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What Colors are Possible in Cement Tile ?

In historic cement tile floors one sees many variations of colors formed using iron oxide and a few other simple natural earth pigments. These old tile floors have a rich but often deep color range. Now with earth-wide connectivity and speedy transportation of goods from country to country, we are able to find pigments to create just about any cement tile color needed by a designer or architect.
We are in love with these gorgeous new shades that we have added to our cement tile standard palette.

These super saturated cement tile colors would have been impossible just a few years back. Disney wanted some vivid colors for a special project in Hong Kong. We got busy and came up with just what their designers needed for a bright, fun floor in a Disney hotel restaurant. It is still under construction, but we know we will have finished project photos in a few months. The floor will amaze you.

Shown here: Sunshine SB-9000, Cherry Red SB-9001, Violeta SB-9002

If your project calls for new or unusual colors, just ask, there is a really good chance we can achieve your desired hues just as we did for this special Disney job.

Villa Lagoon Tile’s current complete standard colors are shown below. Click the image to see it gigantic in a new window.

Cement Tile at The Hotel Van Zandt

The buzz about Austin’s new Hotel Van Zandt is really hitting the airways. Mark Zeff’s music driven design is a true chart-topper and keeping in harmony with Zeff’s vision you will absolutely find Villa Lagoon Tile. As explored in the most recent issue of Interior Design, cement tile is among The Van Zandt’s hits.

Our Exclusive Ikat Patterns Take Stage

Also available at Villa Lagoon Tile are the traditional patterns we call Marrakesh B and Charlotte as seen below.

March 2016 Interior Design, Van Zandt Hotel, Austin, TX

Cement Tile for Foodies

bon-appetit-march-cover-2016 — Bon Appetit Cover March 2016

Where Great Taste Begins…

We spotted a few of our cement tiles while flipping through the March 2016 issue of Bon Appetit.

In fact, you’re likely to find our cement tile wherever you find amazing food or is it the other way around….you decide.

Spot it below: Lisbon (Third down on the left), Tangier (Third down center), Kismet (bottom center)

As the song says, “everything old is new again”, and cement tile is no exception. As the cement tile craze ramps up in the West you can find this old world tile used in new school ways at many of your favorite eateries. Check out a few examples of the bite Villa Lagoon Tile has taken out of the food world.

belcampo-talia-azure — Talia Twilight Cement Tile — Belcampo Meat Co., Santa Monica, CA, Photo By NOTCOT

nandos-props-800-vlt — Props, Neyland Design Cement Tile — Nando’s Peri-Peri Harbor East, Baltimore, MD

COYO_5_of_12_lancelot-mckenzie-construction-photo — Lancelot Blue Cement Tile — Coyo Taco, Miami, FL

COYO_mckenzie-construction-ikat — Ikat Cement Tile — Coyo Taco, Miami, FL

Escalantes-lisbon-crop-vlt — Lisbon and Solid Cement Tile — Escalante’s (Town and Country), Houston, TX

IconicCafe-havana-cantina — Havana Cantina Cement Tile — Iconic Cafe, New York, NY

intelligentsia_chi_03 — Nuevo Castillo Carrara Cement Tile — Intelligentsia Coffee (Logan Square), Chicago, IL

Tugboat and Man Overboard Cement Tile — L’Amico, New York, NY

nandos-chicago — Charge Cement Tile — Nando’s Peri-Peri (West Loop) Chicago, IL

surf-massiria-dc — Surf Cement Tile — Masseria, Washinton, DC

Cement tile in France –Is Cement Tile Durable ?

We are frequently asked if cement tile are durable. In general terms we always say “yes”, and tell clients about the many installations over 100 years old and still in service.

Not so long ago Dave and I were passing through the PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE airport and immediately upon disembarking the airplane, we were walking over colorful cement tiles in the concourse. Now, where in the world is there more foot traffic than a big international airport ? And these tiles look really good considering all the suitcases and strollers rolling over them daily.

These energetic abstract patterns were a delight after a long airplane flight. We think the cement tile installation in Paris’ Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris are a testament to the durability of well made cement tiles.

Cement Tile Blows ’em out of the Water, Design by Philippe Starck

One of our most fun projects was making the many patterns of tile that Philippe Stark called for in his design for the SLS Vegas hotel pool area. The project consisted of 2 large ‘rug like’ areas of a patchwork of pattern with a solid color Black tile border around each. This was not our first Phillipe Stark project but it was the largest. We also made cement tile for YOO Panama.

