New from Clé Tile: An Ode to Belgian Design, in Blackened Terra Cotta

A decade ago, before founding Clé Tile in Marin County, California, designer Deborah Osburn started a blog, called Tile Envy. There, she chronicled her thoughts on tile and shared her favorite designers and inspirations, chief among them the modern Belgian masters Dries Van Noten, Axel Vervoordt, and Vincent Van Duysen.

Clé was born out of interest from the blog, and Deborah recently launched a new version of the blog (see the new Tile Envy here). We especially like Clé’s new Belgian Reproduction line—an ode to the Belgian stylings that “remain a touchstone for me in nearly every part of my artistic explorations,” Osburn says.

The line comes in seven shapes of blackened terracotta (with an earthy red available soon). It’s suitable for use both indoors and out, and has highly varied color and texture that reflects the “burnished finishes that form the foundations of Belgian interiors.” Let’s take a closer look.

Photography by Laurie Frankel, courtesy of Clé Tile.

Above: The Star & Cross Bundle installed in a kitchen.

Like all Clé Tile, the Belgian Reproduction line is made by hand and is fired in a wood-burning kiln.

Above: Eight-inch Hexagon tile installed as flooring, with dark charcoal grout.

Above: The Square & Rectangle Bundle installed in a stacked pattern of thick and thin columns.

Above: The Circle & Losange Diamond Bundle installed as a kitchen backsplash.

Clé recommends one of two grouts with the Belgian Reproduction line: either dark charcoal grout or natural, unsanded grout. The dark charcoal grout used here “penetrates the black terra cotta so it takes on the darker tones of the grout, creating a deeper, more uniform color.”

Above: Two-by-eight-inch Rectangle Bricks installed in a running bond pattern.

The light, unsanded grout used here maintains the natural color and variation inherent in the Flemish black color.

Above: The Belgian Reproduction line will soon be available in Flemish red clay.

Above: The star and cross shapes nestle together both horizontally and vertically. The Star & Cross Bundle is $23.25 per square foot, with a minimum order of 7 square feet.

Above: The Circle & Losange Diamond Bundle is installed with the circle in the center and four staggered diamonds surrounding. The set is $28.25 per square foot (minimum order of 6 square feet). The 8-inch Circle and 6-inch Losange Diamond are also available separately.

Above: The 8-Inch Hexagon is $18.50 per square foot (minimum order 4 square feet).

Above: The Square and Rectangle Bundle can be stacked in thick and thin lines or staggered like subway tile. It’s $20.25 per square foot (with a minimum order of 19 square feet). The 2-by-8-inch Rectangle and 8-inch Square are also available separately.

For more tile features across our sites, see:

• A New Blue Delft Tile Line from a California Artist
• 10 Easy Pieces: Tile Coffee Tables
• A Tiny Kitchen Made for Cooking: Everything You Need in 26 Square Feet