by Egypt

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Lisa

Over the last few months, we’ve introduced you to some of Granada Tile‘s new cement tile designs, shared a host of concrete tile installation ideas and taken you on tours of new cement tile installations in residences and restaurants. There’s been so much going on, in fact, that we haven’t had a moment to follow up on a post from a while back. We’re remedying that today and giving you some suggestions on how to get the look of some of Egypt’s cement tile in your own tile installation project.

One of the most interesting ideas we found was the use of patterned rectangular tiles to create a courses of design. We’ve got plenty of border options to choose from, including our Girasol border, which, with its acanthus-like motif, effortlessly suggests ancient Egypt. Try installing parallel rows of the cement tile or get a little crazy and alternate the orientation of the concrete tiles to make an intriguing tile installation.

Parallel rows of our Girasol border tile design make for a novel tile installation. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

It wasn’t just floral motifs that caught our attention. We loved the design of squares we spotted too. For a similar vibe, try incorporating our Lorca tile design. It has a great pattern of inset squares that looks great just about anywhere. As with our other Echo Collection tile designs, you can play with the tiles to come up with complex and surprising looks.

The inset squares of our Lorca tile design make for a fascinating tile installation. tile photo, Granada Tile.

We’ve been inspired by Egyptian design ourselves. Both our Khufu tile design and our Luxor tile design take their names and design roots from Egypt. We’ve shown you before just how versatile Khufu can be. Luxor is just as versatile and offers a simple, strong pattern for just about any tile installation—whether it’s for a tile backsplash or kitchen tile, bathroom tile or wall tiles.

Luxor features a simple, effective arrangement of triangles and can me manipulated in many different ways to create compelling tile installations. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Inspired? Or are you looking for more tile inspiration from across the globe? Be sure to check out our historic tile installations pages. The world is truly your cement tile oyster!

Installation Equation: Flipping out with Cement Tile

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Lisa

Let’s say you’ve found a Granada Tile design from our Echo Collection.You’ve fallen in love with it. Now you’re ready to think about doing your concrete tile installation. Before you start, though, take a moment and think about the tile design you’ve chosen. By simply changing the orientation of the tiles, you can create much more complex tile installations that add rhythm and visual interest to all sorts of spaces.

To get you started, we’ve come up with some tile pictures that will give you a few ideas—jumping off points for your own concrete tile adventure. For example, Serengeti is a wonderful, geometric cement tile design that’s great for smaller spaces such as kitchen tile backsplashes or larger wall tile installations. Arranged one way, it has a simple diamond pattern. Adjusting the angle of every other tile, though, creates an entirely different look and really allows the pattern of the individual cement tile to shine.

Try rotating Granada Tile’s Serengeti tile design 45 degrees to create a bold pattern. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Badajoz is another one of our cement tile designs that can be tweaked to make a fun, unexpected tile installation. The cement tiles can be arranged to create a repeating x-pattern or a sophisticated diamond shape—both with a nod to medieval French design. To amp up the pattern, try alternating the x- and diamond patterns to get a tic-tac-toe effect for, perhaps, a sophisticated wall tile installation.

Our Badajoz tile design can be used to make a regal tic-tac-toe tile installation. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

When we started digging into the Echo Collection catalogue, we immediately gravitated toward the wave-like shapes of Esfahan. The softly undulating pattern, reminiscent of the ocean, would work well in a bathroom tile installation. Even better, it too can be adjusted and reorganized to make a visually complex look.

Adjusting the orientation of our Esfehan tile design results in a mesmerizing tile installation with a watery vibe perfect for a bathroom tile installation. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Be sure to experiment with our layout tool. It lets you mix and match tile designs—and manipulate them. See how just a 45-degree turn can completely change the look of your tile installation.

Get the Know: Vintage Charm with Our Antique Collection of Cement Tile

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Lisa

Over the past year, we’ve introduced you to most of Granada Tile‘s stunning collections of cement tiles. Today we’d like to introduce you to yet another of our concrete tile ranges—the Antique Collection. Just like our other cement tile collections, the Antique Collection combines outstanding beauty with amazing durability and environmental responsibility. These cement tiles would make a fabulous choice for your next concrete tile installation.