The pool bar at the Las Vegas SLS Hotel is called FOXTAILS.

Quite a bit of organization was required by us, our tile workshop and the installers. The contractor was Ferraro Marble of Las Vegas and they were great to work with.

While many of the patterns were traditional designs for which we already had the molds, there were some that we had to make from scratch. The project required many pre-order samples going back and forth as most large commercial jobs do. Once they saw the quality of our tiles and that we were able to tackle this complicated order, everyone was ‘on board’ and the fun began.

Our factory used color coded sticky tape on the tile boxes to assist Ferraro Marble in identifying which tile was in which box. Even with that help, we know it was a real challenge to follow the designer’s layout exactly.

We also provided the black and white tile used in a chevron pattern on the DANCE FLOOR in the nightclub in the hotel. So many delightful patterns can be created with solid color tiles. We think this is an option seldom explored by many designers. The potential for plaids and large scale repeating or non-repeating patterns is limitless.

In keeping with the B&W theme throughout the SLS Vegas, the Sundries shop has our black and white cement tile.

One thing is for sure, Villa Lagoon Tile’s Custom Patchwork at the SLS Vegas is the perfect setting for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models !!

AD Features Creme Design’s L’Amico NYC

Villa Lagoon Tile’s angular patterns “Tugboat” & “Man Overboard” (Named after the Nautical flags they represent) create a lively floor in the new L’Amico NYC, a new restaurant from well known chef Laurent Tourondel in the Eventi Hotel. He is serving an Italian-influenced menu in a chic semi-rustic setting. We spotted a photo and a tantalizing description of the good eats in Architectural Digest.

CRÈME Design of Brooklyn used a random setting of four Villa Lagoon Tiles.

The AD description, above, makes the food sound divine and we love how the many windows flood the room with light.
Let Villa Lagoon Tile make custom encaustic cement tile for your next project.

Update, April 11, 2016:

Along with and following the segment of the November 2015 print edition, Architectural Digest published several online articles revolving around l’Amico and CREME. Here are some additional links:

Architectural Digest: Chef Laurent Tourondel Opens A Rustic Italian Restaurant in New York City

Architectural Digest: The 14 Best New Restaurants in NYC 2015 (December 10, 2016)

Architectural Digest: 4 Brooklyn Restaurant Designers to Know (March 3, 2016)

Bold Cement Tile in the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel

When Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel did a huge renovation of the 100 year old Oak Room, we were happy to have our custom cement tile be a part of the new decor by Powerstrip. Using an historic pattern and brilliant colors, the designers used a Villa Lagoon Tile cement tile in a well known Cuban pattern which coordinates beautifully with the richly paneled room decor.

The Oak Room dining room has been open and serving for over 100 years. Decades of renovations had slowly stripped any actual oak wood from the restaurant and bar space. Further major changes had removed a Merry-Go-Round Bar that was installed during Prohibition and remained until the 1970’s.

Powerstrip’s redesign seamlessly merges the original Beaux-Arts love of bold wall paneling with a contemporary architectural language and finish. The copper bar (the longest in North America) is emblazoned, “We serve the Nation.” Now a sophisticated spot in the Fairmont for farm-to-table American eats, craft drinks & hobnobbing.

Interestingly the designers chose to lay this tile in a different way than the usual of each tile rotated 90 degrees. Here they rotated every other tile 90 degrees and laid them in rows which creates a zig-zag chevron effect.

The wine cellar with Villa Lagoon Tile cement tile in custom colors.

VIDEO: Watch the transformation in action below…the VLT tile goes in at about 38 seconds marker. Note how they protected the freshly laid tile from the other trades once it was laid. This is one key to a good outcome.

Let us provide custom encaustic cement tile for your next renovation or new build and help elevate your design into the WOW! category.

Relax with Cement Tile in Santa Barbara

The Hotel Goleta, now a Kimpton Hotel in California, has been transformed into a chic flip-flop zone for relaxing surf style called The Goodland Hotel. The newly refurbished Santa Barbara, Calif. hotel features 158 guestrooms and suites designed in beach-chic SoCal style for a postcard perfect Santa Barbara stay.

The designers utilized our cement tile in several patterns to achieve this new stylish decor.

