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The Versailles Pattern in Stone allows for a design flexibility that is an enviable addition to any interior design plan. As you can see in the imagery above, the pattern is capable of producing an 18th century French elegance and an open, airy architectural style so in demand in fashion forward circles today.

Also known as the French pattern, the Versailles typically consists of four sizes and shapes that work together from a modular and repetitive standpoint. In the image below, those sizes and shapes are: 8”x8”, 16”x16”, 16”x24”, and 8”x16”. All in a thickness of 1/2 inch with all dimensions being nominal

It is generally accepted that this somewhat intricate flooring combination has its design roots in The Palace of Versailles. Originally a humble hunting lodge outside of Paris, the Palace became a symbol of absolutism and the French ancien regime by the time of the French Revolution in the 18th century. Politics aside, Versailles featured the famous “Hall of Mirrors”, intricate gardens and pressurized water fountains that still amaze visitors today.

Country Floors, throughout its history, has endeavored to marry the essential style of European traditions with current design sensibilities. In the summer of 2014, the company continues to search for that beau ideal. Please allow this blog post to act as a preview for two new collections.

Stay tuned for the launch of Diana Royal- Pave Antico  and Skyline-Pave Antico, both of which will feature the Versailles Pattern and a very intriguing stone finish. More to come on that finish in this space, but until then thanks for reading.

All interior design plans must pay some sort of attention to a familiar set of considerations. Light, color, scale, shape, texture, pattern, client desires and much more must be addressed in one way or another. Today, let’s chat about patterns. In particular, Mediterranean patterns in tile and how you can pair them with other elements such as marble to create both focal points and visual statements.

In the world of ceramic tile, Portuguese style azulejos have long served as inspiration when patterns and particularly floral patterns have been a design requirement. Here in the summer of 2014, patterns in general and florals in particular are at the top of many client wish lists. 

Recently, speaking to the ongoing trend in floral patterns, well known interior designer Lisa Davis said, “not only is Spring about brighter colors in Interior Design but it is also about floral patterns! This year, BOLD floral patterns are a big trend through wallpaper, fabric, area rugs and furniture”. Of course for Country Floors, we see patterns from the viewpoint of ceramic tile.

Our Miradouro Collection features the most elegant and refined Portuguese wall tiles. These artistic elements have enriched the architecture of Portugal and the world for centuries.They are particularly known for their blue on white motifs, but also offer other exuberant floral Mediterranean style patterns that have a rhythm and vitality all their own.

We feel that another option exists for the discerning design professional and their clients.The pairing of our Miradouro Collection with marble, in particular clean crisp white marble, creates a setting that combines the best of modern design with the finest in classic ceramic art. Stay tuned in this space for imagery and ideas on how to do this with Country Floors. Thank for reading!

This weekend brings us Fathers’s Day. By any measure, the summer season is now fully underway and with it comes the thoughts, sights, sounds and traditions that have always arrived with it. Think picnics, BBQ, baseball, golf, the beach, and perhaps for some of us an enduring memory of “fancy folk” cavorting in their “summer whites”. In another sense, for the arcane but eternally fascinating world of interior design, white marble in the summer time is always a great starting point for any design plan.

The classic elegance that is white never goes out of style or fashion. Many colors may come and go but you can always count on white as a standard of elegance.This is even more true in the heat of summer. With that said, white marbles, especially elegantly polished and softly reflective stones, are as classic as there is.

Country Floors has enjoyed a long history of offering its clients understated elegance. That legacy continues with the Aspen White Polished Collection which perfectly fits the design concept of a fresh white stone. Please take a look at the vibrant yet subtle image above and we think that you will agree that this particular collection allows for free flowing design expression built around the simplicity of the stone.

The Aspen White Polished Collection is available in a variety of sizes, plus mosaics and a subway tile interpretation that you may find interesting.

As always, thanks for reading and enjoy Father’s Day and your summer.

The annual Coverings trade show has been a constant in the stone and tile industry for a quarter century. The good folks that organize the event say that, “Coverings is for the industry, by the industry. If tile + stone is your business, Coverings is your show”. As always, we are happy to be a part of Coverings 2014 – Country Floors. This year the industry will gather in Las Vegas from April 29 to May 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Country Floors can be found at Booth #S110C . To help expedite your visit, the online exhibitor list can be found here and you can register here.

