modwalls designer notes

An end of year Festivus

2010-01-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Modwalls honored the end of 2009 with our "Festivus", a home cooked Spanish luncheon.

The table was set with Spanish flair. Our Cork Deluxe made a nice table runner don't you think?

The flutes stood ready for Prosecco and Sparkling Apple Cider

The tapas awaited hungry people.

The fabulous and hungry modwalls' team has arrived!

Time to eat:
Open faced sandwiches of fig jam, proscuitto and manchego cheese.

And then the paella.

We went forth, well fed, to our respective New Year's Eve activities...

Many thanks to all of our customers and well wishers for your support, suggestions and creativity over the past year. We appreciated every minute!

Decking the Walls

2009-12-23T14:51:00.001-08:00

Today is gift wrapping day at our little outpost of the North Pole. This cool wrapping paper came from Innisbrook as part of a fundraiser for the kids' school.

It’s made of recycled paper, and I love the cool modern color combination, which just happens to resemble two of our most popular glass tile blends:

Brio Emma glass mosaic blend

Lush Carmelita glass subway tile blend

After all, isn’t gorgeous tile a way of gift wrapping your walls to enjoy for years to come?

Happy Holidays to You!

Pantone Unveils Color of the Year for 2010:

2009-12-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

And the next big color is:

PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise

This is great news! I'm not a big fan of blue for interiors, but add green to it and I'm sold.
We have many turquoise tile options at modwalls.
Here are a few of the most popular installed in our customers' homes:

Lush 3x6 glass subway tile in Pool

Brio 3/4" glass mosaic tile blend in Surfside

Brio 3/4" glass mosaic tile blend in Gimlet

Brio 3/4" glass mosaic tile blend in Fresh

Brio Pearl 3/4" iridescent glass mosaic blend in Mermaid

Lush 3x6 glass subway tile in mix of cool blues and greens

Lush 1/2 x 2 glass mini subway tile blend in Big Sur

You can create your own custom Brio glass tile blend online using any colors you choose.
Click here to start designing.

Happy 2010!

modwalls Brio Glass Mosaic in Atomic Ranch

2009-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

We love Atomic Ranch magazine and feel that its readers are "our people". We advertise regularly in the publication and look forward to the arrival of each edition for the lovely articles, and inspirational mid century interior design ideas and stories.

So it is with great delight that one of our most popular and retro-inspired Brio glass mosaic tile blends, Cherry Pie is featured in a gorgeous kitchen remodel on page 61 of the current issue Winter 2009.

Check it out if you have a chance. And Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Brio Cherry Pie glass mosaic tile blend

Cyber Monday Was A Fun Day

2009-11-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to everyone who got online after Thanksgiving and paid us a visit. We had a fun day of packing to make sure that you get your tile installed, and your homes picture perfect, before the Holiday visitors arrive.

Enjoy the Season! We'll be getting a special gift for our UPS driver after today...

Glass Tile Color Stories

2009-10-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to introduce the new additions to our Lush glass tile line. These beauties are in stock now for immediate delivery, but they're so new that we don't yet have photos of them installed in living environments.
So I thought I'd pair them with some of the colorful parts of the world that inspires me every day. I hope you enjoy them.

1x4 skinny glass subway tile in Vapor

1x4 skinny glass subway tile in Sunset

3x6 classic glass subway tile in Fog Bank

3x6 classic glass subway tile in Lemongrass

1x2 small glass subway tile blend New Leaf

1x2 small glass subway tile blend Bittersweet

1x2 small frosted glass subway tile blend Stockholm

1/2x2 mini glass subway tile blend Costa Rica

1/2x2 mini glass subway tile blend Kahuna

Guest Blogger Laura Ricks- Finale and Photos

2009-10-26T13:57:00.001-07:00

It's All About The Tile
(the final installment by our Guest Blogger Laura Ricks)

You know, I have a little bone to pick with modwalls. Don’t get me wrong. I love them, and their tile, but I digress. First I should give you some back-story.

