Terracotta: Beauty in Imperfections

Our curated global selection of unglazed Terracotta 

Lara Stone is famous for her wide front tooth gap, Gemma Ward’s eyes sit widely apart, Amber Valetta has a high forehead and Kate Moss has crooked teeth.  Their beauty is in their imperfections. Perhaps not as seemingly striking as Gisele Bundchen at first glance, these supermodels have that x-factor specifically due to their differences. There is just something about the way they have been put together that makes them unforgettable.  Terracotta is the same. Its natural variations in colour, size and shape make it exciting and unique.

Nothing says Mediterranean warmth like terracotta right?  Literally meaning “baked earth”, terracotta tiles date back to Bible days where clay bricks were created then left to dry in the sun.  Of course now they are oven fired and are available in a myriad of colours, both glazed and unglazed. 

Terracotta’s enduring appeal is its ability to enhance and warm an ambience and their fabulous durability. Their other significant benefit of course is that they are very much at home both indoors and out. Inside they are not cold to walk on like many other ceramic tile materials, while outdoors they are resilient to mould, fungus and bacteria.  Loved for their rustic, earthen tones, the key to them lasting forever is in the quality of your sealant.  Once sealed, terracotta is extremely easy to care for – spills bead up for wiping, the porous material is unable to absorb stains, and they weather so well.

Buzz words like bespoke and customised are often thrown into the mix with terracotta, because no two bricks are identical.  The stunning natural variations in a terracotta area like a splashback or floor means that over time the beauty will be further enhanced and remain unique. Their graduated tones create a warm depth and sense of cosiness which is ideal for a family home.

Our beautiful glazed handmade terracotta tiles from Morrocco - View selection in store

Byzantine Design’s collection of terracotta tiles are handmade and from exotic locales including Spain and Mexico. Our Italian terracotta has ash rubbed into it during the firing process in order to create a worn effect. Our Moroccan range is sure to delight with its glazed rich shades of chocolate, cobalt blue, sea green, the versatile off-white and pistachio for a yummy punch of colour. Gone are the days of bland beige, today’s terracotta celebrates its roots with stronger rust shades that are truly sublime as a contrast to whites, creams, stainless steel. Natural materials such as leather, wood  and Sisal complement the natural texture of these tiles.

#Stopdropandflatlay - Terracotta Inspirations 

Depending on the project, terracotta works so well with either a rustic naïve or country style feel, or more modern, minimalist space as they just are, they don’t feel the need to compete or vie for attention. They are neither too precious to enjoy nor too mundane to not appreciate their earthen nature. Did I mention they were incredibly affordable too?

Check out our collections today: http://byzantinedesign.com.au/collections/terracotta-1

That's it from us for this week, 'til next time our tile obsessed friends... 

XOXO Byzantine Design  

Changing the World one tile at a time.