Mosaics Bring a Classical Art Form Home
Tile Art Adds Personal Style to a Backsplash, Bathroom, Fireplace or Patio
I fell for art mosaics and I fell hard when I stood under the spectacular ceilings of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for the first time. How could I not when you consider that they've been an enduring decorative art form for the better part of the last 5,000 years? With a history like that, it's safe to say I'm not alone in my appreciation.
The term mosiac gets thrown around pretty loosely. While I'm hardly the final authority, I need a definition of an art mosaic to differentiate it from a sheeted mosaic. Not that there's anything wrong with sheeted mosaics, it's just that sometimes a room needs a little extra. An art mosaic creates an original image or a pattern from small pieces of glass, stone or ceramic called tesserae. The arrangement becomes art.
Adding an art mosaic to a backsplash, a fireplace surround or a bathroom is a great way to add some permanent art to a room design. Whether they're commissioned and created from an artist, ordered from a catalog or put together in a weekend DIY project, they personalize a home in ways many other decorative flourishes can't.
Mosaics aren't so much timeless as they are ageless. And even modern ones are made the same way they've always been made. I can't think of another contemporary art form with that kind of pedigree.
The term mosiac gets thrown around pretty loosely. While I'm hardly the final authority, I need a definition of an art mosaic to differentiate it from a sheeted mosaic. Not that there's anything wrong with sheeted mosaics, it's just that sometimes a room needs a little extra. An art mosaic creates an original image or a pattern from small pieces of glass, stone or ceramic called tesserae. The arrangement becomes art.
Adding an art mosaic to a backsplash, a fireplace surround or a bathroom is a great way to add some permanent art to a room design. Whether they're commissioned and created from an artist, ordered from a catalog or put together in a weekend DIY project, they personalize a home in ways many other decorative flourishes can't.
Mosaics aren't so much timeless as they are ageless. And even modern ones are made the same way they've always been made. I can't think of another contemporary art form with that kind of pedigree.
This mosaic shower has the subtlety of a haiku. The walls are covered in small pieces of white marble, and the bird silhouettes are rendered in a quartzite called Blue Macauba. Natural stone can be delicate; this installation proves that point elegantly.
This single branch of a flowering dogwood lends a dignity to this fireplace it wouldn't have otherwise. By making it with glass tile, the artist ensured the finished mosaic would have a liveliness at the same time.
Mosaics lend themselves to geometry as well as they do panoramas. The mosiac back splash in this kitchen makes the "e" in eclectic a capital letter.
The chunky Cubism of this ceramic tile mosaic adds a primitive, artistic flourish to this vanity. A little imagination, a lot of planning and a box of broken tile took this mundane lavatory and turned it into an art installation.
English roses get a pop-art treatment in this guest bath. Stuffy is about the last word anybody would use to describe the finished project. Using a bold, graphic wall treatment like this glass tile mosaic proves that modern and minimal aren't synonyms.
A scenic mosaic adds a classical touch to this bath. Mosiacs can't represent real life exactly by virtue of how they're made, so all mosaics add a bit of impressionist flair to wherever they're placed.
The interlocking circles in this bath's mosaic wall add to the relaxing atmosphere without serving as a distraction. That wall adds texture, color and interest and doesn't disturb the peace.
This still-life backsplash is a work of art; there's no other word for it. Yet at the same time it can handle grease spatters and a good scrubbing. How many art forms can make that statement?
Mosaics work outdoors as well as indoors; on walls as well as floors. This patio design is made from pebbles, and no pile of rocks has ever looked this good.
Words like delicate and subtle don't figure into this bath design at all, and that's a very good thing. Rarely can a room be described as "brave," but this bathroom earns that word.
This framed work of art shows that even if you're not in your forever house, a mosaic can add an artful touch that you can take with you if you plan ahead of time.
Could a mosaic find its way into your home? Do any of these ideas speak to you?
Could a mosaic find its way into your home? Do any of these ideas speak to you?