Whether it’s in the bathroom, the kitchen, or the basement, a tile design can make or break a room, and we’re confident Kibak Tile’s hand-painted, patterned tiles will achieve the former result.
With more than fifty color options and a variety of geometric and natural patterns, the tile company’s creations bring personality and energy into your home, while simultaneously enhancing your space’s style. The new Hana design can look clean and sleek in midnight blue, or give off a fun and floral vibe in forest green. But if none of their classic patterns please you, you can also order a custom design to fit the feel you’re looking for.
Besides the variety in selection, the hand-painted technique brings a personal touch to the product. Called Cuerda seca or dry line, the technique is accomplished by silkscreening the pattern onto a blank ceramic bisque tile with ceramic ink. Once the ink is dried, the artist handpaints the design with glaze. Afterwards, the tile is fired in a for 12 hours. (You can even see the intricate (and very satisfying) process documented on their Instagram page.)
But with products this detailed, design inspiration has to stem from somewhere, right? For founder Susanne Kibak Redfield, pottery has always been personal for her, and at a young age, her mother Gudrun Kibak passed down a strong love for design, craftsmanship, and hard work in their backyard pottery studio. This early exposure coupled with the California architectural landscape led Susanne to study ceramics at the University of California – Santa Cruz, and after graduation, she planned to study sculpture in Italy. To fund the trip, she began selling tile—and never quite stopped.
Now, Kibak Tile is a third-generation business with Susanne, her daughter, and her mother working together to produce the tiles with an all-female team. After 38 years in the business, Kibak’s designs are only getting better, and we aren’t the only ones who have noticed. Two of their patterns—Uni Diamond and Riser 8—were featured on a recent episode of HGTV’s Mom & Me during a bathroom makeover.
So if you happen to be revamping your own bathroom anytime soon, consider Kibak’s designs for your shower, backsplash, or flooring. The best part? They ship worldwide.
