While glass tile has been around for many decades, it seems that its popularity has enjoyed a growth spurt in recent years -- especially glass mosaics. These shimmering tiles are being utilized for a range of applications in both residential and commercial settings, and their reflective quality is bringing depth and interest to all design styles.
Once again tile manufacturers and stone producers have been hard at work developing the latest innovations in tile and stone, which provide new inspirations for both residential and commercial applications.
Honoring a man that most remember for being a Founding Father, the George Washington Distillery reconstruction in Mount Vernon, VA, seeks to interpret the nation’s first president further as the flourishing industrialist he was. Uncertain about the success of starting a distillery in northeast America in 1797, Washington quickly became one of the new country’s largest distillers. Leaving the distillery in the hands of other family members when he died in 1799, it was clear that Washington possessed unique entrepreneurship skills -- given the fact that the distillery production immediately declined, and it later burned down in 1814, absent of his supervision.
Jerry K. Roller founded JK Roller Architects in 1984 when the firm operated out of a 500-square-foot space in Philadelphia, PA. Since then, after experiencing tremendous growth, the company expanded into a 5,000-square-foot space, where it is currently located today.
While today’s sophisticated glass tile designs add a decidedly modern flair to any space, the use of glass tile dates back to ancient times. New technology is emerging to enhance the appearance, functionality and durability of glass tile; however, much of the tile used in design today is still manufactured by employing time-tested, centuries-old production techniques.
It is interesting to watch the evolution of stone and tile through time. While these materials have been around for thousands of years, modern technology has allowed for new sizes,
In rocky, snowy splendor, Utah's Wasatch Mountains rise as high as 12,000 feet above sea level, barely a mile east of the Utah County Courthouse in Provo, UT. Completed in 1926, and designed by Joseph Nelson of Provo, the neoclassic courthouse sits in the morning shadow of the great range. Yet even here, on this venerable building, in this seemingly pristine environment, the heavy hand of acid rain has left its destructive mark. People might think that acid rain is an unlikely culprit in Provo, which has a population of 105,000 and is located far from eastern industries, West Coast smog and vast cities that count their citizens in the millions. But unfortunately, the city was plagued by a Utah County steel mill -- now shut down and dismantled -- that had pumped pollution into the mountain air for decades, according to John Lambert of Abstract Masonry Restoration in Salt Lake City, UT, and Boston, MA. That pollution reacted with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to create mild solutions of sulphuric and nitric acids which fell -- and fall -- on Provo as acid rain.
While mosaics have been around for centuries, there have definitely been some changes in trends through the years. Traditionally, mosaics have been considered an element of classical designs. Intricately detailed patterns and motifs consisting of tiny pieces of stone and tile can still be found in many historic buildings, such as churches and museums, around the world. And although traditional mosaic pieces such as these are timeless and still widely used to liven up a floor or wall application, more contemporary mosaic applications have gained widespread popularity.
Principal Designer Christopher Grubb of Arch-Interiors Design Group, Inc. of Beverly Hills, CA, has been noticing a number of hospitality design trends lately. First and foremost, the designer has noticed that clients are moving away from stark white-on-white, beige-on-beige concepts. "The idea now is see and be seen," Grubb said. "People are adding elements they don't have at home, like a lot of color and textures that are both visually and emotionally exciting."
Recently, world-renowned architect Richard Meier, FAIA, spoke to a packed room at Coverings 2007, which took place at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL, from April 17 to 20. The architect, who is a graduate of Cornell University and opened his own architecture firm -- Richard Meier & Partners LLP -- in New York in 1963, has won 30 National American Institute of Architects awards and more than 50 regional design awards for his prestigious projects that often incorporate a large amount of stone, porcelain and glass into their designs.
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