While we were working on the design for Terra Firma House, the client visited the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence outside Paris, where, years earlier, she had spotted a pink terracotta tile that she loved. When we received the pictures of the tile, it was totally out of our comfort zone. We would never have thought of using terracotta.
We researched companies in Mexico and Spain to see who might be able to recreate the pattern. We discovered that the tile had originally been commissioned by the foundation’s Spanish architect, Josep Lluís Sert, and it had been manufactured by a little Spanish company that had been making this design since the 1950s. They still had the original mould in their factory and they did a new run just for us.
It’s really quite beautiful. It is exactly the right colouring, and the shape and texture create a lovely pattern. We have put heat underneath them, so you walk on warm terracotta tiles that provide an uninterrupted visual flow to through the house and out to the garden.
