Fruit Salad Handmade Cement Tiles by Juju Papers.

Avery Thatcher, founder and creative director of Portland, Oregon-based wallcoverings studio Juju Papers, adds a new market category to her offerings: cement tile. Fruit Salad, her first handmade tile series, in kaleidoscopic colour, calls for a serendipitous installation method.

Thatcher, who had experience installing tiles prior to making her name as a wallpaper designer, wanted to bring the complexity and ornamentation of a handmade mosaic into a room without requiring a complicated installation. Tile installers accustomed to natural stone will recognise her installation technique, which entails selecting and spontaneously rotating each tile’s placement in turn.

“Tile contours traditionally tend to be symmetrical. I wanted to flip the script and create a design that felt more experimental,” she notes. “The impromptu installation results in a truly random, scattered, colourful pattern; the warmth of a Persian rug combined with the pigment richness and vibrancy of a Morris Lewis painting.”

Made by hand one at a time in Mexico, the 200mm-diameter hexagonally-shaped cement tiles sport a billowy, five-colour wave motif. Colours may also be customised. A low-energy, no-fire process creates a deliciously washy matte finish.

Fruit Salad handmade cement tiles are intended for Indoor/Outdoor Residential, Hospitality, Workplace and Public Spaces.

[Images courtesy of Juju Papers.]