Tiles and Colours in Malibu

This house in Maibu, California, used to belong to Merritt and Rhoda Adamson, whose family started Malibu Potteries. Where better than in their own home to show off their colourful handmade tiles in every room.


Even the facade has tiles surrounding the entrance door and the upstairs windows.


The grandfather clock stands next to an eclectic tiled table. The lamp and urn are Italian hand-painted earthenware. The blue ceiling and burnished walls, which symbolize sky and earth, echo the natural vista outside.


Down to its intricate fringe, the Persian-style tile "carpet" in the loggia was conceived for the house by William Handley, a designer for Malibu Potteries. The elaborate pattern, which includes more than 670 tiles, was created using cuerda seca glazing.


Glass doors with a wrought-iron grille bring light and ocean views to the hall.


The baseboard skirting is composed of tiny individual tiles set into a motif that continues up the stairs.


The dining room's frescoed ceiling consists of painted, wood-framed plaster panels that echo the rhythm of the floor tile.

The kitchen's geometric patterns have been described as Pueblo Deco, in contrast with the Moorish motifs in the rest of the house.

The upstairs hall with its ironwork railings and scored oak floor features decorative painting by two Danish artists who spent a year accenting doorways, ceilings, and furniture. The linen closet doors are adorned with trompe l'oeil "carvings."

Viking and Venetian galleys, an ocean liner, and a clipper ship navigate the bright-blue-tiled walls of Merritt Jr.'s bathroom.

A closeup of the bathroom tile.


The Adamsons planted a flowering coral tree outside the bathroom shared by their daughters, Sylvia and Rhoda May.

The floral patterns on their Belgian silk bedspreads mimic the tree's red-orange blooms. The bedroom's ceiling was painted by Danish artists, who also decorated the bookcase.

The Malibu Potteries bathroom tile also takes its inspiration from the flowers just outside the window.

Each of the home's six bedrooms has its own bathroom, where walls, floors, and even some ceilings are tiled.

The Peacock Fountain, just outside the loggia, captures the colours of the Pacific. One tile to the left of the urn was set backward; it's believed to be a deliberate error reflecting the Islamic belief that perfection comes only from God. (Beats me... I can't find it!)

Designed for sunset viewing, the tiled patio features a built-in fireplace for chilly evenings.

All images and information from here.

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