Colorful Design with Hakatai Glass Mosaic Tile

Hakatai glass mosaic tile has played an important role in several Mather Architectural Design projects over the years. Wendy Mather, M.A., has found Hakatai tile to be an affordable surfacing option, adding color and depth to her projects in a variety of different ways. Hakatai offers hundreds of colors and styles for Mather to reach her design goals. Her most recent residential project highlights the versatility of Hakatai glass mosaic tile, which can be quickly and easily ordered online.

In the Montclair neighborhood on the east side of Denver, Colorado, Mather was chosen to lead the interior design efforts for the new home of a brain surgeon and a commercial photographer. The modern, two-story house now boasts over 350 square feet of Hakatai glass mosaics. Mather takes particular joy from the work done in the bathroom for the homeowner’s twin boys. With 12” x 12” beige porcelain field tiles throughout, Mather wanted to add a splash of color. Mather ordered “Mixed Bags” of loose ¾” x ¾” glass mosaics from Hakatai, containing the complete spectrum of colors from the extensive Classic series. This colorful assortment was used to replace the large field tiles at random intervals. Mather used this process both in the shower and on the bathroom floor, pulling the entire room together by using the Mixed Bag glass mosaics for the double-sink countertop and backsplash. The result is a vibrant, colorful room befitting a pair of young boys.

“The twins’ bathroom looks great,” said Mather (http://www.matherarch.com/). “Hakatai provides a high-quality, but affordable way to add color and detail to designs. The colors come random and mixed, it really added a lot to the twins’ bathroom. We even tiled the soap dish in the shower. It’s just a really great space now, perfect for two little boys.”

In the master bath, Mather and the homeowners took a different approach, using Hakatai’s online Custom Blend Tool to create a unique blend of blue, green, grey and white tiles. Mather surfaced the two-sink countertop and backsplash with this blend, and also used the same blend for a curving shower bench. Mather then added what she describes as a “cool fade,” using Hakatai’s online Custom Gradient Tool to create a custom gradient wall to complement both the glass tile blend and the light tan ceramic shower floor tiles.

Hakatai Tile in Modern Asian Restaurant

Hakatai glass mosaic tile was used as a focal point in the design of Sesame Asian Kitchen, a new Asian-fusion restaurant located in Ashland, Oregon. Owners Tom and Lisa Beam wanted an open and airy dining space that would highlight the gorgeous view afforded by the large picture windows at the front of the restaurant. They consulted with designer Ivor Brown of Slant Studio in Emeryville, California, to create a color palette and finalize details of the project.

The restaurant looks out over historic Lithia Park, which was designed by the same landscape architect as Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The unique colors used in the restaurant echo the lush and changing scenery visible through the windows. Pale green walls and sunny bamboo flooring are contrasted by deep orange glass tile accents and prominent white paper lanterns. While the view may be the star, the choice of glass mosaics as the surface for the bar area wall and two columns is central to the overall effect. “It’s the tile that really sets the whole project off and makes it exceptional,” said Tom Beam.

Hakatai’s Classic series ¾” x ¾” tile in the color Dusk was used for the front and back wall of the bar, as well as on two supporting columns in the main dining area. The tiled columns draw the room together and act as a focal point in the design. “I would not have been as happy with the result if they were just painted,” said Beam. Glass tile was also used on a custom hosting stand at the restaurant’s entrance. The stand was crafted by Bennett Stone and Tile, of Medford, Oregon, who also did the tile installation for the rest of the project. The curved surface of the columns and the stand “really catch the light,” said Beam. “I’m super happy with how it turned out.”

Hakatai Tile in Award-Winning Tucson Homes

Luis Ibarra and Teresa Rosano, AIA, LEED AP, formed Ibarra Rosano Design Architects in 1999 after graduating from the University of Arizona College of Architecture in their native Tucson. Since that time, they have specified Hakatai glass mosaic tile on several projects, including the award-winning project “The Six” in Tucson. Faced with the task of planning and designing six detached single-family homes at the back of an infill development, Ibarra and Rosano relied on their commitment to a belief in the power of space and its connection to the outside world. Hakatai glass tile played an important part by helping to create an airy, open feel in each master bathroom, acting to reflect the light that shines in from the shower windows to provide balance and a smooth transition to the outdoors.

225 square feet of glass tile from Hakatai’s Classic series was used in each of the master bathrooms in the L-shaped homes. The neutral color Hail runs the length of the narrow bathrooms. The shower walls and floors are surfaced with the color Ice Green or the soft white color Pearl. The result is a cool, soothing radiance, in harmony with the Arizona sun that graces the room through the full window that acts as the third shower wall.

“The design goal of all our projects is to create great space and connection,” said Rosano. “The Six, and specifically the bathrooms, were no different. Shower windows open to planted light wells, filling the space with balanced light and connecting with the outdoors. The Hakatai glass mosaics used have a simple, clean look that helps create an open feel. Their cool, beautiful color adds interest and helps reflect light into the space while remaining subtle and understated. We’ve used Hakatai tile for a number of years and on several projects.”

Ibarra Rosano Design Architects have garnered local, national and international acclaim with their work, and The Six received several distinctions including the AIA Southern Arizona 2008 “Home of the Year,” as well as a merit award from AIA Southern Arizona. The Six also received a merit award from Residential Architect Magazine for Single Family Production Housing – Detached, 2009.