Hakatai Tiles Add to LEED Platinum Home

Hakatai helped Vision Development achieve LEED for Homes Platinum-level certification for the “Tree House Project.” Marty Meisler, principal at Vision Development, specified 675 square feet of Hakatai’s Ashland-e series glass mosaic tile for the home, located in the Studio City district of Los Angeles, California. 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. The Ashland-e series is available in many colors and several finishes, as well as in 1” x 1” and 1” x 2” subway-style glass mosaics.

Meisler, a certified sustainable building advisor, took advantage of the wide range of colors and styles available in Hakatai’s Ashland-e series, using the glass mosaics for a full wall in the kitchen, as well as extensively in the master bath, children’s bath and powder room inside the house. Outside, Ashland-e was used for the pool trim at the water level and for the outdoor shower.

“Hakatai recycled content glass tiles helped us max out the environmentally-friendly products category,” said Meisler. “We did a lot of research to find the right products and Hakatai made the cut. The high recycled content was very appealing to us. The colors were great and they matched the vision we had for the aesthetic of the house. We’re very happy with how it came out. The product is very attractive. Everybody that sees the tile work says it’s gorgeous and can’t believe it has recycled content.”

The Ashland-e series fit well with Meisler’s modern, contemporary design goals and was used abundantly throughout the project. The Tree House kitchen has a 100 square foot, full wall of Ashland-e in Light Olive. The master bath used 245 square feet of Ashland-e 1” x 2” glass tiles in Silver Spring Blend for three walls, the double sink backsplash, jacuzzi tub deck and surround, and a full shower. The children’s bath used 210 square feet of Ashland-e in Clear Cobalt for the two-sink vanity and backsplash, as well as the shower. The powder room features 21 square feet of Clear Ice glass mosaics. For the pool trim and outdoor pool shower, 100 square feet of Ashland-e was used in Clear Icicle Blend.

The Tree House is the first certified “Green” home in the San Fernando Valley. The 2,400 square foot house participated in the Southern California Gas Company’s Advanced Home Case Study Program. The goal was to identify products and measures that enhance sustainability, durability, energy and water efficiencies, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort of the home. The 20 foot-wide, two-story, four bedroom, 2.5 bath Tree House was designed to maximize passive solar heating and cooling. In conjunction with spray-in foam insulation, quality windows and doors, energy efficient lighting and appliances, and a cool roof, the house exceeds California’s Title 24 energy requirements by a remarkable 61 percent.

More information about The Tree House Project is available at http://www.studiocitygreenhome.com/.

Ashland-e Repeating Patterns!

We're happy to announce that we now have uncut repeating patterns featuring Ashland-e tile!
Hakatai offers a beautiful selection of repeating patterns using uncut glass mosaic tile. Each repeating pattern is custom-created according to your color selections and hand-assembled. Ideal for residential as well as commercial applications, glass mosaic repeating patterns bring dimension and modern flare to any space.

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.

Panda Express Builds Brand with Hakatai Mosaic Mural

Hakatai recently began supplying custom glass mosaic murals to Panda Express, the fastest growing Chinese restaurant chain in North America. Hakatai’s first brand-building mural, at the restaurant’s original location in Rosemead, California, is an impressive 490 square feet in size. The mural covers the entire top half of two entrance walls, connecting at the front exterior corner to create a welcoming panda image.

While exhibiting at a hospitality design show in 2008, Hakatai met top brand developers from the Panda Restaurant Group and a plan was developed for a series of glass mosaic murals at several Panda Express locations. Utilizing Hakatai’s innovative custom mosaic mural program, the designers at Panda Express are able to submit a drawing to Hakatai’s in-house design team, who fine tune the mural design before passing it along to their skilled team of mosaic artists. At the Rosemead location, the colors A20 China, C39 Night Black and D41 Lava, from Hakatai’s top-selling Classic series, were used to create the stunning black and white panda, accented by a deep red background. The mural stands nearly 14 feet from top to bottom on both walls. The mural measures 16 wide on the left side and 18 feet wide on the right. The mural was delivered to the restaurant site mounted on numbered mesh-backed sheets and ready to install. The mural was installed over a cement masonry unit.

Panda Restaurant Group is a leading Asian foodservice provider, and one of the largest family-owned businesses in North America. The well-known brand includes Panda Express, five Panda Inn locations serving gourmet Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine in a more upscale environment, and 28 quick service, Japanese-style Hibachi-San locations. The panda mural from Hakatai has proven to be highly successful for the chain, and several more custom murals in varying sizes are in progress for other Panda Express locations, including the Fox Hills Mall in Southern California, the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Orlando International Airport in Florida.

Read more about this mural on Hanley Wood's ebuild blog.

Ashland-e loose tile!

Our Ashand-e series 1" x 1" tile is now available loose in 1 lb. bags, as well as in standard 1.15 sq. ft. sheets. Eye-catching colors, rustic elegance and recycled glass make 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.

Ready to Display Mosaic Murals

Hakatai’s experienced team of designers and mosaic artists can turn any photo or original drawing into a custom created and ready to display mosaic mural! Ready to display murals arrive mounted and framed in a neutral metal frame. They require no tile installation, and are ready for display. Murals are custom created and signed by the artists. Finished murals are coated in a glossy, protective epoxy coating.

Ready to display murals are an ideal way to turn a favorite photo into an enduring piece of art. Hundreds of shades of colors are available to the mosaicists, which allows for beautiful simulations of the varying colors, textures and detailed shadings in the original image.

Custom Blend and Gradient Sale!

We're offering 30% off custom blends and gradients through September 30, 2009. Create and order your own blend or gradient with our online custom design tools!

Check out our photo gallery to see more examples of the unique blends and gradients that our customers have created.

And, custom blends of ¾” tile are now available in an offset pattern!

New Lower Prices on Classic Loose Tile

We've lowered the prices on our Classic series 3/4" x 3/4" loose tile! Classic series tile is as versatile and durable as it is beautiful. And with its wide color palette, you’ll spend time designing, not compromising.