Our Square tile design from the Antique Collection. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

For a classic look, try our Square pattern with a name that says it all. It’s a simple, geometric pattern of square cement tiles with a warm, rich patina. If you’re looking for a tile design that allows other elements in your space to pop, opt for this 12-by-12 tile design. In your kitchen tile installation or in an interior floor tile installation, it would provide a stunning foundation to layer elements against.

We also offer six-by-12 rectangular tiles in our Antique Collection. These tiles allow you to play with your tile installation ideas. You could stack them to create a traditional “subway” pattern. Another fun idea would be to alternate their positions to create a more varied look. Try slicing a few, too, to yield small insets. If you were feeling especially bold, you could also include our some of our Echo Collection’s small decorative tiles as insets. You’d get some added color and visual interest for a kitchen tile installation, for example.

Rectangular tiles create a complex pattern. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Of course, since we’re Granada Tile, we can’t just offer you two options for your next cement tile installation. Our Antique collection also includes a Star Cross pattern too—a bit more decorative and complex than the rest of the cement tile collection. If you’re in the market for something subtle but still with a little kick, this classic tile pattern is just the ticket. It’s a bit smaller scale than the other two patterns but holds its own with its lovely shape.

Intrigued? Want to bring a touch of the Old World into your next tile design project. Order a sample to see for yourself how our Antique Collection would work in your kitchen tile installation or bathroom tile installation. You can also check on our stock of the cement tiles, so you can be off and running on your next tile installation project.

Mix & Match: Playing with Cement Tile Designs

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Lisa

Tuesday’s post featuring the work of MARKZEFF got us thinking about mixing and matching Granada Tile‘s cement tile designs. Specifically, it was his great floor tile installation at Delphine, featuring our Echo Collection‘s Cannes and Monaco tile designs, that started our minds going. We loved how he took two similar cement tile designs and used them to add another layer of visual interest to the space. (Of course you go really wild and create a patchwork quilt of cement tile, as some of our clients have done for their bathroom wall tiles and kitchen wall tiles), but working with just a couple of patterns can lead to subtle, yet dramatic, results.

Inspired, we took to our cement tile design tools to experiment ourselves and came up with some fun juxtapositions—perfect choices for tile backsplashes, kitchen tiles or bathroom tiles.

For example, we alternated single cement tiles of our Bruges tile design with our Leda tile design. The pattern would work well for smaller scale projects such as a tile backsplash or a bathroom tile installation.

Combining our Leda and Bruges tile designs results in a lively and animated cement tile installation. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

For something on a larger scale, try going with two of our similar diamond-shape cement tile designs. In this case we used Khufu and Luxor, alternating one Khufu with two Luxor tiles across the row. It also has a great rhythm and would make an interesting choice for a floor tile installation.

Khufu and Luxor make a winning team when paired up. The positive and negative space of the tile installation is especially intriguing. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Do you want to try your hand to? Give it a shot. A few tips, though: Stick with a limited palette and try to choose tile designs with a similar scale and corner profile. And, as always, we would love to hear what you’ve come up with.

Designer Spotlight: Mark Zeff

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Lisa

Over the years, Granada Tile‘s exquisite cement tiles have been chosen by some of the biggest names in design and architecture. They love our concrete tiles and their high quality. They appreciate the ability to work with us to create their own tile designs, or to have the opportunity to customize cement tiles from our existing concrete tile designs.

New York–based Mark Zeff, of MARKZEFF, has turned to Granada Tile for tile installations in two of his recent projects. For Mercato di Vetro, a stylish restaurant in West Hollywood, Zeff worked with us to come up with a custom tile design for the space’s floor. Simple and elegant, the tile installation features a pattern of medallions in black and white.

Granada Tile worked with designer Mark Zeff to create a stunning cement tile design for the floor at Mercato di Vetro in West Hollywood. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

It adds a lovely pop of pattern to the space and contrasts beautifully with the rich browns of the leather and wood; the red of the walls, and the stone of surfaces found throughout the restaurant.