A key incentive for anyone to attend Coverings is the educational activities. In the words of the show, “Coverings provides the most in-depth tile + stone education program in North America – and it’s completely free. For the 25th Anniversary, Coverings has pulled out all the stops to produce the most remarkable and exciting conference program to date. This year’s program is so large and impressive, we’ve taken the unprecedented move of adding a FIFTH day to the conference program so you have enough time to see and do it all”.

This year, Country Floors will again have a beautifully rendered booth presence, where we will place emphasis on such Collections as, Odyssey, Glamour, Miradouro, Tiffany and a very timely reclaimed French terra-cotta.

As we conclude this post, there is a great deal of enthusiasm bubbling about in anticipation of Coverings 2014 – Country Floors. We look forward to seeing you there!

Milan or Milano, if you please, argues its case as the design and cultural capital of Europe. This is over and above the undisputed fact that it reigns supreme as the primary industrial, business and financial city of Italy. Of course, in football (soccer) mad Italy, it is also the home of A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano, bitter rivals in the Italian Serie A league. On the design front, Milan is one of the primary fashion centers in the world, along with New York, Paris, and London. This is especially true in menswear. Milan’s International Furniture Fair is one of the premier events of its kind in the world and inspires on going furniture trends year after year. Culturally, the famous La Scala opera house, as seen at the top of this post, has been the site of the premiers of Falstaff, Madame Butterfly and Turandot. The Milano Porcelain Collection from Country Floors maintains the high design legacy of its namesake city.

As depicted in the imagery above, both the famous city and this porcelain collection share a clean sparse design style. This is a fairly pure and symmetrical approach that finds many a willing audience amongst the design professionals of 2014. The size flexibility that the collection presents allows for the patterning, banding and inserting that is the calling card of fashion forward interior design. This is evident in the image below.

The iconic brand that is Country Floors, is proud to present the Milano Porcelain Collection. As always, thanks so much for reading and please contact us here for any assistance that you may need.

The annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show  was recently held in Las Vegas.Here are a few pertinent kitchen trends 2014 from the Country Floors viewpoint: 

Quartz - Journalist Rachel Wright, reporting from the event, says that “quartz is the new granite or at least it will be in 2014, according to the annual design survey conducted by The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA)”. This is confirmation and validation for some thoughts that we have had for some time now. Our Quartzite Slabs Collection makes perfect sense for the client addressing this trend.

Clean Lines - Again from Ms. Wright, “Contemporary clean lines are in. Most industry insiders at the show agreed that action on the floor was all about the rise of a more spare, contemporary aesthetic focused on clean lines, space efficiency, and universal design features”. Again, this sentiment works for us. Take a look at our Vecchio Cemento Collection of crisp porcelain tiles and the equally important Bedford Collection of ceramic tiles below.

Decorative Tile - Architect Ronique Gibson discussing the show said, via Freshome.com, that “Decorative tile becomes the showstopper over the appliances. There used to be a time when you walked into a kitchen and all eyes went to the appliances. While appliances are still a major opportunity to wow guests, decorative tile is the perfect crowning glory to a dynamic kitchen”.  Country Floors has always understood this. Take a peek at the Talya Collection and the Odyssey Collection and you will be assured.

The design pros at Country Floors pride themselves on keeping very current on the world of design. As always, they are here to help you. Thanks for reading and good luck!

America’s interest in Moorish art, culture and civilization may have been sparked by the publication in 1832 of Tales of the Alhambra, by Washington Irving. The work reflected an extended visit by Mr. Irving to the Alhambra Palace in Granada where he had been granted extraordinary access due to his personal fame as a writer. The notes and detailed sketches that the visit produced became the basis for the work. Tales of the Alhambra was critically important for its introduction of the Alhambra and Moorish themes to a rapt American audience. What Mr. Irving wrote and thought then stills extends to stone waterjet designs in 2014.

via Wikipedia

The Alhambra Palace has continued to captivate and inspire artists, designers and those that appreciate style and grace. According Wikipedia “the Alhambra endures as an atypical example of Muslim art in its final European stages” and “the decoration consists, as a rule, of Arabic inscriptions that are manipulated into sacred geometrical patterns wrought into arabesques”.

In 2014 the fascination continues unabated. Designer Sara Baldwin has fashioned a crisp collection of patterns that bring forward her unique vision of stone waterjet designs. Country Floors is very proud of the Talya Collection with its flowing Arabesque flourishes and Moorish styling. As you can see in the Justinian pattern at the top of this post, Ms. Baldwin has managed to make the collection appear both subtle and striking. A rare feat indeed!

