Located in Pasadena, CA, a college for a co-anchor of Los Angeles’s news station, gets an update to her cottage using Shibui tiles from Lunada Bay Tile. According to the Lunada Bay, the Shibui collection takes inspiration from the Japanese aesthetic of beauty that celebrates subtlety and simplicity. The contemporary, smooth-edged tiles are handmade by artisans who stretch and pull together layers of transparent and opaque glass to create.

Lunada Bay Tile creates handcrafted glass, ceramic, pewter, stone and wood tiles. Their designs are inspired by the lifestyle and light of the Southern California coast. The company stated that, “our products reflects the way people want to live and what makes them feel good – and is informed by specialized techniques that allow our artisans to create effects unlike any other source in our industry. The outcome is an attitude for living well, a regard for quiet elegance and the singular nature of objects that capture our attention.”

The design goal for the project was to select materials that were maintenance-friendly, neutral and transitional. “The glass mosaic was a perfect complement to the quiet, neutral Caesarstone on countertops called Shitake,” said Charmean Neithart, senior designer of Charmean Neithart Interiors. “Because the countertop was monochromatic, it worked perfectly with the colors in the glass mosaic. Too much movement in the countertops would have conflicted with the mosaic.” The Shibui tiles, Buff Natural with a ⁵/₈" x 8" flat natural liner in frost, were used for the kitchen’s backsplash. The project called for 40 square feet of tile to be used in the 12 x 24 inches kitchen. The Shibui tile was chosen because the home had transitional touches, and the design team wanted a blend that had quiet colors that were a close color contrast. The color was critical to the light color desired by the homeowner.

The entire project took two months from demolition to completion and has been well received by the homeowner. “The homeowner loves the kitchen,” said Neithart. “There is a banquette at the far end of the kitchen that is used every day. She loves the calming palette and the practical nature of the glass mosaic. It’s very easy to clean and has remained fresh looking throughout the years.”