Wishing you all the best! Click here to view card: http://paperless.ly/seYmfr
Last week, I shared a video on our Facebook page about a home that’s being built entirely of materials made in the United States, from paint to nails and everything else. Just finding all the materials required a lot of effort from the builder, but don’t worry – he’s not asking everyone to do this! What he is asking is for every builder to use 5% more American-made materials to support the US economy.
We offer many products that are manufactured right here in the United States. The first few lines we carry that come to mind are from Fireclay, Market Collection, and Crossville. In fact, Market Collection tiles are made right here in Sonoma County, making it even closer to home. These companies, and others, offer a wide variety of materials, including glass, ceramic tiles, and porcelain “stone” tiles.
We also import many products; often these are things that cannot be found in the United States. Carrara marble, for example, is a well-known product that comes from Italy. If it’s not from Carrara, it’s a different product. Natural stones are just that – natural – and can’t be manufactured in the US or elsewhere (although as an alternative, some of our US companies make similar looking man-made products). Other international products are different than what you could find here. These products are unique and beautiful, and we are glad that we can get them from different places around the world.
Similar to buying local products is simply buying from local businesses. When you support a local business, you’re also supporting the other American business they work with. We work with many American companies that the big box stores don’t, we offer a wider variety of American-made materials, and we have higher quality products. Even if you buy a Turkish or Italian product from us, by supporting our business you’re helping us to continue working with our US suppliers and manufacturers. By choosing to purchase from an independent retailer you’re supporting the US economy in an important and far-reaching way.
I think the most important aspect of this 5% challenge is to be mindful of what you purchase. Rather than buying the first and cheapest thing you find, consider who you’re working with, what you’re getting for the money, and the impact your purchases may have.
I was flipping through a magazine a while back and saw “tile tattoos” that I thought were interesting. They’re basically waterproof, removable stickers with fun designs that only require water to apply. If you aren’t ready to replace all of your tile; if you’re a renter; if you’re someone who likes to change things around frequently; or if you just love the designs, these can be a great way to add some color and pattern or just cover up old tile.
The brand that I originally saw was Mibo, a UK based company with a variety of beautiful designs.
This style is called Ventnor. I think the blue is really pretty, but it comes in several other colors as well, including some that are two-tone like this and some that are a single color.
This animal themed one would be fun in a children’s bathroom where you want a design that you can change as your kids grow and change. And unlike many animal graphics, these aren’t too “kid-like” to work in other spaces as well.
Another company that makes tile decals is Sticviews. They have different patterns and styles than Mibo, and they also offer the ability to upload your own design.
This is an example of a design that’s very trendy – aqua blue and a Suzani-like pattern. It’s fun and bright, but it’s not necessarily something you would want for the next few decades. Since these are removable, you could put them in your home now and switch them out in a few years (months, even!)
And if you like traditional tattoos and want something long-lasting – no temporary tattoos for you! – Modwalls offers a line of Tile Tattoos, sold by the piece and designed by two tattoo artists. These are actual tiles rather than just decals, but they’re similar in that you would probably use a few of these as accents rather than filling an entire space with them.
Designs include this anchor, a heart that says “Mom,” and more. Their Lush tiles coordinate with the tattoos and come in several colors.
Any of these decals could go on very simple wall tiles; the Mibo stickers in particular are made to go best on white 4×4 tiles but will work on other tiles as well. They would also be good accents where you’re using glass accents.
These are a few quick examples from our showroom of what you could use with these decals. If anyone has used these personally, let us know! I’d love to see how they look.