Standout Fireplace Tile Designs...
Signs Of Their Times!

Frequently reflecting various aspects of  the time and region in which they were produced, decorative tiles were infused with historic imagery and mo-
tifs,  artistic trends,  popular themes, stories and events related to the na-
tive cultures of the artisans who cre-
ated them.   That tradition continues today,  thanks  to the tireless efforts
of  a  dedicated  group  of  designers
and  manufacturers around the world committed  to preserving their cultur-
al  legacies  by  reproducing  some of
the outstanding creations of their im-
mensely talented forbears.

For  example,  the  Victorian  era pro-
duced  a  number  of outstanding de-
signers  whose  vast  range  of works
are  as  popular  today  as they were back  then.    People  such as William Morris   (1834-1896)  --  one  of  the founding fathers of the  Arts & Crafts Movement in England. His close friend, William de Morgan  (1839-1917),  was one  of Britain's most talented pottery and tile designers.   Popular Victorian-
era   designs  manufactured  by  19th century tileworks such as Minton Hol-
lis  in England are,  once again, being faithfully reproduced today.

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), though born  in  Morovia,  became  famous in 1890's Paris as an illustrator and artist in the Art Nouveau style.  Many of his designs   are  currently  being   repro-
duced  in  the  form  of  exquisite fire-
place tiles,  such as those pictured at right from Historic Style (historicstyle
.com)  in Canada.     The five tile sets flanking the  Victorian  cast  iron  fire-
place grate  pictured  below  are  also from Historic Style.  

Art Nouveau Lily and Berry Tile Set in Brown from Historic Style

One of the leading designers and creators of Arts and Crafts tiles in Amer-
ica  was Ernest Batchelder (1875- 1957),  whose tileworks produced beau-
tifully  hand-crafted  art  tiles from 1912 to 1932.    Distinguished by their warm,  muted  colors,  design  quality,  and  variety  of  timeless  pictorial themes,  Batchelder  tiles  are  being reproduced today using many of the same  time-honored  techniques  and  materials  employed  by Batchelder, himself.

The following examples include historically accurate reproductions,  as well as tiles in the style of those originally created by Ernest Batchelder.   The hand-
wrought individuality and soft,  natural  tones make
them equally suited for period and modern fireplace
designs.    Their subtle,  unglazed,  and earthy sur-
faces flow with warmth and craftsmanship.

Just  as  beautiful -- albeit  with  a much different look -- are the following tile  reproductions,  the  first two (top row) of which are Edwardian arched fireplace  surrounds  popular  in  England.    The  brilliant sheen and striking variations in shading and tone are achieved with a special process in which the  tiles are hand dipped in glaze and fired at different angles in the kiln to recreate  an  authentic look.    When framed by a beautifully finished wood mantel, the result is absolutely stunning!

The  Art Deco Movement  produced  some  new  and  exciting fireplace tile designs  which  are  also being reproduced today.   The designs of the two examples below, manufactured in England, were inspired by the skyscraper
. . . . . a new building type coming into its own during that period.

Moving,  geographically,  to  another part of the world, the  colorful  talavera tiles pictured below are made in Mexico.    Talavera goes back to the 16th  century  in Mexico when it was introduced by the Spaniards.  The Old World antecedents of these  hand-painted designs are  closely  related  to  the  California  art tiles of the 1930s.

Please click here to see more Spanish-inspired fireplace tile designs.

Switching  geographic  regions,   yet again,   the   beautiful  Turkish  tiles pictured  below  are  part  of  a  rich historical  legacy dating back several centuries. After the Islamic conquest of Persia,  colored and often painted glazed  tiles became an important el-
ement  in  Persian  architecture, and from there spread to much of the Is-
lamic world, notably the Ýznik pottery of  Turkey under the Ottoman Empire
in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Palaces, public buildings, and mosques (right)  were  heavily decorated with dense,  often  massive  patterns and friezes of astonishing complexity,  in-
cluding  geometric  patterns and cal-
ligraphy,  as well as floral motifs such as  those  shown in the examples be-
low.   These and similar patterns con-
tinue to be reproduced today . . . not only  in  Turkey,  but  in  a number of
other  countries  that also border the
Mediterranean,  including  Tunisia and
Morocco.

In addition to the reproduction and creation of traditionally styled fireplace tile designs, new designs, materials and looks are continually being created and  showcased  at  special  events held annually around the world.    The unique  designs  that  follow . . . jewel-like prism glass tiles on the left . . . small  mosaic  squares  enveloping  a  cylindrically-shaped  fireplace on the right . . . and  larger,  but  sleek Italian tiles on the contemporary surround below . . . are but a sampling of newer looks for fireplace tile designs . . . . . and, perhaps, just a hint at fresh and exciting designs yet to come!

If  you'd like more information about any of the fireplace tile designs pic-
tured here,  please let us know and we'll  be  happy  to provide that for you.

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scribe  to  our  RSS feed,  for  we continually  add new tile images as  we discover exciting new de-
signs  and  products  to  bring to you!