Villa Lagoon Tile’s “Mixed Gray Hexagonal” tile covers the lobby and reception area in Santa Barbara’s The Goodland Hotel.
Our Mixed Gray Hex tile comes in a balanced mix of 4 shades of gray. At the Goodland they threw in a handful of additional hex tiles also.

Our “Lisbon” pattern tile covers shower walls.

Handcrafted cement tile lends an artisanal aspect to hospitality projects like the Goodland Hotel.
See more at: http://www.thegoodland.com

Herringbone Cement Tile at Chicago’s Franklin Room

The Franklin Room continues the trend of bringing back Chicago’s history of neighborhood taverns, but with a classy, upscale, decor which includes a entire floor of Villa Lagoon Tile.

This lively lunch and dinner spot sports expensive bourbons in cages and an emphasis on great “pub grub” and serving liquor neat.

Ladies and Gentlemen are welcome…so says the sign at Chicago’s new pub/ tavern/bar/restaurant The Franklin Room. The Franklin Room is a proper city tavern and urban speakeasy located in the popular River North neighborhood. Described by Google as “Creative, wide-ranging American menu & brown booze, sake & tons of beers in a subterranean space” and we would add “sporting a handsome hand crafted herringbone tile floor from Villa Lagoon Tile”.
In areas around the entrance and the bar a coordinating checkerboard pattern is made from two shades of VLT’s solid color cement tiles.

With such a wide expanse of richly colored and patterned cement tiles it is easy to see how custom cement tiles can really contribute to creating a special atmosphere in a restaurant or bar.

Puerto Rican Cement Tile

Cement tile has a rich and deep history in Puerto Rico. We have supplied our colorful cement tiles for residences and restaurants in Puerto Rico. We can also recreate antique Puerto Rican cement tile patterns and deliver to the door in PR. Just send us a photo or browse our existing tile patterns and request a quote.

Traditional floor designs made of cement tiles, “Losa criolla” (creole tile) or “losa isleño” (island tile), as they are called in Puerto Rico, are frequently laid out like a carpet or rug with a coordinating border just as a “Oriental” rug might.

The technique for making decorative cement tiles was perfected in Europe about 50 years prior and quickly spread to Spanish colonies in the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

A mold, cement, color pigments and water are used to produce tiles by compression in a hydraulic press. As we are always telling our callers, the tiles are not fired or glazed like ceramic tile. They are water and air cured.

Many of the cement tiles now used in Puerto Rico come from Villa Lagoon Tile. We can arrange shipment of stock tile using several freight lines who have regular service in Puerto Rico. For larger orders, we can deliver a container directly from factory to the island’s ports.

In Isabel II, Vieques take a look at the antique tile floors at the restaurant Conuco.

Villa Lagoon Tile can recreate antique Puerto Rican cement tiles and deliver to your door. Just send us a photo or browse our existing tile patterns and request a quote. We have supplied our colorful cement tiles for residences and restaurants in Puerto Rica.

Designer Sophie Aurelie loves Villa Lagoon Tile’s encaustic cement tile (mosaicos hidraulicos) and uses them frequently in her restaurant plans.

Click & Buy this book for the pleasure of seeing hundreds of cement tile patterns from Puerto Rico.

Hernan Moran, author of Puerto Rico Tile Designs, states that cement or hydraulic tiles were first introduced to Puerto Rico around 1900. They were imported by ship from Barcelona, Spain. The Puerto Ricans found the beautiful and practical cement tiles to be cooler and cleaner than the old colonial floors made of stone, coral, bricks or wood. In Puerto Rica large numbers of homes and businesses built in the early part of the 20th century used cement tiles, not only for their durability but also for their cheerful designs and colors.

In the early 1060’s the popularity of hydraulic tiles in Puerto Rico started to drop as new flooring materials were introduced and poured terrazzo became vogue. In those days some of the cement tile manufacturers in Puerto Rico switched to producing “losetas del pais” (terrazzo tiles) and concrete blocks.Many of the tiles in the public and historic buildings are native Puerto Rican designs.

By the 1920’s, there were at least five local companies that were manufacturing these native cement tiles in PR. We read that Parador Villa Parguera in La Parguera, Lajas, on the southwest coast was a school before it was a small hotel. The school received donations of leftover tiles from the tile makers, so there is an assortment of over 50 designs in their floors. See here, here, here and here

Today the antique tiles have come to be appreciated again and there is a resurgence of interest.

An example of new cement tile are the floors through out the new El Blok hotel in Esperanza.