Malibu Handcrafted Ceramic Tile: Decorative & Solid Color Tiles
About Malibu Handcrafted Ceramic Tile
From its colonial beginnings, California has had a rich and romantic history through the Spanish and Mexican eras. By the 1920’s many Californians began to treasure this heritage, and inspired in the Spanish-Mediterranean architecture, architects throughout the state chose the Spanish design as an appropriate style for many state public and private buildings. Such an epitome of Spanish colonial revival is the Santa Barbara courthouse.
Malibu tiles are named after the California Malibu Potteries of the 1920’s. Malibu tiles are glazed and decorated by hand using a technique called “cuerda seca” or “dry cord”. This technique of decorating ceramic tiles can be traced back to Persia during the XIV century. It implicates that every single drop of colored glaze is carefully applied by the artist using a bulb syringe. In most cases a single tile may have up to ten different colors, and at the same time a mix of matte and gloss glazes. Therefore, extreme attention to detail is required to create a unique and exquisite tile of unparalleled beauty. Typically, Malibu tiles display rich, and intricate Spanish-Moorish motifs evoking a bold, romantic, and dramatic style. |