For another Los Angeles–area project—Delphine, the restaurant at the W Hotel Hollywood—Zeff turned to Granada Tile too. This time, though, he opted for two of our existing patterns, Cannes and Monaco from our Echo Collection, which he arranged across the floor, devising a bold and surprising look.

Zeff used a combination of our Cannes and Monaco tile designs for the floor tile installation at Delphine, a restaurant at the W Hotel Hollywood. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

The two tile designs are enough a like that they compliment each other perfectly but different enough, to give the tile installation a smart, rhythmic quality. Against the warm shades of the space, the teal blue offers a great splash of color.

Love Mark Zeff’s work? Exploring our cement tile collection catalogues and using our design tools will allow you to experiment with cement tile designs of your own for all of your upcoming tile installation projects. Experiment just like the pros!

Get to Know: Granada Tile’s Fabulous Florals

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Lisa

Our post earlier this week rounding up some of our favorite Granada Tile designs from the last month on Share Designs got us thinking about flowers in a big way. After a quick on our interactive Echo Collection catalogue, we realized just how many of our tile designs feature floral motifs—and got us wondering how many of you have yearned for tulips on your kitchen tiles or daisies for your bathroom tiles?

Savoie, for starters, packs quite a flowery punch. We love the play of geometry in the form of squares and hexagons and more representational design (tulips, anyone?) across the tile design. It really bridges the gap between fun and formality. It’s a great large scale design that would look in a wall tile installation, where its rhythm could be appreciated.

Tulips arranged in circles across our Savoie tile design add a playful touch to a formal cement tile pattern. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

For a more all-over floral look, a great option to consider is our Iznik tile design. There’s something about this tile that makes us think it would be simply stunning in a traditional-style kitchen. In an earthy palette, it would make everything seem warm and inviting.

Another great mix of flowers and formality. Flowers interlace around quatrefoils on this exuberant tile design. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Now, if you really want some serious flowers, look no further than our Medina cement tile design, with its lush pattern of lilies. It’s like looking at a glorious bouquet—one that changes from life-like to abstract depending on where you stand. Install it for your bathroom tile and start every morning off with flowers.

Lavish bouquets of lilies mark our Medina cement tile design. Play with color combinations to create an amazing floral arrangement. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

We hope these piqued your interest and got you thinking about adding a little flower power to your next cement tile installation. We’ve got plenty of other floral designs to explore all across our Echo Collection—from decorative tiles to our largest 10-by-10s and even our corner and border tile designs. Take a moment and take a look.

Get Inspired: What’s Happening on Share Designs in April

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Lisa

It must be spring. Why else would Granada Tile‘s Share Designs page be bursting with a garden’s worth of cement tile designs featuring some of our favorite floral motifs? Our fellow concrete tile-philes have been busy, it seems, creating cement tile installation ideas that capture the spirit of the season—and in palettes ranging from the palest pastels to warm, bright shades that are kissed by the sun.

Few things suggest the spring and summer months more perfectly than daisies, and our ten inch-by-ten inch Castelo cement tile design incorporates stylized versions of the flower into the tile design. A tile lover with the user name DK played around with Castelo and came up with a version in blues and greens punctuated with dots on yellow in the flowers’ centers and elsewhere on the cement tile. We think it would be tremendous for a kitchen tile installation.

Stylized daisies add a touch of softness to the strapwork motif of our Castelo tile design, here interpreted by “DK.” Tile photo, Granada Tile.

Pamela Zaragoza got into the swing of spring with a tile design featuring Cambria. The pattern is composed of an X shape with small flowers at the ends of each. Other foliate motifs punctuate the pattern as well. Like Castelo, we love how the floral elements break up and soften the formality and geometry of the design, giving it a light, playful touch—a good choice for backsplash tile, perhaps.