As you probably already know, I discovered modwalls.com while I was searching for cool tile for my new modern home, and found that they not only had exactly what I was looking for, but with great prices and terrific customer service. And free shipping for orders over $200. And they accepted returns. I mean, you do the math. After doing my homework I found that using modwalls.com was really a no brainer. But if you want more of that story, click here.
So after weeks of agonizing over all the great choices (really, there may just be too many), I found my tile and placed my order. The tile arrived in only three days, packed to perfection, and just as I had imagined; beautiful deep colors, thick gleaming glass, and as mod as mod could be. It felt just like Christmas morning opening boxes and boxes of tile and feeling so thrilled with their contents. So I got my fantastic tile setter, Chris, to work. After all, he had a whole house to tile.

First we started in the kid’s bathroom. I wanted to make it fun, modern, and not too gender specific, so we went with ModDotz in sherbet. It turned out just as I had hoped, and the delicious looking results have helped create the room’s new nickname: The Orange Candy Bath. I loved the way the penny rounds were juxtaposed with the house's other hard angles, and my kids love it. I’m sure you can see why:

We edged ModDotz with some custom-made trim pieces that blend into to walls so all you notice are the dots floating in a field of white. I even had one friend who walked through the house ask me if each dot was set separately, and lucky for me they are mesh mounted on sheets since I don’t think we would have had a savings account left after paying Chris if they hadn't been.

Next we did the powder room. I have to admit, I took a bit of a chance on this one. I decided to go with Lush 1/2 x 2 tile in moss. I was thinking of going with something with less color, but am so glad I decided on this one for it’s modern earthiness. It really makes what could otherwise be just a little half bath into something to talk about. Check out the results:

The master bath, well, that was my baby. In designing it with our architect I knew the tile had to be something extra special to compliment the two large windows above the over sized shower and bath. When you stand in the shower or lie in the bath you get incredible views of the sky and treetops, so I wanted to bring the feeling of blue skies into the space. The Lush 3 x 6 tile in Vapor was the perfect choice. It really is the perfect complementary blue to the blue, blue sky, and keeps the space feeling both modern and serene.

I topped off the “bringing the outdoors in” by adding ModRocks to the shower floor. My husband was skeptical; he thought the stones may not be comfortable on his feet, but I told him to trust me, and I’m so glad he did. Not only are they comfortable, but also because of the texture and the fact they heat up with the water, they make you feel like you’ve had an amazing foot massage once you step out of the shower. Not a bad way to start the day, and my husband is now converted. I have to say, of all the rooms in the house, I think the master bath is my favorite. I love, love, love it. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it, and if you’ve done this house-building thing before, you know that isn’t always (or even often) the case.

The kitchen was the toughest for me. I was torn on tile, and some I had looked at cost up to $100 per sq. ft. Not gonna happen in this lifetime. I searched and searched and racked my brain, and then modwalls came up with the perfect solution: their new Lush 1 x 4 glass tile in Cloud. I didn’t want to do a strong color in the room that would detract from the custom made cabinetry, and I'm a minimalist at heart, so cloud was the perfect choice. It’s a beautiful white that looks almost clear when it’s finished. I love how my under cabinet lighting makes it glow at night, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I love it. I love how it reflects the light and the stainless steel counter tops. I love the depth and dimension. I love how it fits the mid-century vibe of our house. Did I mention that I love it?

So, back to this little problem I have with modwalls. I know, I know, it sounds like there couldn’t be a downside, but here it is: Every time I have taken someone through my house, they say they like it. They say they like the openness and the design, but when they turn the corner into the kitchen they gasp, hold onto whatever is closest to them, and say "I LOVE YOUR TILE!" (in all caps), and then walk in a trance-like state until they can touch it. They have to touch it. They must touch it. And this happens in every room. Every time. And which tile do they love the most? It’s a bit of a toss up, but I definitely get the most comments about the Orange Candy Bath. It’s just that cool.

I know, I know, tough problem, you're probably saying with more that just a little sarcasm. But look, they don’t LOVE the cool floating staircase that we had to remove TWO TIMES before the contractor got it right. They don’t LOVE the custom cabinets that took FIVE MONTHS to finish. They don’t even LOVE the hardwood floors that were, well, let’s just say I still can’t talk about all we had to go through to get those right.

No. It’s all about the tile.

Could it be possible modwalls is just a little too good?

(For more photos of our whole house, visit my blog, The Ricksalicious Life).

Thank you- Laura for your wonderful posts and your patronage. We've loved getting to know you!

