I am thrilled to announce the launch of a project that has been undercover for some time - our tile range in collaboration with London Encaustic - www.londonencaustic.com
The beginning - In 2018 Steve from London Encaustic got in touch to ask if I would like to design a collaborative range, as a lover of encaustic tiles (and really who isn't!) I jumped at the chance to explore a new product for the Anna Hayman Designs aesthetic.
Process - The design process began with looking at the current offering on the market. Trend wise hexagon tiles are hot right now, and we have seen a lot of people on Pinterest and Instagram lately not afraid to use large impactive hexagon tiles in small spaces such as second bathrooms, to fantastic effect.
ZETA TILE - I love how hexagonal tiles tesselate, in my youth I was obssesed with quilting, and hand sewed many a hexagonal quilt. I was fascinated to see different combinations of the designs I had in mind. I had seen lily pad style designs around and wondered if you could push it further into a fan shape with more spark and detail. I did a drawing and scanned it to adjust into the three colourways. I was careful not to overcomplicate the process, as I know encaustic tiles, in the cookie cutter way that they are made, need to be simple.
CIRCA TILE - This was my 'curveball' idea, I was thinking around the Art Deco era and how circles and angles were often mixed, with clean lines and little embellishment. I wondered if I split it centrally that it may make some interesting triangle shapes when tesselated. I was also looking at a pair of 1960's monochrome shoes I had bought which echo the shapes. I love a mix of 30's and 60's style and this tile is very different from other hexagonal tiles on the market. I'm really happy with the result as it evokes different eras while remaining modern.
Colours - Teal and gold with black and white are the ANNA HAYMAN signature brand colours, so the choice for where to go in the colour spectrum was fairly easy. I know that any colour chosen would bleach out and chalk up in the sun, so I went for very bright tones. I love how they have turned out, and can be deepened by using a high shine sealant. The design process for these was a very direct one, and was truly one of the most enjoyable pieces of work I have done. I think the joy comes through in colours and shapes of these tiles while remaining true to our vintage inspired aesthetic. Now I can't wait to see them in people's homes, hotels and restaurants!
The Launch - We love a party, and having been tipped off about LASSCO Brunswick House www.lasscobrunswickhouse.com by our friend Georgie at www.priddenprandevents.com , I went to visit as a possible location. An architectural salvage shop, essentially, LASSCO is a cross between your favourite antique shop and 'faded grandeur' type event venue. Packed with beautiful antique pieces one more interesting than the next, I knew it would be the perfect historical backdrop to display the range. So on the 2nd of May we did just that, London Encaustic also produce an exquisite colleciton of copper baths, which compliment the tiles perfectly, so these were added to the mix to show how the products mix together for a stunning bathroom design. We invited our favourite interior designers press and instagram friends and much fun was had on stories. Thanks so much to everyone who came. I must come back for dinner and shopping, particularly for garden urns which they seemed to have about 100 dotted around.
Back to the tlles, a bit of info - they are 23cm across and suitable for indoor/outdoor/kitchen/bathroom/high traffic areas. They are £135 per square metre, and both designs come in off black, lagoon and pineapple. See below some mock ups of the different constellations they can produce, and a room design kindly made by Mathilda White www.instagram.com/mathildawhiteinteriors . We love to see how Mathilda has imagined our tiles adorning a cosy dining area, and going up the wall and floor continuously which is a really cool idea. The contemporary 20's styling brings a 'jazz age' energy to the tiles which is very now. We adore!
For more details and to shop the range see www.londonencaustic.com