TILES FROM AROUND THE WORLD


TILE ALCHEMY We shine a spotlight on the magic behind the creation of Persian Glazes tiles.


Alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination. An apt description of the genesis of a Persian Glazes tile. Not only is this a unique tile but its origins in ancient Iran, inspiration from Malaysian seas, combined with its design centre in Cyprus and kiln in Gloucestershire make it a very cosmopolitan tile.


Of all the geometric, contemporary, graphic tiles which have come to the market over the last couple of years, few, if any, have the history and heritage of Persian Glazes. These beautifully glossy tiles, featuring both bright and subtle colours, are produced by a glaze which can be traced back to 16th century Iran or Persia. They have been brought right up to date by a collaboration between maker/alchemist Noreen Jaafar and designer Corinne Twining to create a collection aimed squarely at creative designers.


Discerning clients look for uniqueness; they place originality before trend, and see heritage as being of great value, whether of the past, or for the future. Here, Persian Glazes has a story to tell them. The original tile technique was handed down orally from father to son and jealously guarded, which makes it all the more remarkable that Noreen mastered and developed it for domestic, commercial and exterior use in the modern day. There is a palette of 20 colours which is constrained by the predictability (or otherwise) of their behaviour in the kiln, but designing within kiln and colour palette limits is a great discipline. It challenges both makers and designers to make the most of them, and produce amazing ideas for their clients. Bespoke tile design is also a possibility, again within the constraints mentioned above.


With the resurgence of interest in creative tiling, Persian Glazes provide a wonderful opportunity to bring art into interior – and exterior – spaces. The simple contemporary designs produce exciting ‘building blocks’ for designers and were never intended to be confined solely to bathrooms and kitchens. Being both waterproof and frostproof, they are suitable for vertical use in any environment, with the possible exception of swimming


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pools. This is a shame as the Mediterranean seas provide such great design inspiration for using the 10 or so magical blues and greens within the range and the tiles would look wonderful in a pool installation.


As internal or external murals for hotels, clubs and public spaces, Persian Glazes combine beautifully with mirror, stone, polished metal, especially if cleverly lit. Or if budget is limited, used as small, stunning points of interest with lower cost tiles or other materials. As a point of interest, the original biscuit is Johnson Tile, making them compatible with neutral colour Prismatics or any other nominal sized tiles.


If inspiration is needed, look at Coletivo Muda, Athos Bulcao, or Oscar Niemeyer and you will find another tile heritage, one which stretches from Portugal to Brazil. Then turn to the Tile Pattern Designer on the Persian Glazes website and bring your own inspiration to life. What today’s artists - whether studios, architects, interior designer or their clients - have in Persian Glazes is a truly unique palette with which to create tomorrow’s heritage.


www.persianglazes.com www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk


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