Artistic Tile Offers New Ornate Decorative Styles

As Hawaii’s exclusive purveyor of the award-winning Artistic Tile brand, Bella Pietra Design is privy to key trends in high-end tiles. Every month, Bella Pietra Design owners LaWanna and Meagan Jensen are eager to receive new Artistic Tile product drops, which can include everything from timeless marble to playful terrazzos. Vibrant aesthetics that flow with movement, dimension and innovative combinations of color and pattern make Artistic Tile a popular choice in the Islands and abroad. Here, Meagan Jensen shares three of the showstopping Artistic Tile products she’s loving this season.

Duo
A collaboration with furniture, product and interior designer Alison Rose, Artistic Tile’s new Duo tile is playful and sophisticated. Described by Artistic Tile as an exploration of “the dichotomies of light and shadow, modern and ancient,” this decorative field tile provides a wealth of layout and installation possibilities through its various color combinations and arrangements.

The name Duo is a nod to the dual textures and dimensions evident in the stone as well as the line’s format as a two-part set. The tile’s deeply grooved pattern with nautical carvings mimics the appearance of a seashell in its individual form, but when arranged, its fanlike shape creates a motif that feels more art deco than coastal.

“This one has a lot of texture, which I’m a big fan of because you don’t need to go crazy with color, but mixing different textures in a room can really elevate it,” states Jensen. The Duo collection is curated in six distinct texture and color combos: Nero with Vanilla Onyx, Nero with Matcha, Nero with Lilac, Calacatta Gold with Vanilla Onyx, Calacatta Gold with Matcha, and Calacatta Gold with Lilac.

“It takes a good installer to make the patterns happen, but what I love is that it’s customizable,” explains Jensen. “So even if you know somebody else who has this tile, there are different layouts you can do so your install probably won’t look like theirs.”

Sanctuary
An unforgettable collaboration with textile designer Lori Weitzner, the Sanctuary line takes wallpaperlike tile to new heights. Inspired by the fantastical flora in Weitzner’s original Neptune embroidered fabric, Sanctuary tile features intricate carvings and laser-etchings. “From far away it looks fancy and elegant, but when you see the leaves and petals up close, they have all these amazing details that make it whimsical and fun,” explains Jensen.

A combination of marble, limestone and dolomite intended solely for wall installations, Sanctuary provides the appearance of a wallpaper print, but adds rich textures and depth through its carved layers. This line comes in colorways of whispery Volakas White, warm and subtle Moca Cream, and deeply contrasting black and white Nero, which offers the most visible level of etched detail.

“It’s really cool to have that decorative component with the plain tile,” says Jensen. “It also comes with a bunch of mosaics, so you could use the mosaic for the shower floor, Sanctuary on a vanity or shower wall, and the plain tile everywhere else. That way, the entire space is in the same material, but in different formats.”

Westwind
Jensen says her favorite new mosaic line from Artistic Tile is Westwind. This eye-catching geometric design is composed of dazzling marble and limestone shapes, accented with brass and steel. The bold textures and patterns of Westwind can seem daunting to incorporate at home, but Jensen explains that the right application of this dynamic design can really make an impact.

“I really like the dark, personally — especially in an entry or powder room,” says Jensen. “I think it’s cool to do a decorative tile on the floor sometimes, because it’s unexpected and makes such a statement without the design constantly being at eye level. You can keep your walls simple and then do a ‘wow’ floor using a mosaic like this.”

The lilac colorway is a balance of opposites, featuring cool purples and grays mixed with white and honey hues that would be ideal for a backsplash or carpet-cut in a foyer. Jensen notes that unlike the Sanctuary and Duo tiles, the Westwind mosaic can be used on both walls and floors. If used on floors, it is recommended only in areas that get light to medium traffic.

For more sophisticated designs by Artistic Tile, check out Bella Pietra Designs’ Tile Trends for the Fall Season.