Sepia Lace Market Tiles

Our love of vintage and old things led us to design a range of tiles with Hannah, one of our deVOL ceramicists. Finding vintage tiles is time-consuming and often very challenging, so we hope this range will give you the opportunity to decorate your home in a very authentic and unique way, without compromise and frustration. We imagine these tiles in so many situations, delicate rose colours, totally authentic sepia tones and the aged look of the teal all conjure up wonderfully eclectic interiors.

These tiles were designed with our original Victorian tile press. It’s big and old and very heavy, but we love that we’re able to use a bit of equipment that has so much history and character, especially when the tiles we’re creating were inspired by that very era. You might be wondering where on earth we found a Victorian tile press in this day and age, and the answer is from a lovely gentleman from Stoke on Trent, who had been in the business of making handmade tiles for years and was retiring. He chose deVOL to be the new owners of his beloved tile press!

We used an earthenware clay powder, poured into a mould below the heavy 'punch' of the press. We wound up the large swinging arms at the top before releasing them with enough momentum to force the ‘punch’ straight down into the mould. Hannah managed to find some intricate vintage lace remnants and garments from her grandmother and incorporated these into this wonderfully bohemian collection of tiles. To create the lace imprint, the lace was simply stamped onto the clay during the pressing process, perfectly capturing the ornate and intricate details. After a few swings and a firm stamp on the pedal, the newly-pressed tile popped out of the mould, ready for firing immediately.

Getting the colour and look right was really important and Hannah has worked tirelessly to perfect a range of glazes that give these tiles a beautiful aged and weathered feel in three colours: a warm rusty sepia, a vintage teal and a delicate rose pink. You might often find these types of Victorian tiles in London tube stations, pubs, as well as porches and fire surrounds; the decorative embossed trim that we have incorporated into our tiles is so reminiscent of the ornate style of this era. We have included both plain and decorative tiles to create the same vintage look and we can’t wait to see what they look like in our customers’ homes.