It feels amazing knowing the origin of decorative objects that we have at home. Sometimes people assume that what they have seen in a luxurious hotel or restaurants or even friends' place was made in an assembly line from some Chinese factory. They do not make any effort of getting to know the origin and story behind those handcrafted items. And it is where the authentic value of decorative items lies! As a company that manufactures only custom-made appliances and unique objects such as copper or iron range hoods, antique, freestanding bathtubs, and colorful ceramic sinks and tiles, we are proud to continue artisan tradition in metalsmith and pottery. Getting to know the history behind the Mexican Talavera tiles is the first step to understand how precious they are and to value them even more.
Every copper board is forged by an experienced artisan as well as every tile features a singular hue and shape that might vary from one batch to another. Looking at thousands of tile designs that we offer, one can observe the rich blend of cultures and civilisations whose encounters brought the modern version of decorative Talavera tiles. The Talavera tiles owe their name to the Castilian city of Talavera de la Reina, which has a very long pottery tradition, dating back to the period of Islamic domination of the Iberian Peninsula. Mexican Talavera tiles and ceramics in general means simply the Mexican interpretation of Spanish craft. During the process of colonization, the Spaniards brought their know-how with them. After founding the city of Puebla, Spanish monks and artisans from Talavera de la Reina began sharing new techniques with the native population to help improve their pottery and ceramic skills. The Europeans brought their knowledge of the potter’s wheel, tin-glazing, new colors and motives inspired by Asian, Arab and Mediterranean pottery styles and Mexicans added their indisputable vivid, cheerful color choice and amazing cosmovision with representative images such as local animals, plants and pre-Columbian mythology.
As we can see the history behind the Mexican Talavera tiles depicts the evolution of international pottery and nowadays Mexico is acknowledged as the pottery hub of the world. In 2019 the Talavera craft was declared the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Have in mind that Talavera pottery is not only tiles. It actually started with hand-painted earthenware and then local artist transformed it into tiles, plates, dishes, vases and bowls. Our company offers as well ceramic Talavera sinks, suitable for any style bathroom because if there is any space that Talavera tiles and ceramic might look especially stunning, it is the bathroom. Bathroom, Mexican tiles are very durable and practical material that offers endless designing possibilities.
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