As Seen on TV

2009-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Project Rowhouse kitchen

We have some famous customers whose modwalls® installations will be featured on the DIY and HGTV networks over the next few days.

First off, tonight on the DIY network’s Bathtastic see a deco bathroom updated in keeping with the period. Our ModDotz vanilla matte porcelain penny tile is installed on the floor.

Air Time for this Bathtastic episode:

5:30/8:30 e/p Friday, October 9, on the DIY network.

Next week: Check out the Bang for your Buck show on HGTV to see our friends Jon and Craig of Project Rowhouse compete for the biggest Bang for their buck on the stylish renovation of their Baltimore row house. They’ve installed 2 of our Brio glass mosaic blends: Marrakesh on the kitchen backsplash and Windy City on the basement bar back.

Air Times for this Bang for Your Buck episode on HGTV are:
• October 13, 2009 - 9:30 PM e/p
• October 13, 2009 - 12:30 AM e/p
• November 08, 2009 - 2:00 PM e/p
• November 21, 2009 -1:00 PM e/p

Diary of a Kitchen Refurb: Finale

2009-10-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Finally the kitchen images I've been waiting for. Our kitchen refurb is complete after only 24 days. Wow- it seemed like much longer with no running water in the kitchen for the duration. Luckily all went as planned and on schedule. We could not be happier with our new space. It is a joy to cook in!

Here's how it turned out:

For information on our Lush 1/2 x 2 glass mini subway tile click here.

Super Stylish Shipping Container House in Dwell

2009-09-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to shipping container construction last year when our Viridian recycled glass tile was used in the bathrooms of a container home that was set up on site at the West Coast Green show. The interiors were artfully designed by EcoFabulous. Since then I have been dreaming of someday adding a home office or guest room to our home using one of these economical and eco friendly containers.

Yesterday I received my October copy of Dwell magazine. The focus is on modern homes across America.

All of the entries are lovely, but one in particular caught my eye. The article titled "The Shipping Muse" features a super warm and modern home created from 3 used shipping containers. It is located in Houston in an industrial area near the hip neighborhood of Houston Heights. And low and behold one of our Brio Custom glass tile blends is rockin' a lovely bathroom in this cool space.

You can create your own modwalls Brio glass mosaic tile blend online here.
And please pick up a copy of the October issue of Dwell Magazine. You'll be inspired!

Diary of a Kitchen Refurb part 4 Demolition

2009-09-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here we go with our kitchen demolition. We were very lucky to find a great general contractor for this project, Fitts Construction of Los Gatos, CA. They are handling the demolition, along with installing the new window, microwave, garbage disposal and wine refrigerator; putting up the sub counters, and fixing some electrical issues. They've been on time and on budget. Basically, they do what they say they are going to do when they say they are going to do it. How nice! Bright and early last Monday Richard and his team arrived and started hammering.

Here's the before:

Demo Done:

New Window and Sink:

After two days of demo, our cabinet contractor, Ken Berridge, of Fresh Face Cabinets arrived right on time as well. His portion of the job, refacing our cabinets and installing new doors and hardware, will take about 8 days. Again we are fortunate to have found such a craftsman. He's done a fantastic job and we feel great about modernizing our cabinets without getting rid of them. We're saving money and minimizing our construction waste materials.

Here's some of Ken's progress:

In just a few days we'll have the cabinets completed and the IceStone recycled glass countertops and modwalls Lush glass tile backsplash installed. I'm readying my recipes to resume cooking in a fresh new kitchen!

Diary of a Kitchen Refurb Part 3 Accessories

2009-09-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

To finish off the look of the kitchen and make it ever so functional, a few more purchases have been made.

Just as the backsplash tile is like jewelry for the kitchen, the cabinet knobs are an important accessory which ties the design together.
They can really upgrade the look of the space. We chose modern stainless steel bar shaped knobs from a great website www.myknobs.com. I selected the affordable and functional 7” knobs. The scale is just right for the size of my kitchen, and the opening on the handle is roomy enough to fit adult hands comfortably. Stylish, modern and understated, done.

Next, in keeping with the stainless appliances in the kitchen, we chose an above stove mount vented microwave from Sears. Like our existing induction range, it is a Kenmore Elite, so the handles and stainless finish on both appliances match.

