Tile Makes the Room: Good Design from Heath Ceramics

by Robin Petravic, Catherine Bailey

Overview

From Heath Ceramics, the beloved California designer, maker, and seller of home goods, comes a captivating and unprecedented look at beautifully designed interiors where tile is an important and integral part of the design.

Tile Makes the Room, by Heath’s owners Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey, winners of the National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, is about exceptional spaces and places—the kind you want to step into and examine each and every detail of—where tile is the main ingredient, though not the only star. From the dwellings of notable designers to everyday homeowners, grand installations and subtle designs all showcase tile’s role in the form and function of architecture and interiors. The book, for design professionals and aficionados alike, features inspiration on every page; a look at tile making; a unique perspective on color, pattern, and texture; and public installations around the world to visit and enjoy, Tile Makes the Room is essential reading on interiors and tile.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607747413
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	09/29/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

ROBIN PETRAVIC and CATHERINE BAILEY are the co-owners of Heath Ceramics, the iconic tableware and tile company founded by Edith and Brian Heath in 1948. Prior to taking the reins at Heath in 2003, each honed their skills and passion for making things—Petravic in product design engineering and Bailey in industrial design. Together, they bring their creative talents to Heath, honoring the company’s long history and unique relationship between craft and production—efforts that landed them the 2015 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. Petravic and Bailey live in Sausalito, California, with their son, Jasper, and their two enormous Newfoundlands, Carlo and Oliver.

Editorial Reviews

"Required Reading"
—Sarah Lonsdale, Remodelista

"Celebrates how the building material is used to create memorable and beautiful spaces."
—Tara Bellucci, Apartment Therapy

"Design inspiration [with] expertly appointed rooms where tile is the star."
—Architectural Digest

"Filled with pages of colorful homes, hotels, restaurants, gardens, museums and buildings that show off the versatility and impact of the simple, repeating tile...The Project Details section of the book shares resource information about tile manufacturers and other materials to help make tiling a kitchen, bathroom, patio or other architectural projects a reality. The book also highlights gorgeous tile designs from Portugal to Japan, providing a thoughtful itinerary for travelers looking for design sites to visit."
—Julie Wolfson, Cool Hunting

"A testament to the material's versatility and depth. Featuring more than 50 projects — some using Heath tile — that span eras and are sourced from a number of countries, the book is a reminder that tile can drive the design of great spaces, adding color, depth, even softness to a room."
—Carren Jao, Los Angeles Times

"This elegant book is more than a coffee-table adornment; with its 51 vignettes of residential and commercial spaces, lessons about “what tile can do for you” become clear and inspirational. Too, the section on how we think about tile yields some practical and aesthetic guidelines; information on tile’s mechanics (for instance, types, glazes, installation) nestle well with the photographs and brief descriptions of tile snapshots as playing with pattern, texture, color, whites, graphics, architecture, and art and expression. Though the homes and offices do represent the world according to Heath from Brazil and London, Germany and Vancouver, still, the overwhelming sense of design is pure California. A worthwhile addition to the interior-design and architecture section."
—Barbara Jacobs, Booklist
 
"Heath Ceramics’ new book showcases designs that pair tile with other design elements in a room, ultimately creating a balanced and naturally integrated look that transcends trends."
—Sophia Markoulakis, San Francisco Chronicle

Best Design Books of the Fall: Sweet Paul Magazine and C: California Home and Style
 
"With the purchase of the Sausalito, CA, Heath Ceramics factory, designers Petravic and Bailey were able to create a firm where they could direct the whole design of their product, from manufacturing to end use. Here, they encourage the use of this durable product by visiting close to 50 contemporary residential and commercial properties, located primarily in North America and Europe and depicted in more than 150 photographs, to showcase how tile has been applied in an array of creative ways. The authors include a section on the manufacture and installation of tile and diverse glazes, colors, textures, patterns, and designs. The book concludes with an international look at publicly accessible and inspirational tilework and the resource details for each of the professionally designed interiors. VERDICT: This focused look at the use of and choices in tile attest to its appeal in contemporary design."
—Library Journal

"A truly inspiring and informative perspective on tile’s role in architecture and interiors. So, go build something awesome. And don’t forget to start with the tile, of course!!!”
—Diane Keaton, Actress

"Heath is responsible for the most beautiful ceramics in America, and perhaps the world. Cathy and Robin not only make tile, but their whole lives are also about tile. Nobody knows it better and nobody looks at it with the same appreciation and love. This book is an expression of their curiosity and infinite knowledge for the subject, plus it’s the only reference book of its kind.”
—Roman Alonso, Commune Design

"I became aware of Heath tiles while I was a design student at UC Berkeley in the early 1970s. I’m thrilled that the important and creative legacy of Heath evolves, now with a historically informed understanding of good design, which is beautifully documented in this book.”
—Alan Wanzenberg, Architect

"Heath is a very special thing. In our rapidly changing world, it is a company with human values, dedicated to quality in all that it does. There are lessons to be learned from its approach. At Heath’s heart is a wonderful product. I’ve always said that materials carry hidden messages and, for anyone who struggles to understand that, I recommend a trip to Heath to feel the power of ceramics."
—Ilse Crawford, Designer

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
With the purchase of the Sausalito, CA, Heath Ceramics factory, designers Petravic and Bailey were able to create a firm where they could direct the whole design of their product, from manufacturing to end use. Here, they encourage the use of this durable product by visiting close to 50 contemporary residential and commercial properties, located primarily in North America and Europe and depicted in more than 150 photographs, to showcase how tile has been applied in an array of creative ways. The authors include a section on the manufacture and installation of tile and diverse glazes, colors, textures, patterns, and designs. The book concludes with an international look at publicly accessible and inspirational tilework and the resource details for each of the professionally designed interiors. VERDICT This focused look at the uses of and choices in tile attests to its appeal in contemporary design.

Library Journal