Portland-based Clayhaus Ceramics is now offering handmade ceramic tiles in a modern array of colors and several shapes and sizes. The new company, founded by the husband and wife team of Jason and Megan Coleman, was formed out of Stardust Glass tile when the Colemans left the glass business. Now with a focus on ceramic products, Clayhaus is offering beautiful tiles to order in a studio and facility that is completely powered by renewable energy.
San Jose-based Fireclay Tile, manufacturer of a recycled-content line of ceramic tiles called Express, has another line called the Debris Series. This line includes several patterns with up to 112 colors, and the company just released six new field pattern tiles (shown above) that can be made to order in under four weeks.
Hexagon is a new wall tile collection by Form Us with Love for Träullit, a manufacturer of wood wool cement board in Sweden. The shapely material absorbs sound, retains heat, resists fire, and resists moisture — making it easy to dress up a large blank wall or add a block of color to an otherwise minimal space. Träullit makes each tile with a combination of wood wool, cement, and water. Hexagon is on display at a church in a secret location in conjunction with Stockholm Design Week 2011.
Interior Design just closed voting on this year’s BoY Awards, and the Eco Products category has some excellent entries. Of which, I noticed this 3D tile called Buzziskin from Buzzispace. It’s made of ecofelt, or a 100% recycled PET material, in a variety of colors. Buzziskin is offered in both rectangular and cubic sizes with a self-adhesive backing. Each tile runs about $150.
Mey and Boaz Kahn, Studio Kahn, submitted this ecooler screen for iida 2010 and took home third prize. Ecooler is a concept hollow tile that connects with other tiles, creating a wall of water-filled ceramics. It's intended to provide an alternative option for cooling internal spaces by seepage and evaporation during the day, according to DesignBoom.
This summer, KB Home unveiled a prototype home in Lancaster, California, outfitted with solar panels, energy storage, LED lighting, and an electric vehicle outlet, among other technologies. The prototype also included a roof tile called Auranox by MonierLifetile. The claim to fame with this roof tile is that it's a smog-eater — that it neutralizes nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air.
