Moroccan Cement Tile Gains Footing All Over

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the ground beneath your feet, you may have noticed an explosion of pattern. It can be seen in public spaces like the Manhattan restaurant L’Amico, designed by Crème; and the Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Tex., designed by Mark Zeff. And in private spaces, too, like the New York apartment of the actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, designed by Ashe & Leandro and featured earlier this year in Architectural Digest.

What all these spaces have in common is flooring made from encaustic cement tile, a material that has been produced in a multitude of colors and patterns since the 19th century, but which was relatively uncommon in the United States until a few years ago. Now its striking look and chalky matte texture are catching on, and a growing number of manufacturers are giving the product a contemporary update.

Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes, an American couple who founded the cement tile company Popham Design in 2007, recalled the moment they discovered the material after moving to Morocco. “We were instantly taken with the medium and the possibilities,” Ms. Dowe-Sandes said. “The U.S. doesn’t have the same history with the product that Europe does, where you sometimes see 150-year-old cement tile floors.”

After buying a house in Marrakesh, they began designing their own cement tiles for a renovation and had a realization: “If we think these are so cool,” Ms. Dowe-Sandes said, “maybe other people will also.”

They were right. “It has been taking off, especially in the U.S.,” she said, and sales have been growing by about 40 percent a year. The company opened its first independent boutique in Paris last year; in the United States, Popham’s products are available through Ann Sacks, and Popham is in the early stages of planning an American outpost.

Among Popham’s fans is David Neff, 40, a Brooklyn-based architect. After he and his brothers bought a weekend house in Quogue, N.Y., last fall, he put patterned cement tile at the top of his renovation wish list. “Popham Design has about 100 patterns and 100 colors, and it’s made to order, so you can assign any color to any pattern,” Mr. Neff said. “I spent days staying up until 4 or 5 a.m., playing with different patterns and color combinations on my computer.”

He also liked the tile’s texture. “There’s a trend away from glossy, shiny surfaces, and toward matte surfaces, and this fits right in,” he said. “It feels nice on the feet, and has a little more grip.”

Mr. Neff used eight patterns to cover the kitchen backsplash, a fireplace surround and the floors and accent walls in three full bathrooms and a half-bath, spending about $20 to $25 a square foot. “I could have done simple white subway tile for a fraction of that, but I did the math and figured I’d be spending an additional $12,000 that would really take the house to another level,” he said. “It’s one of the places I decided to splurge, to give the house more character.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/realestate/tile-gains-footing-all-over.html