The clients and their interior consultant Danela Conti from Malibu Resort Interior Design used our handmade tiles in unexpected locations, creating an element of surprise but at the same time accentuating an activity that is dear to the personalities that inhabits the home.

The handmade tile insert was delicately hand painted and copied from the image of a book cover of a book written by the client.

The harmonious end-result was achieved by contrasting the smooth surface of the larger tile with the textured mosaic floor. The warm colours and dark to black tones of the tile compliments the wood and the steel balustrade.

Ah! The Truffleman    - And Pasta Recipes of Luciano Pavarotti!!

Hele’ copied The Truffleman Logo using special Bronze ceramic lustres. To achieve the desired effect Hele’ repainted the tiles several times. The Bronze Lustre, does not show up with effect in this image, but moving around in front of it, the lustre will shimmer as the light reflects from it.

This is the first time that I have seen somebody using tiles as inserts in cabinetry of a high quality and superior finish as seen in this kitchen.

To be a  entertained as a quest with pasta, truffles and red red wine in this kitchen, will be a dream come true! - don’t you agree?

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Stephen Falcke, Interior design consultancy requested a quote for the transfer of water colour images onto tiles with a specific size of 127 x 127 x 7mm.

The sketches are beautiful and will present perfectly on our high quality tiles. It will be hand painted by Hele’s our artist specializing in delft and in the artistic rendering of client’s homes.

They provided four images - some stronger and others very light in tonality - all of these images will need time and labour allocated to it, as it need to be edited and enhanced, before the actual testing and painting can progress.

The tile above is one of the first sample using a high quality clay, but not pure enough to provide the whiteness needed in this case - an expensive imported super white porcelain will be my choice clay - but at a price, and why not - these decorative artworks demand the best clay canvass money can afford!

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Some extracts from an inquiry:
“Through my supplier in Plett, i’ve ordered some ceramic handmade tile with specific color for our bakery in Plett…unfortunately, i didn’t order enough of them and need to know if i could order more of them…I”ve attached a picture of the color needed and hope you will be able to help me..
Those tiles were made in august 2006 by your studio.
thanks a lot…
Good news  Gerrit ! am so glad you could help…!
Perfect Gerrit! am glad you found the original order…  EFT transfer has been made on Saturday…let me know when the order is ready…can’t wait !!
thank a mil,
Regards

Florence”

Four years later, it says a lot, doesn’t it?! - Nowhere else will a client find a service like this, to match colours, as drawn from the original order, in this case from Merchant Tiler for Christoff builders in 2006!

These colours Blue 13D blue sky, Chocolate brown chocolate,  Red 17L pink, Brown 10L  green olive and Blue 13L light blue had to be tested first to check for colour continuity before producing the actual order. The green olive and pink took several tests while the blues were a bit more straight forward!

Make sure to visit Le Fournil  in Plettenberg Bay, or plan to visit it, … as the handmade tiles promise to be a yummy feast for the eye!

And a short testimonial:

“Yes Gerrit ! Everything is in order, received the tiles yesterday and very happy with Southern Art Ceramic communication which I found very efficient ! Looking forward to meet you and show you the bakery next time you are in Plett .
Regards,
Florence”

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Revive, Refresh…Renew, Oh Yes you can - Hot Foot It to One Of A Kind Tiles, and look at inspiring examples of what can be used to Recreate your home!We received this enquiry:”Hi GerritI was forwarded your website details by one of your clients.I live in the Karoo and am installing a Victorian fire surround which unfortunately has awful tiles on the sides of it.There are 5 on a side, and they are 153mm squared.I want to replace them. I thought that two original tiles spaced with a blank on either side will be nice. In other words two “special tiles” on each side.Fires are things to look at in rooms and 4 tiles framing the view will be super; rather than the stereotypical Victorian stuff.I’d be pleased if you can do them for me.RegardsChris”Chris, referenced some tiles on www.handmadetiles.co.za, which our designers then visualized for him in the picture above. A fun, courageous choice, and the handmade and painted art tiles will be a definite talking point while sitting around the fire!After another change and visualization, the family then came together to reach consensus - changing the animals to the Pecan Tree - AND the fire will be kindled in the following Super Hot Victorian Fire place!These decorative art tiles will be custom produced and created to a specific size and thickness for the handmade tiles to fit snugly into the fire surround bracket.Hele’ and I need to create more than the 10 tiles required to deliver a successfulproject, and as such you could then choose your favourite 10 art tiles fromthe whole batch. Helé and I will create a batch, match the end-result, photograph the completed sets, … from which you the client can then choose his/her favourite arttiles.If you have a particular fondness and choice for any particular animal or decorative image then  Helé can paint it for you? The Farmyard tiles will be slightly different in feel as compared to the chunky tiles on the website, mainly due to the fact that we shall be using a porcelaineous clay body for this project.If you would like to focus on specific colours & animals, let us know. You can provide us with a Plascon/Dulux swatch code for the type of colour you prefer for background or plain colours.Regarding the decorative artwork,  let us know what theme of imagery - flowers, animals, geometric … or is there any arttiles that “speak” to you that you could view on our websites? We could work around any image that you provide that might be special to your environment.

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Arttiles are the solution to most decorative and practical headaches.

The Fynbos arttiles by Hele’ Oosthuizen fit this tall slender wall like a glove.

The greens in the tiles blend with the very rare green  granite and the greenery outside, and at the same time add a splash of colour in the kitchen.

The pincushions accentuate the glitter in the granite, and this playful ambiance is an extension of the friendly and gracious host.

The squareness of the tiles are in contrast with the round clock and this aid in a successful wall layout.

Another advantage is that the tiles can be wiped of if coffee gets spilled on it!

Time for a coffee break - Hot FOOT IT to www.arttilegallery.com to view framed fynbos tiles!

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A Dutch client demanded a close colour match with her cabinetry colour - this we did - with a most harmonious end-result!

Colour matching take time and it is not a straight forward mixing process. I have to consider the colour of the clay, the process, the duration of the firing process and the type of pigments that “might” produce the required end-result. With light tones, one often find that pigments will “change” its colour profile -  and the same happen with different firing cycles. Sometimes I am lucky and three to five tests give me an indication if the final mix will be on the mark - BUT then at times one has to rethink the process when 20 odd results are not close to the brief’s colour requirements!

This specific colour, has a peachy under-tone and most of the colouring pigments will result in a pinkish cream. The base glaze had to be reformulated to reach a successful and harmonious blend in the final glazed metro tile.

Most people tend to use the metro tiles overlapping each other, but in this case the metro tiles were stacked vertically - providing a fresh contemporary  edge to these handmade metro tiles.

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