As with most ingenious ideas, it seems so obvious in retrospect. “How come no one has done this before? Thought of this sooner?” says Avi Abel, director of Fireclay Bath . He’s talking about California-based Fireclay Tile’s foray into fixtures that not only complement but also incorporate ceramics, marrying the material’s handcrafted character to the elemental beauty of solid brass. “Why not have a handle match the backsplash or floor? Why not have it speak the same language as tile?” he continues. “It’s practical, it makes sense—and it’s exciting.”

The company does just that in one of four new collections launching this month. Logical as the concept was, translating ceramics from flat tiles to functional, three-dimensional fixtures required the expertise Abel brought from his 25 years

See Full Page