By the way, Sears online has been amazing with appliance selection and delivery. They have great customer service follow up after purchase as well. Who knew?

We’re upgrading the sink as well to a single stainless steel version. Deeper is better for dinner party dirty dish hideaways. After looking at a few local plumbing supply stores with staggering prices, we found just the perfect 10” deep stainless steel single sink at good old Home Depot; and the price was about 1/3 that of similar sinks at the plumbing specialty stores. Did you know that you can spend over $3000 on a kitchen sink? In another lifetime perhaps.

We could not recycle our old faucet due to some corrosion. And by about the 5th time I saw the new Delta touch faucet commercial on tv, I was intrigued. It seems that they’ve solved my problem of gunking up the works with my greasy cookin' hands. Just a tap of an elbow on any part of the faucet turns it on. Woo hoo! Ordered it online in a brushed nickel finish the next day.

Next, a new light fixture over the window and above the sink. In keeping with our modern lodge them, I wanted something with clean lines, but not too slick modern. A bit earthy but not remotely old world. Not bright white which would clash with the rest of the subtle colors in the kitchen, and not too glam or in competition with the colorful backsplash tile. Hmmm... I didn’t exactly know what I wanted within those parameters, but I knew it was out there somewhere. Several websites later and I found the perfect lighting solution at www.eurostylelighting.com.

Cork!

And finally, an opportunity for an upgrade. Since we want to make the kitchen as easy and functional as possible while using the existing cabinets and footprint, we decided to fix a nagging problem of a corner cabinet that is virtually impossible to access. Yep- Wine and beverage refrigerator! We found this Marvel version on sale at a local appliance showroom. It holds 14 bottles of wine with room for many beers, juice boxes, kombuchas and green tea. The akward cabinet is now a showpiece which will take a lot of traffic and clutter away from the main fridge. Oh- and the door handle matches our new cabinet knob design. (I'm just sayin')

So now with all of the components and contractors at the ready, it’s time to begin…

And by the way, did anyone see HGTV's Design Star winner #4 Antonio's show last night in which he designed 4 rooms in his own home in 5 days? Didya see the all black kitchen with custom aluminum strip backsplash and lilac walls? It's not my style but I have big respect for Antonio for making himself happy with the design of his home, and for pushing the envelope in favor of fun and whimsical interiors. His voice is a welcome addition to HGTV(IMHO).

Diary of a Kitchen Refurb Part 2 The Design

2009-09-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Choosing the materials that make up the perfect kitchen for us.

As we rework the interior spaces of our home, we want to use colors and textures that evoke our forest and ocean surroundings here in Northern California. Having a style theme helps me to edit and make choices that work together. I’m calling our style,“modern lodge".

The view from our back deck

Since our Lush Big Sur glass mini subway tile blend was created for the backsplash in our kitchen, it definitely fits the theme.

Lush Mini Glass Subway Tile Big Sur

On to cabinets. In keeping with our theme, we wanted a natural wood cabinet. We weren't interested in anything too yellow, too orange, or too red. Actually in my ideal world I want dark walnut…but the kitchen is too small and there’s not enough natural light coming in for walnut to work without the room becoming all together too dark. Our cabinet refacing contractor Ken suggested a natural clear Alder which is the perfect choice. That's a good tip by the way; ask the experts what they think. You hear ideas you'd never considered. Ken also suggested a simple modern shaker style for the doors, perfect!

Shaker style cabinet door in Alder

Last but not at all least is the workhorse of the entire kitchen; at least if you cook as much as I do: the countertop.
We wanted a sustainable material and I'm happy to report that there are many options on the market now.
Our first choice was Bottlestone which is made by the terrific people at FireClay Tile near us in San Jose, CA. BottleStone is a beautiful, new green surface material made of 80% post-consumer recycled glass. It provides a green alternative to stone slabs offering the same warm aesthetics of natural stone materials. Unfortunately, right now they are only making 4 foot slabs. We tried and tried but could not get that size to work in our kitchen without grout joints in the most unflattering of places. They will eventually be making 7 foot slabs though and are well worth checking out.

