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!

Society of American Mosaic Artists

Hakatai is proud to be a corporate member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA). SAMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring, and promoting excellence in fine mosaic art.  We have been members since 2003 and appreciate this opportunity to support the creative work of the talented U.S. mosaicist community. Visit www.americanmosaics.org to find out more about the organization.

Ashland-e overstock sale!

Ashland-e overstock sale! Save on some of our most popular colors while supplies last. Eye-catching colors, rustic elegance and recycled glass make Hakatai’s Ashland-e an exceptional choice.

All tile in the Ashland-e series is comprised of between 30 and 70 percent glass from bottles and/or other waste glass that would otherwise have entered the solid waste stream. This waste glass is a mix of approximately 90 percent post-consumer and approximately 10 percent pre-consumer material.

Historic Home Remodel in Sacramento

Blogster Joshua Lurie-Terrell was so impressed with the Hakatai glass mosaic tile that he chose for the kitchen remodel of his 1926 craftsmen bungalow in Sacramento, California, that he made an effort to find other materials that matched or complimented the tile, rather than the usual other way around.

Lurie-Turrell had searched for a modern surface finish that would accent the kitchen, but not overpower the historical elements of his 84 year old home. He was able to find the right product, in the perfect color, online at www.hakatai.com. Lurie-Turrell chose 35 square feet of ¾” x ¾” mesh-mounted tile in the color Jade from Hakatai’s top-selling Classic series for his DIY project. The result is a subtle, yet highly-refined glass mosaic backsplash that runs along the entire wall behind the stove and sink, above an elegant natural stone countertop.

“I used to live in Oregon and I still go back every year to visit,” said Lurie-Terrell. “I was up there a few years ago and in two different settings there was this beautiful glass tile, one in a house and the other in a restaurant. I asked both places where it came from and they told me it was Hakatai. Ever since then I have been a big fan. The Hakatai glass tiles were absolutely perfect. Everything was done just how it should be. I actually liked Hakatai’s color Jade so much that I had to go out and find a countertop that matched it, and not the other way around. And Hakatai products are not nearly as expensive as some of the other brands out there.”

Lurie-Turrell’s residence sits in a peaceful Sacramento neighborhood formally known as Boulevard Park, among rows and rows of historical craftsmen bungalows and mission-style homes built by the same developer in the late 1920s through the early ‘50s. As a dedicated and active fan of this era in American architecture, Lurie-Turrell visits plenty of mid-century homes on the beat for fresh ideas and new concepts for his blog, aptly titled Hewn & Hammered.

“To begin with, I was really impressed with Hakatai’s selection of colors,” said Lurie-Terrell. “They have a lot of earthy, natural tones that go great with historical homes from this era. Whenever I’m out visiting or touring other homes I always recommend Hakatai when it comes to specifying glass tiles. The products are exceptional and the customer service was excellent. Being here on the West Coast I’m used to it taking five or six weeks for materials to be delivered, but Hakatai was fast. I was amazed when a week after I placed my order it was sitting on my front step.”

Lurie-Terrell’s blog, Hewn & Hammered, is focused on architecture and design with a special emphasis on the craftsmen, mission and prairie revival movements in American architecture. Follow along at http://www.hewnandhammered.com/.

Rock City

These colorful tile sculptures are located in Dalstrom Park in Memphis, Tennessee. The sculptures were commissioned as part of the City's "Percent for Art" Program, which dedicates a percentage of city funds to public art installations. The Dalstrom Park sculptures were created by artist Suzy Hendrix, using Hakatai glass tile and her own kiln fired glass designs. The work is inspired by the Zen rock gardens of Japan.

A big thank you to Suzy for sharing the photos!

New series!

Introducing our first new series for 2010! The Modello series brings energy and life to any surface. These brightly colored tile are striking wherever they are installed and can be used in many areas, including commercial floors. This series is available by special order in 66 colors.

Visit our special order program page to find out more!

Website update

Our website has a new face for the new year. Check out the new look at hakatai.com!