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LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) December 28, 2019
Just four hours North of Mexico City in the beautiful highlands of San Miguel de Allende, artisans in the Walker Zanger tile facility put the final glaze on an elongated hexagon mosaic pattern in punchy peacock blue. Tilt, an eclectic collection of stoneware mosaic patterns, is one of many handmade and hand-painted tile collections to come out of the former Cerámica Antique facility, which was acquired by Walker Zanger in 2009. Ten years later, the 120,000-square-foot facility remains one of the world’s largest artisan ceramic tile manufacturing sites and the largest employer in the area, attracting talented craftspeople from all over the land.
San Miguel de Allende has long-standing traditions in tile making, art and design, making it a rich resource for Walker Zanger’s most creative tile endeavors. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic hill town is home to charming cobblestone streets, brightly colored Spanish colonial buildings and lively artisanal craft traditions that span from pottery and paper-mache toys to the vibrant hand-painted tiles and glazes that have long characterized traditional Mexican architecture. The postcard-worthy surroundings and arts traditions continue to inspire the artisans who create the exclusive tile collections for Walker Zanger. In the beautifully sculpted ceramic borders and intricately pieced mosaic patterns, the spirit of San Miguel thrives.
Because the San Miguel team creates handmade and hand-painted tiles that are the product of advanced technology and craftsmanship, the tiles are “authentic” in every sense of the word. The tiles are carefully passed through each part of the process, and painted individually by hand to create truly unique designs that deliver one-of-a-kind impact—with no automation. Each craftsperson contributes his or her own unique skill to the process where tiles are touched up by hand up to 30 times. It can take several days depending on the size, method and complexity of the tile. During this time, the tile is molded, cured, and reviewed several times until the product reaches the company’s highest quality standard. As a result, some of Walker Zanger’s most popular collections, including Studio Moderne by Michael Berman, Vibe, Robert AM Stern and Pietta Donovan, have come out of the San Miguel facility. Not all are crafted in the traditional Mexican style either. Studio Moderne by Michael Berman, for example, continues to be the gold standard for large format architectural tiles and fits easily into a range of design styles from Art Deco to Palm Springs Modernism.
The San Miguel facility has allowed Walker Zanger to further cement its place as the world’s pre-eminent design resource for authentic handmade and hand-painted tiles. It has also afforded Walker Zanger “the opportunity to ensure the viability of the long-term ceramic supply chain, guarantee timely production and provide a facility where we can experiment with future product collections,” said company president Jonathan Zanger in 2009, and it still remains true in 2019. As Walker Zanger’s creative and cultural center, it allows the company to continue to create products that redefine tile design and artistry.
About Walker Zanger
Walker Zanger is the leading tile and stone design resource in North America. For over 65 years, the company has helped design-trade professionals and homeowners realize their boldest design visions with the most unique, original and thought-provoking surface materials. Walker Zanger has quickly become a go-to expert in the industry, and is often the first to discover new materials, styles, innovations and specialty surface products. Rooted in natural stone slab design, the company continues to push the boundaries of possibility, including recent introductions of cutting-edge materials like recycled glass slabs and thinner-than-stone porcelain slabs that emulate natural marble veining. The company carries on the innovative spirit with equal passion today in 13 curated showrooms and slab galleries, and 200 authorized dealers nationwide. Walker Zanger also presents exclusive collections inspired and created by some of design’s most influential minds today; Michael Berman, Robert A.M. Stern and Pietta Donovan have all lent their aesthetic vision to the brand. Walker Zanger is more than a destination for the world's finest stone and tile materials, it's where inspiration lives and ‘Design Realized’ endures. To learn more about Walker Zanger, please visit http://www.walkerzanger.com.