Concrete tile can be used just about anywhere, indoors or out, including floors, walls, fireplace surrounds, pools and patios, shower enclosures, countertops, backsplashes, and building facades.
Contemporary concrete surfaces have advanced since the introduction of coloring and stamping in the 1950’s.
KAZA, founded in Szentendre, Hungary, has some of the most amazing collections of concrete tile.
Known as the first bespoke contemporary concrete tile manufacturer, KAZA is renowned for their 3-D tessellations.
Tessellations
A tessellation is created when a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps.
Historically, tessellations were used in Ancient Rome and in Islamic art such as in the decorative tiling of the Alhambra Palace in Andalusia, Spain.
In the twentieth century tessellations were brought out of the mathematical community and into the public when artist, M. C. Escher often made use of tessellations, both in ordinary Euclidean geometry and in hyperbolic geometry, for artistic effect.
One of my favorite Kaza designers, Levi Fignar of Next Ship, created a tile series called TRE for the launch of the Concurrent Constellations Collection at 100% Design in 2014.
TRE is a series of four distinct faceted triangular tiles that can be displayed independently or as modular elements in a larger tessellation concept. In addition, the textured tiles are made in two levels of thickness, allowing for tiered creations that work with light, shadow, and depth.
The arrangement highlights the design diversity held together by a dominating constellation.
Kaza concrete tiles are handmade from a reinforced concrete fiber called Smart Concrete. The Smart Concrete comes in 24 colors and are durable for outdoor installation.
Domestically Kaza is distributed by Walker Zanger. Walker Zanger, in partnership with Architectural Digest, has sponsored the Kaza Design Competition, which offers all aspiring and established designers and architects the chance to have their original tile design added to the Kaza Collection.
Tile Competition
Entrants have until the end of the September to design a tile collection that can showcase a pattern or consist of many differently shaped tiles that form a homogeneous surface when installed together.
In addition to manufacturing and producing the winning design, Walker Zanger will supply royalties from product sales to the winner and send him or her on a three-day trip for two to Budapest, Hungary for an exclusive Kaza tile manufacturing tour. The winner will be announced in November 2016 at a celebratory event in New York City.
If you have what it takes to create a new tile design like Cristina Vezzini who previously won with her PENTA design, enter Here.
PENTA, is a modular wall tile that consists of irregular polygons and angles of varying heights creating a sense of depth and texture. Its vibrant, geometric finish entertains the eye with a multitude of light and dark reflections that create layered patterns similar to natural scenery or crystal formations.