Vintage Tile Tour, Continued

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

As we conclude our tour of the Original Los Angeles Spec House, I'll pick up where we left off from last week's post.

First, a little background information! If you love tile, then you can't miss this rare opportunity to tour a house with tiles installed in nearly every room, including some Royal Delft cloisonné decorative tiles. Located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, the home tour was arranged by Joe Taylor and Sheila Menzies of The Tile Heritage Foundation for a collector. As we finished walking through the kitchen area, we traced our way back from the utility room off the kitchen to the living room. That's when we spied a glazed mural in the kitchen that I had previously missed.

A Dutch-themed mural in the kitchen dates back to the 1920s.

The glazed murals in this home are just amazing! Each mural looks like an oil painting, with the tile-maker's skills and understanding of glazes nothing short of exceptional.

Falling behind the group, I caught up with them in the main bath, where there were two large murals. The one above the bath was inspired by Maxwell Parish and the other, in the shower, was of Yosemite Falls.

The shower nook frames a waterfall mural

Yosemite Falls is the subject of this hand-painted mural from the 1920s.

A playful Maxwell Parish inspired theme is found on the mural above the tub.

The hand-painted tile murals in the master bath are certainly the focal points. However, the tile feast is made even more extraordinary with the use of Royal Delft cloisonné decorative tile accents placed around the room. Here are just a few:

Royal Delft cloisonné decorative tile accent: swan.

Royal Delft cloisonné decorative tile accent: swan.

Royal Delft cloisonné decorative tile accent: Columbus' Ships.

As you step back from the walls, you can't help but notice the quaint floor tile pattern created with plain tiles.

The master bath's tiled floor pattern

Finally, a peek at the small private bath off the main bedroom - as was the custom in houses of that era. The rich, cobalt blue field tile framed the bath beautifully, while the use of stained glass provided ample light and privacy in this small 1-3/4 bath. Playful water nymphs were the subject of the mural for this bathroom's hand-painted tile mural in the shower.

Fretwork trim frame rich cobalt blue tile in this bathroom.

Playful water nymphs are the theme for this mural.

Can you believe all of these tiles are in one home? I want to thank the Tile Heritage Foundation for making this possible. A special thank you to the home owner who so graciously opened his home for all of us to see. This is truly a gem and I'm so thrilled that the tiles have been preserved in their original condition. What a wonderful treat it was. Thank you all, again!

Vintage Tile Tour of Original Los Angeles Spec House

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

Recently, I had a rare opportunity to tour a house with tiles installed in almost every room including some stunning tile murals and Royal Delft decorative tiles. Located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, the home tour was arranged by Joe Taylor and Sheila Menzies of The Tile Heritage Foundation for a collector. The small, unassuming corner lot house is a treasure trove of original Dutch cloisonné tiles and mural from the 1920s.

A resplendent Art Deco tile fountain

As soon as you pass the entry gate, you know this is no ordinary home. You are immediately greeted by an Art Deco fountain in the courtyard. Created entirely of tile on a concrete base, every detail is tiled including the spitting-fish fountain heads and intricate bead-work molding and trim.

Spitting-fish fountain tiles and exquisite beaded trim tiles are part of the Art Deco-tiled fountain design.

Open the mahogany door and dappled light spills onto this glazed tile mural in the entry. The mural exhibits rare craftsmanship because the glazing appears to have the same detail of a hand-painted oil painting.

Tile mural in the foyer of the 1927 Los Angeles spec house.

Our host, and owner of the home, Robert Smaith, explains the home was originally the spec home for all the homes built in the area. It's where home owners would go to select tiles and other finishing details for their home. Once you enter the home, you can't help but notice the beautiful tiled fireplace.

Tile fireplace with Royal Delft cloisonné accents.

Hound and Stag cloisonné tile is the focal point of the fireplace.

Dutch cloisonné tile is enveloped with trim and field tile.

Joe Taylor, whose encyclopedic knowledge of tile and tile history is impressive, explains that Royal Dutch cloisonné tiles were only made by one factory in The Netherlands. The process, which uses a mold to keep the glaze colors from mixing, is not all that different than how cement tiles are made. Of course, cloisonné tiles must be fired; but, the mold forms the patterns and maintains the colors in the decorative tiles you see.

Moving along to the sunny south-facing breakfast nook, I was amazed by the small format mosaic on the floor and the stunning murals of Montserrat. According to our host, the owner's of the tile factory had a home on the Caribbean island.

Breakfast nook mosaic floor and tile walls include a mural.

One of two murals in the breakfast nook featuring a landscape of Montserrat.

The floor-to-ceiling tiled kitchen includes some amazing tile work that I have never seen before, including a tiled pantry, bread-making pull-out, and a California cooler.

The kitchen includes floor-to-ceiling tile.

A tile pantry with pull-out bread-making counter.

Tiled California Cooler

A tiled mural from a Dutch painting graces the area above the sink in the laundry room.

Next week, I'll finish this fantastic tour with a glimpse of the  master and guest bathrooms, more Royal Delft cloisonné tile, and a tiled telephone niche. If you love historic tiles, then this is a rare chance to see some of the most well-preserved tile trends from 1920s vintage Los Angeles.