Our final selection is IceStone. IceStone Durable Surfaces are made from 100% recycled glass and cement to create a high performance, green concrete material.
IceStone® surfaces are the ideal choice if you are searching for an eco-friendly, green countertop. IceStone surfaces can also be used for backsplashes, bathroom vanities, table tops, bar tops, interior walls, and commercial flooring applications. Beautiful shower and bathtub surrounds and kitchen sinks can be made with IceStone as well. IceStone surfaces can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

We chose IceStone because of its composition. The recycled glass particles are finer than in many similar products, so the counters won't compete with our colorful tile backsplash. I think that between backsplashes and countertops, you should decide where you want the focus to be and make the other more subtle.

The IceStone shade we chose is called Latte which perfectly matches the Almond color in our glass tile backsplash, and will contrast nicely with our cabinets.

IceStone Latte

To install the tile and countertop, we contacted Pavone Tile in San Jose, CA after seeing their expert work installing several of our tile designs in the Sunset Magazine 2008 Menlo Park Idea House.

We get this question a lot, so here are some of our suggestions for finding excellent tile installers. That is if your friends aren't installers, don't know installers, or are installers but you still want to retain the friendship:

1)Check installers who work on Show Houses in your area, as we did. They are often the most experienced at doing great work with the best references around.
2)Search on Angie’s List for recommendations. There’s and annual membership fee but if you’re in remodel mode, it’s worth it. We found our cabinet refacing contractor, Fresh Face Cabinets, via local recommendations there.
3)Many large hardware stores, such as Home Depot and Lowes hold tile installation seminars for DIYers, and can often recommend professional installers.

So we're off to a good start here.

On the next installment, I'll cover selection of the final details which will pull the space together. Then demo days and backyard camping begins.

Diary of a Kitchen Refurb Part 1

2009-09-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm calling this a refurbishment and not a remodel, because we're not yanking out the old cabinets or changing the floors, and a refurb just sounds easier and quicker right?

We'll see about that.

We've been in our home for 9 years and I've never liked the kitchen. It is separated from the living room by a wall, there is a garden window opening onto the covered front porch, effectively blocking natural light from entering. The countertops are easily stainable white formica, and the cabinets are of a traditional country design which is not me at all.

Originally we had planned a gigantosaurus full home remodel that would have almost doubled the size of our 1 story 1750 square foot ranch and moved the kitchen across the room, to a light and view filled area of the house. But building a business and growing twin boys, now 5 1/2, have taken all of our time and energy. More importantly though, over the years we've realized that we don't need or want more space than we actually use every day. So we're sticking with our existing footprint and making upgrades as needed.

Here's how the kitchen currently looks:

We painted the cabinets a fresh green years ago, and I designed our Bungalow glass mosaic tile blend for the backsplash of this space.
And by the way, we're currently making the Bungalow blend of our Lush glass tile in an offset brick 1" x 2" look:

It looks ok (the mixer looks fab!)but the old formica countertop is now falling off and the whole space needs a more modern look IMHO.
So this refurb idea orginally started as..."Hey, let's get a new countertop...maybe butcher block?" Then as these things often go in my life, the snowball started rolling down hill and gathering momemtum. I found a great local craftsman who does fanatical work on cabinet refacing with real wood, not laminate. I designed a new Lush glass tile blend, Big Sur which I can't live without. Our old white stove broke down necessitating the purchase of a new stainless steel range, and so on and so on.

Thus begins our story. Let's see how it ends!

Choose The Hottest Glass Tile Blend for Fall

2009-09-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

We're excited about our new Brio and Lush glass tile blends in fresh colors, and would love your help in picking a favorite. So here's a quick little poll.
Please be so kind as to give us your feedback. Thanks! And Happy Holiday Weekend to All.

Online Surveys & Market Research

handmade

2009-07-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

At the recent CaBoom design show in Beverly Hills, we had the priviledge to showcase our tile with furniture created by the wonderful Southern California company, handmade.

handmade was founded in 2002 by cabinet maker/craftsman John McDonald. The company specializes in fine custom furniture and cabinetry for the home, office, and retail space. In 2009, Ivan Sokolov joined the Los Angeles-based team. Most recently the head of fabrication at Ernsdorf Design, Inc, Ivan’s work has been featured in Concrete Decor magazine and Planet Green television’s Renovation Nation. With this addition, handmade now offers sculptural concrete furnishings including countertops, fireplace surrounds and sinks.

