Thursday, September 29, 2011

What's New in the Pratt and Larson Outlet Store?

The outlet is full great stuff right now and there's tons of it (literally!) The key to creating a great project from the Outlet Store is to check back frequently. You never know what you'll find!
Here's just a tiny sampling of what's here now, but it changes quickly so stop by soon.

There's loads of field tile in great shapes, sizes and colors

including these outrageous gold 6x12's!

There are boxes and boxes of mosaics waiting to be blended into fabulous combinations and patterns.

and at a great price!

If you don't feel inclined to make your own mosaic table there's this great green striped one all ready to go and 40% of the sale benefits Mercy Corps!


Very vintage pink and purple hex and subway, use one color or both! 

 These Tempest Tileworks murals look great with a P&L textured border for a frame.

And there's loads of accessories to finish your job with all the right details.

Stop by the Showroom to find the perfect pieces for your next project.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Skutt Kilns


Skutt kilns just released a new Cone 10 test kiln called the Glaze Tech. We got to try one out and it's a great new tool. Check out their video featuring our very own Andy Balmer - Research and Development guru. There's some neat shots of our factory and showroom too!

Visit their site for more infomation on this great little high fire test kiln - http://www.skutt.com/glazetech/

Friday, September 9, 2011

Color Palettes and Inspiration

Where do you get your inspiration? This blog started with a single tile that caught my eye on the work table in the showroom.
KJ Patterson deco in Ivory, Persian and Rust
Something about this combination of colors really clicked for me. So, I went off to see if Pratt & Larson made colors like this too.

We do! C23, C72 and C35 are great craftsman matte glazes with a very similar feeling to the tile from KJ Patterson. Any one of them would be a great field choice to go with this deco. Actually there are a number of vendors with similar glaze colors, and each one brings their own look to the palette.

                              Seneca Tile                                                      Motawi Tileworks

But of course, you aren't limited to ceramic tile. You could completely change the look and use these colors in a totally different material, like this sleek glass tile from the Chiaro series by Grid.

The bright light blue seems closer to the original tile color but I think I like this darker shade of blue a bit more.

Having spend so much time looking at these colors, I'm suddenly seeing them everywhere!
Passing through the factory I noticed these circles:
P&L 3/4" dots
 and then there are these hexes on the showroom floor:
Seneca Tile
and then i came across this bedroom picture on line:
Martha Stewart Living paint palettes
So many ways to interpret a single tile or color combination. When something catches your eye you can use it as a jumping off point to start your project, even if it's not strictly related to the project at hand. A pretty tile might help you pick the paint colors for your bedroom. A favorite dress might help you decide the colors for your bathroom remodel. Bring in all your inspiration when you come visit our showroom, spread it out on a worktable and let's see where it takes you.

Friday, September 2, 2011

In the Factory

A stroll through the shipping department is a great way to see how clients are using our tile. Each table is covered with tile heading to a specific part of the country and sometimes the trends are very different in each section. Occasionally someone uses our tile in a totally unexpected way which is always exciting. Here's a peek at what's heading out of the factory now.

Papillon

Intaglio Q in a beautiful blue (W11)

                A random liner layout (not so random really!)               Palmetto & Architectural Trim

As beautiful as these tiles look in our factory, nothing beats seeing the completed projects. Send us your installation photos so we can see how your projects turn out installed and lived in!