Decorative Arts through history: Mosaic Tiles

 

Irano-Roman floor mosaic detail from the palace of Shapur I at Bishapur.

Mosaic designs have long been a staple of the decorative arts and as an art form, are held in high regard.  Mosaics are made of small, usually square, pieces of glass, stone, shells or other material that are placed in such a way as to create and pattern or a picture. Dating back to Roman times and before, mosaics have been used the world over to cover everything from walls, to ceilings and floors.

Floor pavement representing female dancers. Marble mosaic, ca. 260 AD (Sasanian Era). From the iwan of the so-called palace of Shapur at Bishapur, Iran.

Roman mosaic of Ulysseys from Carthage. 

Mosaic ceiling inside Baptistry of St. John, Florence

Mosaic tiles are still a staple in the decorative arts, from floors to walls and ceilings and fine art.

"Starry Night" wall mosaic made from glass tiles by Brett Campbell Mosaics

Mosaic tile floor by Stephanie Marsh Fillbrandt for the 2009 San Francisco Decorator showhouse

 

Floor rug from Sicis Tiles via Trendir

Ellen Blakeley Studio - contemporary mosaics from recycled tempered glass

 

Ellen Blakeley mosaic wall via Mosaic Art Source

Mosaic tile bar in the movie "Mamma Mia"

And I'm loving these lines from Erin Adams "Facet" collection for Ann Sachs Tile

 

 

From New Ravenna mosaics

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Wednesday This and That

A big thank you to Gwen Driscoll of Ragland Hill Social for featuring me in her ongoing series It's A Small Blogworld today.  I am so flattered to be included with other bloggers such as Brooke Gianetti of Velvet & Linen and Laurie Schroeder of My Domicile Style, two of her past features. Gwen is relatively new to blogging, but has taken to it like a duck to water, so to speak, and is coming up with new and unique features all the time - something not easy with all the design blogs out there! Her latest projects FDO (Friends of Design Obsession) and Week in White are just two examples of Gwen's creativity. So, if you haven't visited her blog yet, go take a look!

                                                         

New England Home magazine is sponsoring a new initiative called 5 Under 40. Nominations are currently being taken for the best New England designers and architects under the age of forty. (Sadly, I'm no longer qualified!!)  The 5 Under 40 awards spotlight the hottest emerging talent in residential design in New England, including architecture, interiors, furniture, and home-design products and accessories. Selected by an all-star committee of regional design leaders, 5 Under 40 winners are the people to watch, producing some of the most beautiful and innovative work available today.

Nominations for 2010 are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on January 31, 2010. Winners will be honored at a festive celebration on June 10, 2010.  Each winner will have the opportunity to design a custom rug that will be produced by presenting sponsor Landry & Arcari. Rugs will be auctioned off at the June 10 event.

My friends at New England Home have been hard at work on the launch of their new magazine Connecticut. The state of Connecticut is part metro New York and part New England has it's own unique style. This new glossy magazine is sure to highlight some of the best design and architecture of the area.

I'd also like to thank Laura Newman of Laura Newman PR & Marketing for including me in her post What Thriving Design Business Will Look Like and How To Get There on her blog Publicity Wit. I was flattered that my views on the design industry were included with others such as designer Irwin Feld, Alexandra Gibson of Gibson Design Management and fellow blogger Jamie Derringer of Design Milk.




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Bloomingdales' Big Window Challenge - Vote early, Vote Often

The Big Window Challenge is a design battle between Apartment Therapy, ELLE DECOR, and Bloomingdale’s. Three of Bloomingdale’s Lexington Ave. windows in NY are being designed by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan for Apartment Therapy, Eddie Ross for ELLE DECOR, and Eileen Joyce for Bloomingdale’s.

Bloomingdales' Window designed by Eileen Joyce

 

Apartment Therapy's Window designed by Maxwell Gilliam-Ryan

Elle Decor's Window designed by Eddie Ross

Voting takes place through Thursday, January 28th, via AT's website, where they enjoy a home court advantage and yet are still running a distant second to my friends at Elle Decor and, of course, Eddie Ross. Go team Elle Decor!



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The Skirted Roundtable - Getting to know Grant K. Gibson

 This week, Megan, Joni and I chatting with up and coming interior designer Grant K. Gibson. Based in San Francisco, Grant is cutting quite a swath through the interior design world with three San Francisco Showcase Houses under his belt and some really great press.

Join us here.






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Media Talk: The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine Story!

Click on image for larger view

I was so thrilled that the story of my Boston South End Living Room design project was showcased in the January 17th edition of the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine.  The story by Jaci Conry, called Strategic Splurges , was about how I mixed high end furnishings from an antique French chandelier and sconces and a custom designed Baker sofa with more reasonably priced retail finds from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Restoration Hardware and Homegoods. 

You should be able to click on the image to see the full size version, or click here for the online version.


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Travel Tuesday: The Inn at St. Botolph, Boston

 Located on the border Boston's historic Back Bay and eclectic South End, the Inn at St. Botolph (who was the patron saint of travelers) is an upscale boutique hotel decorated by New England Design Hall of Fame honoree Celeste Cooper. The hotel is less hotel-y and more like your own little rented pied-a-terre in the city. There is no check-in, no bell hops or concierge and few standard hotel amenities. However, it does boast beautifully decorated and spacious suites complete with kitchens. The New York Times gave the hotel a mediocre review for amenities, but high marks for the interior design which it described as "Modern Male".

Two Bedroom Executive Suite floor plan

 

Two Bedroom Alcove Suite Sitting Area - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

Two Bedroom Alcove Suite Bedroom - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

Two Bedroom Alcove Suite Alcove - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

Studio Suite floorplan

Studio Suite Bed - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

Studio Suite floor plan

One Bedroom Suite Bedroom - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

One Bedroom Deluxe Sitting Area - image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

Image courtesy of Michael J. Lee

 

I really like the mix of strongly patterned woods and graphic materials. The hounds tooth check chairs are my favorite!

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