Elegantly durable, with an eye towards sustainability, their work is as straightforward as their name. Every job is different, every client unique.

Our ModMetals' stainless steel bar tile was used as a backsplash above an exquisite cabinet here:

And our Viridian Pearl recycled glass mosaic tile in Hibiscus evokes a warm glowing fire in this unique fireplace mantel design:

We wish the folks at handmade all of the continued success that they so richly deserve, and look forward to our next opportunity to show off our tile alongside their stunning designs.

For more information on handmade, check out their website here.

Brio by the Sea-O New Glass Mosaic Blends

2009-07-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

Just in and inspired by summer, our 3 newest Brio glass mosaic tile blends.

We were lacking in some key color combos in our Brio blends line to help bring that sunny summer feeling to every day. So I got inspired and made some new blends.
And here they are, now in stock:

Like the rich clear blues of the deep ocean water and crisp summer sky is Newport. Available now at just $5.95 per 1.15 square foot sheet. Mesh Mounted. Free shipping in Continental US on orders over $200.

Modwalls' logo colors with a slight twist of seaworthy turquoise and fresh summer pear green; new Beachy Keen blend. $9.95 per 1.15 square foot sheet. Mesh Mounted. Free shipping in Continental US on orders over $200.

And summer goes chic, with City Sunshine. This hot new blend is very now. A mix of white and grey with a pop of bright yellow, it evokes the summer sun shining through the buildings of an urban landscape.
$9.95 per 1.15 square foot sheet. Mesh Mounted. Free shipping in Continental US on orders over $200.

Keep checking our portfolio for new ideas of how our customers are using our tile.

And follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest in deals, ideas and modwalls photos.

And Show it Goes

2009-06-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our summer trade show, the Dwell on Design expo is rapidly approaching; it's this weekend, in fact, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

This year we've decided to maximize our time in the land of LA by taking along our posse ( 2 young kids, nanny, daughter and son in law) and renting a house in gorgeous Santa Monica for the week.

We'll be making the 8 hour drive from Santa Cruz on Wednesday in a family car w/ luggage for all, and a pick up truck packed to the rim with our trade show booth, and any luggage/people not fitting into the main car. 8 hours with two 5 year old boys can be tough. For this drive I've collected a stash of children's literature on CD: The Little Prince, Magic Tree House Blizzard of the Blue Moon, The Cricket in Times Square, Mr. Popper's Penguins and the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. And at the behest of the boys, a spankin' new CD of Lady GaGa for hours of freeway "chair dancing"!

Today the deadlines have hit us like a tidal wave! Last week after a long long long wait as some of you customers know, we received many new Lush glass tile products. The week was spent sending out pre-orders So today is the day for mounting and grouting all of the new goods for display at the show. Here's Dave's progress thus far:

Note the new Henry Road designs on modwalls' Lush glass tile which will debut on Friday.

We're facing all of the last minute details of getting the office in order (our amazing Sarah will be holding down the fort) as we work out new product manufacturing and make some decisions on our new staff editions who'll start upon our return.

Oh- and there's that little manner of several thousand feet of Brio glass tile heading our way as I type this...they'd better make their appearance by tomorrow or else! If you're awaiting a pre-order of Brio, expect our call later this week.

Back at the home front it's laundry x 4 and packing and sunscreen and bandaids to buy.
It's just life...and a very pleasant one at that...we love our work trips and are so lucky that on some occasions we can take our family along. And since we may not get quite enough of Southern California in just one week, we're stopping by Disneyland on the way back for a few days. Yipee or Yikes? I'm not quite sure yet.

Middle School Art: ChicaGogh! in Chicago

2009-06-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Becky Cortez, professional Artist-In-Residence hired by school disctricts in the Chicago area. She works with junior high students to create permanent mosaic art installations; walking them through the entire process from concept to grouting and polishing.

Becky Cortez of Fish BaitStudio Inc. La Grange, IL with sons Kip and Carlos.

Much like the WPA movement of the 1930s under President Roosevelt, these projects are designed to bring large scale works of art into Chicago area schools and to inspire young people both in their daily school lives, and in the consideration of careers in the art world.

