The Evolution Of Contemporary Decorative Tiles

Decorative tile has been with us from the earliest days of human civilization

. Some of the earliest examples of decorative wall tiles date back to 4000 years in Mesopotamia and have evolved into the contemporary decorative tiles we find nowadays.

Decorative tile which was perfected by the Persians, didn't make it to Europe until the latter part of the 12th century. The hand painted decorative tiles of this period showed up in Spain and Portugal as maiolica, in Italy as De Ruta, and in France and Belgium as Falence, then made it's way through Europe.

As with most of the guilds during this period, the processes for producing these hand painted decorative tiles were carefully guarded secrets passed down verbally from master to apprentice. As a result there is little in the way of recorded history of these processes.

Throughout this evolution, many techniques emerged to create pictures, figures and patterns on tile. These including glazed clay, encaustic or inlaid clay, mosaic stone, mosaic clay tiles, hand painted tiles, carved and formed tiles, sgraffito (scratched tiles), metallic overlays and transfer printing.

All of these methods are used to produce decorative tiles today which are very similar to the tiles of our ancestors, but decorative tiles (also known as art tiles) have become the fastest growing trend in tile design and are as coveted my 21st century designers and customers as they were valued by our ancestors.

Today innovative tile makers continue to evolve the art of making decorative tile through the use of new materials and processes. Contemporary homeowners will find an array of tiles made of metal (bronze, copper, pewter, aluminum and steel), glass (mosaics, stamped and formed), wood (bamboo, reclaimed teak etc), and stone (carved, painted and mosaic).

by: Deborah Fuller

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