Pamela Zaragoza chose white for the flowers at the points of the Xs in our Cambria tile design. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

If you want a cement tile design with a bit more of a curve that incorporates floral motifs, we’ve got plenty of those too. This month, one of our favorite ideas comes from Yvonne Hoffman, who came up with a riff on our Segovia tile design. She really highlights the pattern, choosing a bright, sunny hue for the interior ground and framing it with white. The blue flowers at the corner really pop!

For her cement tile design idea featuring Segovia, Yvonne Hoffman opted for a rainbow of bright shades. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

If you’re looking for cement tile inspiration for an upcoming concrete tile installation, be sure to regularly visit our Echo Collection and Share Designs page. It’s brimming with a bouquet of stunning tile designs perfect for kitchen tiles, bathroom tiles, wall tiles and beyond.

Get to Know: The Mauresque Collection of Cement Tiles

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Lisa

We spend a lot of time talking about pattern around these parts. It’s hard not to when Granada Tile‘s Echo Collection offers dozens upon dozens of cement tile choices perfect for kitchen tiles, bathrooms tiles, wall tiles—pretty much any surface you can imagine. You can personalize your colors and truly make these exceptional concrete tiles your own in your next tile installation.

What we don’t talk a lot about it shape, so today that’s what we’ve got planned for you. We’re going to introduce you to the shapely (and colorful) concrete tiles of our Mauresque Collection. Now these roughly six-by-six inch cement tiles boast all the environmentally friendly bona fides of our Echo Collection (they’re air-dried rather than kiln fired for starters) and have the same strength and durability as our other cement tile designs too.

Granada Tile’s Mauresque Collection of cement tile lets clients play with shape as well as color in their tile installations. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

The collection takes its inspiration from two sources. We looked to Moroccan tile for the tile designs’ rich hues. French tiles suggested the warm patina and feel for the cement tiles. One pattern takes its name—Escama—from the Spanish word for scales and features a design of overlapping semi-circles. It’s available in four colors. The second pattern in the collection, Arabesque, is our take on a classic design of the Middle East and comes in three shades.

As with our other tile collections, these cement tiles offer all sorts of options for tile installations. In the cream, yellow and green tones, they’d be a perfect choice for tile backsplashes or bathroom wall tiles or kitchen wall tiles. In the rich brown hue we’ve dubbed oak, they would look smashing as floor tiles both inside and out.

If we’ve piqued your curiosity, we carry two of the tile designs from the collection in-stock (Arabesque in linen and Escama in straw). For others, it takes eight to 12 weeks for an order.

So if you’re looking for something shapely, be sure to give us a shout!

Breaking News: New Cement Tile Installations in Hollywood

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Lisa

Now that we’re in the thick of spring, we’re almost positive that one or two of you out there have thought about doing a new cement tile installation. To get inspired, you can always check out Granada Tile‘s tile catalogues (our interactive Echo Collection catalogue gives you a great place to start, if you’re looking to play with color and pattern), and, of course, there’s Share Designs and its pages and pages of creative takes on our concrete tile designs. If you’re still hungering for inspiration, we’ve got something else for you today. One of our clients has shared tile photos featuring cement tiles from our Echo Collection.

A cement tile carpet composed of our Athens tile design defines a balcony in a house in Hollywood. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

It’s actually two installations—both for outdoor spaces—in a house in Hollywood, California. The house itself is a classic Spanish Revival–style place, where our cement tiles fit in perfectly. For one of the tile installations, our client chose a tile carpet of our Athens concrete tile design. The cement tiles cover a narrow balcony and look divine against the white-and-black of the house and windows.

The dreamy bathroom features a terrace with another cement tile installation—our Normandy tile design adds to the dreamy luxuriousness of the space. Tile photo, Granada Tile.

The second cement tile installation covers a balcony just off a bathroom and features our Normandy tile design. We love how it complements the bathroom tile installation itself yet announces the outdoor space as separate and equally special. It’s a totally dreamy effect—like a retreat among the trees.

Are you inspired? Tell us about your own ideas for a cement tile installation. We can’t wait to hear and see what you’re up to. And, when your project is complete, be sure to send us some tile pictures.