This mural is titled: "ChicaGogh! Chicago, meet Van Gogh." Approximately 100 8th graders worked on this one over a period of 4 months this spring semester.

Closeup of McCormick Center

Becky says: "As you can see the modwalls Lush tile in hues of blues and greens was perfect to create our Van Gogh Starry Night sky! The kids were amazed when they touched the tile and looked through the edges! It trimmed easily too!"

Of course Becky's installation crew makes it all happen before the grouting can occur. Her husband, Rick, and their sons Kipp and Carlos are the muscle to get these beauties up on the wall and ready for the students to finish. The boys are earning their college tuition as they help their parents with the projects.

We think Becky and her team are really something special and we're so happy that they're using some of our products in their amazing works of art.

For More Information on Becky and her FishBait Studios, email: bequis4@sbcglobal.net

Modwalls & Meals- a lovely combination!

2009-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oh why do we always seem to get the tile orders and photos from restaurants right at lunch time when we are ravenous?

Actually since food is a hobby for most of us here at modwalls its a special treat to see our products used in "foodie" venues.

Like the photo we've just received from The Mediterranean restaurant in Martha's Vineyard.

They've redone the restaurant's sitting room with an environmentally friendly pellet stove, surrounded by our Lush Big Sur mini glass subway tile. So gorgeous! Design credit goes to interior designer Shalini Sookar.

And if you think that tile looks good, just have a look at the food this wonderful eatery serves. Amazing. Can't wait to arrange a customer visit to try it out. Check out their menus, along with luscious food photos HERE.

25% off Sale on ModDotz Penny Tile Through 7/7.

2009-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Announcing the Summer Sale on our popular ModDotz glazed porcelain penny round mosaic tile. We're offering these cuties at 25% off of their retail price of $12.95 per 0.95 square foot sheet.

Now priced at $9.70 per sheet, while in stock, through July 7th 2009. See them all HERE.

And here are some customer photos of the ModDotz installed in homes across the US:

ModDotz Grey

ModDotz Harbor

ModDotz Palm Beach

ModDotz Vanilla / Vanilla Matte

Go Martinez Girls Softball!

2009-05-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

We're wishing the Martinez Beavers girls' softball team success in their current season, which modwalls is fortunate to sponsor.
Yes- one of the players is our niece, Becca. Here she is "shutting down" the Wildcats...all in a days' work for a cool kid.

Go Glam-Green with ModRocks recycled glass pebbles.

2009-05-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

We just returned from exhibiting at the Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas.
It was fun to meet so many architects and designers who focus on creating fun and interesting hotel, restaurant and retail environments.

During the show we had a visit from Eric Corey Freed of Organic Architect, who stopped by our booth after giving his "Green 101" talk at the conference. Eric liked our Lush blend color combinations which are popular for home as well as commercial environments. I was happy to have the opportunity to show him our new Viridian recycled glass mosaic tile as well as our oh so popular ModRocks recycled glass pebbles.

Here are some recent photos of these beauties in 2 commercial installations:

Kelly Ripa talks green for Electrolux in front of a backdrop of ModRocks recycled glass pebble mosaics.

New Pink Iron ladies' gym in West Hollywood is resplendent with the rocks on the front counter and in the showers....So very "glam-green"!

Speaking of our ModRocks recycled clear glass pebbles: after a bit of a wait I'm happy to announce that they are BACK IN STOCK! We're actively calling all of you who asked us to reserve some for you.
You may also order on line here or call us toll free 1-877-439-9734 to get a sample or your stock order.

Confessions of a Commitment-phobe

2009-05-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest installment from our guest blogger Laura Ricks of
The Ricksalicious Life

I'll admit it, I'm afraid of commitment.

Too many years of dating and too many months of building our new house have left me a little gun shy. The crazy ex-boyfriends, well, those stories are too long to tell here, but the house issues, well, they have been just as trying. Our exterior paint didn't turn out quite as I imagined it would, and although I really like it now, when I first saw it I was desperately searching for a paper bag to keep me from hyperventilating. And then there was the big snafu with our bamboo floors that almost put me in the hospital. Turns out the showroom gave us the wrong sample which led to us ordering the wrong bamboo that now has to all be returned for the stuff we thought we were ordering in the first place. Building a house is so much fun!

