Tile history
Floor tiles, splashback tiles, everyone is familiar with them, but have you ever wondered how they came about? Well let me tell you a little about the history of the humble tile.We think of tiles as a solution for keeping our bathrooms, kitchens and floors functional and easy to clean but tiles have an ancient history as a decorative element used for thousands of years.The earliest know tiles are Egyptian and date from 4000 B.C.E
In ancient Greece, tile floor art was an essential part of a well decorated room. Using tiny pieces of marble, terra-cotta, glass and sometimes even gold insert into the ground with cement. Skilled artisans created exquisite pieces of art on both floors and walls.
The best artisan was Sosu whose showstopping work was called “Unswept Floor” (picture left).The Romans were equally enamoured with the beauty of mosaic floors, so much so that Julius Caesar travelled in battle with a por table mosaic floor so that he could enjoy some of the luxury he had at home.The tiles were applied to wooden plans that could be assembled and dissembled quickly.
Tiles come in a variety of materials such as terra-cotta squares from Mexico, which make a lovely kitchen floor for the Mediterranean style home. Handmade glazed ceramic tiles produced in California and geometrically patterned cement tiles from Morocco can add texture to a fireplace surround or splash back. Glass tiles can turn an ordinary space into something rather spectacular.The options are endless and we have some very lovely handmade tiles made right here in New Zealand.
The most iconic and widely used tiles are the simple tiles that line the walls of the New York City subway system. Now known as “Subway Tiles” the white rectangles were created in 1904 by architects George C. Heins and Christopher Grant La Farge for the City Hall subway station, New York City’s first.Today we can get a range of sizes and colours in the subway tile and they are still used extensively in today’s schemes. If you need help with tiles we are happy to have a chat with you and can supply as well. Have a wonderful month everyone.