With a legacy even longer than that of ceramic tiles, mosaics have been used in many (primarily artistic) applications throughout human history. While these tile tapestries are still used to create works of visual art today – see our interviews with Oliver Budd last month and David Arnott last year for some stunning examples – they are also commonly used in many interior and exterior decorative contexts, such as kitchen splashbacks and swimming pools.
The past few years have seen a strong swing back towards smaller formats, perhaps as a response to the ever-expanding slab sizes produced by some manufacturers, and mosaics slot into this trend perfectly. Moreoever, despite their ancient origins, mosaics today are anything but boring, with companies and craftspeople continuing to develop the tradition all the time.
Small but varied
One obvious area of differentiation between mosaic ranges is in their specific shapes and dimensions. Even at a small format, the use of different geometric shapes to build out a pattern can enable subtly different visual effects. For example, the use of hexagonal tiles can create a honeycomb-effect, while a more standard 5x5cm square can give a surface a strong sense of uniformity and solidity. Hisbalit’s Doppel collection, on the other hand, is offered in a small rectangle format, reflecting perhaps the most en vogue tile shape across any size category currently.
Beyond just their shape, mosaics offer an incredible level of granular control over the colour and finish of specific areas, and while most uses of the format aren’t as densely intricate as the artworks of classical eras, manufacturers are nonetheless able to create some dazzlingly detailed effects. Turkish manufacturer Betsan, for example, offers a set of modular ranges which allow designers to pick from an impressive set of preselected patterns.
Perhaps the most significant advancement in this area has been the development of digital tools to allow individualised custom designs, which many suppliers now offer. Ezarri, a Spanish mosaic manufacturer, offers a free “Configurator” on its website, allowing users to see how different ranges will look in context. Likewise, Onix has developed the “Mosaic Creator” app, which can be operated at three separate levels of complexity: from picking only the pattern, to customising colours, to creating new patterns entirely. Hisbalit also offers its own variation in the Art Factory personalisation service. This is described as “one of the hallmarks of the company, offering the possibility to create customised projects using an “a la carte” range of colours, textures, motifs, compositions, etc”.
Time-saving innovations
The most obvious disadvantage of mosaics in comparison to their larger counterparts has traditionally been the far more time-consuming process of fixing many tiles over a relatively small space. Thankfully, today this issue is a long-solved one, with the vast majority of mosaic manufacturers offering their products in sheet formats that enable many mosaics to be affixed at once, all while ensuring they remain perfectly positioned in relation to one another.
Ezarri’s version of this technology is JointPoint, described by the company as an example of its “commitment to technological precision and innovation”. Achieved by attaching the individual mosaic tiles at specific joints rather than laying them across a substrate, this system reportedly leaves 92% of the mosaic surface free for appying adhesive, promoting greater durability. The composition also adapts to different curvatures and shapes, helping to ensure flexibility and strength. The company also says these benefits make its products far easier to install, saving up to 25% installation time.
Onix offers several solutions, with a similar “Dots” system in addition to a mesh fibreglass backing.
Clear on sustainability
Finally, mosaic manufacturers are just as focused as the broader industry on the vital question of sustainability, if not more so. Hisbalit, for example, manufactures its mosaic tiles entirely from high-quality recycled glass, recovered from other industries.
Indeed, the company has even launched an initiative aimed at ensuring its mosaic tile production creates no waste at all. Hisbalit now recovers the tesserae not apt for sale rejected during the production process. These tiles are re-milled to create a double recycled glass product used as a filter element for pools.
Onix, on the other hand, claims its initiatives allowed it to avoid producing more than 1.5 million kg of CO2 in 2023. “This effort not only represents a positive impact on the environment but also an advance towards sustainability in our industry. We are committed to increasing CO2 savings by 7% by the end of the year,” the company says.
While mosaics may not be as popular in the UK as they are in hotter climates where pools are more commonplace, these tiles remain an important and vibrant part of the tiling tradition, while representing a niche but highly useful skillset for fixers.