So, choosing the tile was more than a little scary, but now that it has come down to decision time, I'm so glad for modwalls. Why, you may ask? Well, here's some reasons:

The sample program makes it so easy. I had so many choices and different shades of the same color, that I knew it would be easy to get it right. After my field trip to our space I really could tell how it was all going to look, and I started to see that I could do this. Yes, I could.

But that didn't end the anxiety. Just when I was freaking out, trying to make my final, final decisions, I got a fantastic follow-up email from modwalls associate Sarah Graves checking to see if I had questions on my samples. No one ever followed up with me from those big, fancy tile showrooms I visited, so it was great to have a little hand-holding to guide me through my options.

I love, love, love the modwalls portfolio on their website that gave me great ideas. In fact, I got the inspiration for the tile for my master bath from some of the photos sent in from some satisfied modwalls customers. Check it out:

So, what colors did I decide on?

For our master bath, I decided to do the Lush 3 x 6 tile in Vapor, straight set. It's going to completely pave the interior of our over sized shower and the front and half of the wall around our tub. I chose it because the color is calming but still has a lot of pop, and will perfectly create the spa-like atmosphere I'm trying to achieve. And to take it one step further I chose ModRocks in Denali for the floor of the shower, so at my personal spa not only can I get a nice, relaxing soak in the large jetted tub when I have the time, but I can also get an invigorating foot massage in the shower every morning before heading off for the day. I am truly in love, and after making this decision, I felt my commitment-phobia start to subside.

Then it was on to the powder-room. Since our house is set in a very green, outdoorsy area (our neighborhood is called "The Tree Streets" for a reason).

I decided to go with something a little earthy-urban and chose Lush 1/2 x 2 mosaic tile in Moss. It's got the great, clean lines that go with our modern house, but also the organic feel of our surroundings. It's like modwalls made it just for me.

Using ModDotz in the kid's bathroom was a no-brainer, but deciding on a color was another story. They were all so great, and I could see any of them looking fantastic. I liked Harbor, but I didn't want it to be too gender specific, I also loved Confetti, but thought a blend might be a little too busy for a small bathroom, I loved Clover because it felt so fresh, and I loved Sherbet because it felt so mod. Well, Sherbet won.

It was the perfect color of orange, and it also had a great retro vibe that fits the mid-century look of our house. But most of all, I thought it would be great for our kids now when they're young (6 and 4) but would also look groovy for them as they get older.

But the anxiety returned when it came down to our kitchen. I was at a loss. I knew I wanted to do an oblong tile after seeing it done in some other modern kitchens, but the ones I saw at the showrooms were close to $50 a square foot, and that's just not gonna happen on our budget. But then, miracle of miracles, modwalls came to the rescue. I read in their blog that they are adding a new tile to the Lush line, 1 x 4 mosaic tile in Cloud, Breeze, Wasabi, Dune. They haven't got them in yet, but to beat the rush I placed an order for when they arrive in May. I swear, modwalls can read my mind.

Since I was placing such a large order, I decided to call customer service vs. placing my order online, and guess what? Sarah Graves actually answered the phone instead of someone in a call center on the other side of the planet. And she was fantastic at figuring out exactly how much tile I needed for each room, how long it would take to get here (only 3 days!) and what their return policies are. Yes, that's right, return policies. If I had overages or changed my mind, I could return the tile to them. Sure, I would have to pay the shipping, but just try that with the tile you special order from a tile showroom. Not gonna happen.

So, my ordering experience with modwalls was as great as I expected, and I can't wait to see my tile. But that being said, I do have one confession to make. I had a few heart palpitations and sweaty palms while I placed my order, but with all the great support, modwalls certainly wasn't to blame.

Must have been all those crazy ex-boyfriends.

Happy Earth Day from modwalls.com

2009-04-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Just in time to celebrate Earth Day 2009, we have a new shipment of our Viridian recycled glass tile. All of the best sellers are back in stock, along with 5 new designs:

Viridian Brix 1x2 recycled glass subway tile in Apple and Cotton.

New Viridian 1" blends Olivine, Orchard and Mirage.

And the Best Part? We've obtained better pricing from the factory on this product and we're able to pass that along to you. The new prices are 20-40% less at just $12.95-$16.95 per sheet.
Check out the entire line HERE.