The Arabian bar backsplash was one of the first large-scale tile projects produced by Artifacts By Design.  After over ten years, the design has proved to be both classic and timeless.  The glaze for this installation was derived from a very old Japanese recipe and adapted to produce rich metallic brown hues with tomato red undertones.  Applying the glaze by hand to over 600 tiles provided subtle variations that gave additional warmth to an already inviting space.

Each of the 3″ X 3″ field tiles features a low relief crossed saber pattern.  For this installation, each row was placed in opposition to the row beneath it creating an interesting interconnecting circular pattern.  The 6″ x 1 ½” border tiles were also placed in opposition to create a series of flowing interconnecting ovals on either side of the main body of field tiles.  The beauty of this pattern lies in its overall square dimensions and symmetric design.  They can thus be arranged in a variety of pleasing and interesting patterns.

The final touch for this project involved cutting one set of border tiles prior to firing to produce the series of scalloped bullnose pieces for exposed top sections of the installation.  This proved to be just one of the advantages inherent in custom tile production.  A basic design can be modified in the studio to meet the particular requirements of any given space. 

In the end, the tile installers were pleasantly surprised by the  ease with which this project came together.  The homeowners were thrilled to have unique yet affordable hand-crafted tiles to set their room apart. 

As for Artifacts By Design, this was just the beginning of turning dreams into reality.