Moroccan inspired Mosaic tiles: Style & elegance to your kitchen & bathroom March 4, 2008

Morocco’s rich architectural and cultural traditions , sefegarded in old cities, atlas mountain villages, and sahara desert oasis settlements, have facinated western visitors for more than a century.
Morocco style is facinating with its decorative arts and richness of beautiful colors and patterns. moroccan inspired interior design is gaining the momentum of major international design trend due to its blend and fusion of Afriacan, Andalusian, arabian, berber, and european style that created a unique & timeless. One of the main elements in Moroccan interior design and home decorating is zillij also known as zellige,Zellidj, Zillij, Zellij is the art of hand cutting geometric and miomorphic mosaics may not be unique to Morocco, but the Moroccan master craftsmen have elevated this essentially islamic art to its highest form of expression. More importantly , they have safegarded that level of expression throughout the centuriesto present time.This art form , developed over so many centuries, is not only sublimely beautiful , but it also contains many layers of meaning, both artistically and scientifically. we cannot presume, therefore, fully to understand it in a few days, months or years of study. The art of zillij is essentially a Moroccan art form. Although its roots are in the universal language of two-dimensional mathematics which can be traced to levant , Egypt and the Roman mosaics of volubilis ( The Moroccan Roman city) located few milles outside the city of Fez, it has all the characteristics of a unique art form. This is the Moroccan genius . It will always remain a mysterery how one is able clearly and unequivocally to describe such pattern art as Islamic while also being able to define it with equal clarity as Moroccan.
after years of intense researche, Saint Tropez Boutique one of the leading manufacturer of fine Moroccan tile and Moorish inspired architecture & home decorating has just lunched its new line of pre-assembled zillij mosaic tiles. Now it is possible with have Zillij Mosaic tiles installed anywhere in the world without having zillij mastercraftsmen do the instalation for you. Saint Tropez Boutique’s Zillij technique is to pre-assemble the zillij mosaic patterns into 12″ x 12″ panels and all you have to do is install them as normaly installing any tiles or mosaics.

For more info, please contact:

Moroccan Tile & Moorish interiors By Saint Tropez Boutique:
Mr David Stevens
25 evelyn way
San Francisco, California 94127
Phone: (415) 513- 5920
Email: sales@sainttropezboutique.us
Web: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us
http://www.sainttropezboutique.net
http://www.sainttropezstone.com

Encaustic cement tile, Mosaico hidraulico, Carreaux ciment, Cement tiles February 24, 2008

Encaustic cement tiles are the new trend among architects and interior designers.Encaustic cement tiles also known as cement tile, encaustic tile, french cement tile, spanish cement tile, mosaico hidraulico, carreaux ciment .In the mid-19th century, a revolutionary technique was discovered to mass produce tiles without the need for firing to harden them. This new technique involved the use of a hydraulic press and mould to apply a multi-colored pattern.

The great advantage of this method was that the tiles could be manufactured in one go. This in contrast to the traditional technique to produce ceramic tiles that involved the application of each color separately and repeated firing -a labor-intensive and time consuming practice.’ Hydraulic tiles’ were simply left to dry for some weeks after pressing.

Encaustic cement tiles are 2cm thick and consist of three layers. The top layers is decorated surface, about 4mm thick made from a mixture of white Portland cement, marble powder, fine sand and mineral base pigments. For each color, the pigments were blended with water and placed in the corresponding section of a mold. The second layer, the intermediate layer, is about the same thickness as the top layer and made of a mixture of grey Portland and fine sand; its function was to absorb the excess of water from the top layer.

The third layer is approximately 12 mm thick and was made of a mixture of grey Portland cement, regular cement, sand and limestone powder; its porosity made it easy for the tiles to adhere to the floor during installation.

The first reference to a manufacturer of this type of tiles is the factory “Butsems Compania” in 1857. At the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition, hydraulic tiles were introduced by Barcelona based Garret, “Rivet Compania”. Later on ,”the company Orsola “, “Sola y compania ” was established, which made this type of tiles popular in Barcelona. Thanks to its modern machinery and capacity for mass production.

Another prominent manufacturer is Escofet, ” Fortuny i compania”, founded in 1886, which was soon noted for its innovative, Art Nouveau-style designs, and whose rapid expansion throughout Spain and Latin America contributed to making this type of flooring so popular.
The popularity of Encaustic cement tiles fortuitously coincided with the rise of Modernismo, the local version of Art Nouveau; innovative, bold designs were created that would have been unthinkable I other periods. Many factories had specialized draughtsmen on staff, and occasionally commissioned prominent artists to design tiles.

A wide variety of designs elements were employed: geometrical shapes, stylized floral, vegetal and other organic motifs, and on rare occasions, animals or human figures. The most widely used colors were shades of: maroon, green, pink, yellow, brown, cream, grey, white and black, although other colors such as red, blue, orange and even purple can be found. The tiles were made in variety of sizes and shapes; the most common is squares measuring 20×20 cm and hexagons with each side measuring 11.5 cm.

The designs devised to create a flooring pattern using hydraulic tiles often bear some similarity to carpet design: a central panel consisting of a repeated pattern, framed by tiles with a length -wise repeating design with matching corner pieces. The design would be complemented by an outer border, made of plain tiles in subtle colors, these elaborated design “carpet” were mainly used in the rooms in the main part of the house, such as the entryway, the living room, dining room, bathroom and patios. In the secondary quarters, designs tended to be simpler.

The construction boom in the 1960’s required buildings materials to be manufactured more economically and hindered the customary focus on quality. Thus, hydraulic tiles gradually stopped being used. As since older buildings have been torn down or remodeled ,many beautiful mosaics have disappeared. So, although still a familiar sight, there is a risk of this elaborated art to vanish. Fortunately, in recent years some construction companies and interior designers have once again shown an interest in hydraulic tiles, viewing it as a beautiful an high-quality alternative to modern industrial products.

For more information:

Saint Tropez Boutique
25 Evelyn way
San Francisco, California 94127
(415) 513-5920
http://www.sainttropezboutique.us
http://www.sainttropezboutique.net
http://www.sainttropezstone.com