Deep in the Heart of Texas

Hakatai glass mosaic tile found a home “deep in the heart” of Texas when Urban Jobe Architecture specified the top-selling Classic series for the remodel of the kitchen and two bathrooms of a mid-‘80s Austin residence. After discovering Hakatai nearly five years ago during her own home remodel, Camille Urban Jobe, AIA, kept its mosaic glass tile collections in her “back pocket” until the need to add color and texture arose for the remodel of a young couple’s home.

Urban Jobe, who holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, had her clients visit the Hakatai website and select all the colors they liked from the Classic series. She then designed all three spaces, including materials and appliances, around the glass mosaic tile colors they chose. With a minimalist, neutral theme in mind, Urban Jobe added texture to the kitchen space with a Classic Oak Blend backsplash in two different sections of the open design kitchen in the center of the home. The ¾” x ¾” glass mosaics helped create an entirely new look and style for the kitchen, which she describes as “crisp and handsome.”

For the master bath, Urban Jobe created a beautiful new space with glass mosaics in the colors Teak and Hail. She created a custom blend using Hakatai’s online custom blend tool for the shower interior and a decorative half-wall, which is complemented by solid color tile in the tub surround, vanity, and soap and shampoo niches.

The young Austin homeowners had one small child and another on the way during the remodeling of the home, so Urban Jobe designed the second bath with children in mind. The resulting bathroom is equally as breathtaking and interesting as the master bath. Bursting with clean, refreshing color, Urban Jobe created a full wall with glass mosaics in the color Ice Blue, that runs directly into the tub and shower walls. With water-inspired colors as the theme, she made the room pop with Classic Light Blue/Ice Green Blend tile for the shower niche. This playful accent serves to highlight the smooth-looking, solid color that covers the rest of the room.

“I had used Hakatai about five years ago when remodeling my own home,” said Urban Jobe. “I don’t have any complaints at all. They have a wide range of colors available and the tiles are always very regular in size, which makes it very flexible and a lot of fun to design with. They have a lot of great sales, and most of Hakatai products come mesh-mounted which the installers find much easier to work with.”

Thank you to Casey Woods Photography for the fantastic photos!

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.