The professionals at Country Floors are very aware of the unique capabilities that stone waterjet designs bring to any design plan. As always, they are here to help you. Thanks for reading and best of luck!

The world of interior design cannot seem to get enough of patterning as we open 2014.The appetite appears endless for everything in pattern and shape. There are many diverse elements driving this with some of them being floral, animal, geometric and even preppy schemes. Not to be denied their place at the table are hounds tooth, Greek Key, plaid and tribal motifs. Each one is aptly adding more to the ever growing mix. In the stone and tile world, technical advances have made the creation of marble and glass patterns all the more viable.

Make no mistake; no one in this space is suggesting that the use of marble and glass patterns is in any way new. Rather, it has never been so easy to invest your energies into a complicated design plan featuring these two classic materials at a reasonable cost in both money and effort! The Glamour Collection from Country Floors offers ample evidence in both style and substance to the value that technology and tasteful execution can create. Drawing it’s inspiration from sources both old and new, this collection offers a carefully curated selection of stones and glass that create both elegant and sublime patterning. Each material can assist the other. The glass may “cool” the stone in one instance, while in the next case the stone in the piece may serve to add greater “depth” to the glass element. All the more fun can be had by the design team in the mixing and matching!

Country Floors will always stay true to its decade’s old mandate to be a fashion leader in all things stone, tile and glass. As you start down the path to using marble and glass patterns in your design plans, we are here to help you. As always, thanks for reading and best of luck!

imm Cologne – the International Furnishing Show

The design world never tires of trends and especially not of the new color trends for 2014. We also know from long experience that certain ideas which spring up in the Western European design community work their way across the pond to the USA. One of the early events that indicate color trends is imm cologne, a furnishings show with a long history which is held in Cologne, Germany. Reporting from that event for decor8 was Gudy Herder a Barcelona based interior stylist with a significant following. So let’s take a peek at this, according to Gudy:

• Red was presented as a powerful and emphatic color for space brightening.
• Purple had a softer and almost feminine tone.
• Pink continued to be expressed as a pale color. However, still the dominant pastel.

• Yellow was seen in collections of more Northern than in Southern European ideas.
• Green and the trend toward indoor gardening were omnipresent.
• Blue also took on a pastel theme and was used to lighten.

• Gray, Black and White were together in pattern after pattern.

We now see a quick picture of the European version of color trends for 2014. So what can we do here in the States? Country Floors prides itself on keeping current in the marketplace and so we are now. Here are a few of our collections that can deliver the color values expressed above.

The Bedford Collection offers a wide range of ceramic tile color ways in both soft and dramatic glaze statements. Our Luminere Collection gives you 48 glass colors in tile form to work into a design plan. The finest in hand made ceramic tile is exemplified by the California Collection featuring 80 colors. As always, thanks for reading and let us know how we help. We have showrooms across America.

Ceramic tile has the interesting ability to create patterns in quite a few ways. For example:

• multiple pieces in one or many colors can be used to form the pattern.(above)
• a graphic pattern can exist on a single piece and then that same piece is repeated as much as space and intent allows.(below)
• different colored tiles can be combined for ceramic tile patterns that are color based and oriented.

Now, let’s think about patterns from the general perspective of the professional designer. The oft quoted and much admired U.K. stylist Cristina Colli believes that “pattern is the decorative design or ornamentation of a surface, usually obtained by repeating a design motif”. Allison Jaffe is an Austin, TX based interior designer. We recently found her saying that “using graphic patterns in a space can be seen as an art. When applying these graphics to a space, I take into account the size of the pattern, the color of the pattern, and it’s placement in a room”.

At the top of this post is a setting that features material from the Country Floors Tapestry Collection. Observing even casually, you can see three featured patterns in the backsplash, with the two smaller flanking the larger. This backsplash consists of four colors, four sizes and a molding piece. The essential modularity of the tile allows for proper joint alignment and integrity in the ceramic tile patterns.

In further discussing graphic patterns, Alison Jaffe also says that, “it may seem like an intimidating process but….be brave and have fun” . We certainly agree with Allison on the twin points of bravery and fun. However, we understand that not all of our clients have experience with ceramic tile patterns. So give us a call or stop into one of our Country Floors showrooms. It will be our pleasure to share our professional experience with you.