Inside the Workshop: The Making of Our Organic Handmade Terracotta Tiles

Frida Luo

4 minutes ago

5 min read

There is a long process behind the finished surface of a handmade terracotta tile.

For our Organic Semi-Matte Terracotta Tiles, it begins with the clay itself. The raw materials are carefully selected, screened, blended and mixed before each tile is formed individually by hand. The freshly formed tiles are then left to dry naturally, followed by their first firing. After that, the surface finish is applied by hand and the tiles return to the kiln for a second firing.

From preparing the clay and hand-forming the body to drying, firing and finishing, much of the character of the finished tile is shaped long before we see its final color.

The video below follows this process from beginning to end. Here, we would also like to share some of the details behind what you see — particularly how we developed the tile body itself, and why certain seemingly simple parts of the process matter to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVysp68oqmU

It Starts with the Tile Body

Our Artisanal Glazed Terracotta Tiles, Organic Semi-Matte Terracotta Tiles and Rustic Oxidized Terracotta Tiles offer a wide range of colors, finishes and surface textures. Visually, the collections can be quite different from one another, but the making of the underlying terracotta body follows essentially the same process.

One of the challenges with traditionally handmade terracotta is finding the right balance between character and density.

A very loose or porous clay body can have a beautiful handmade appearance, but it may also be softer and more absorbent than we would like, which can limit where and how the finished tile is used. At the same time, making the body too dense or uniform can take away some of the natural surface movement and tactile quality that make handmade terracotta interesting in the first place.

We wanted to retain both.

For this reason, our tile body is made from a blend of several different clay materials rather than a single clay. We experimented with a number of formulations and proportions, adjusting the mixture through several rounds of development before arriving at the composition we use today.

The aim was not to make a handmade tile behave or look like an industrially pressed tile. Instead, we wanted to create a more solid and durable body while preserving the subtle irregularities, texture and individual marks that come naturally from working by hand.

Formed by Hand

Once the clay has been prepared, the tiles are shaped and pressed individually by hand.

Even the wooden molds used for forming the tiles are handmade.

We chose wood deliberately. Compared with a rigid industrial mold, wood has a softer quality when working with the clay. It allows the edges and corners to remain gently defined rather than excessively sharp or mechanically precise.

The result is not intended to be perfectly identical from one piece to another. Small differences in the edges, surface movement and impressions left during forming are part of the process. These details may appear quiet when looking at a single tile, but once many pieces are installed together, they create the subtle rhythm and variation that distinguish a genuinely handmade surface from a mechanically uniform one.

Working with Glaze and Color

After drying and the first firing, we move on to one of our favorite parts of the process: glaze and color.

Over the years, we have built an extensive glaze library in our workshop, and it continues to grow as we develop new colors, finishes and combinations. Our glaze masters have spent years working with ceramic materials and firing processes, but experience is only part of what matters here. A good glaze also requires a strong sensitivity to color, understanding how a slight adjustment in composition, application or firing can completely change the character of the finished surface.

This gives us a great deal of freedom when developing new colors. Alongside our existing glaze library, we also support custom glaze development for individual projects.

Sometimes a client comes to us with a physical material sample, a color reference or a particular atmosphere they are trying to achieve. Sometimes the request is much harder to describe. Either way, we enjoy the challenge.

If you have an unusual color in mind, bring it to us. We are always curious to see what our glaze masters can do with it.

The Organic Semi-Matte Surface

For this particular collection, we were looking for a surface somewhere between glossy and matte.

The result is a distinctive low-sheen finish. It catches light in small, changing highlights without becoming highly reflective or visually dominant. From different angles and under different lighting conditions, the surface responds quietly to its surroundings.

This balance is important to us. We wanted the tiles to have enough sheen to bring out the depth of the glaze and the movement of the handmade surface, while remaining understated enough to sit comfortably within an interior rather than compete with it.

The collection includes both quiet, low-saturation shades and brighter, more expressive colors. Softer tones can create calm, continuous surfaces, while stronger colors can be introduced as accents or freely combined into more playful compositions.

Variation Is Part of the Surface

Color on a handmade terracotta tile is never completely static.

Because every clay body is formed by hand, its surface is not perfectly flat or mechanically uniform. When the finish is applied, these subtle differences affect how the glaze settles across the surface. In some areas it may appear slightly deeper; in others, lighter or more translucent.

The firing itself introduces another layer of variation. Heat, glaze composition, clay body and their chemical reactions inside the kiln all contribute to the final color.

This means that even tiles finished with the same glaze will not look exactly identical.

We do not try to eliminate these differences. They are part of the material.

Across an installation, the color moves gently from tile to tile rather than appearing as a single flat, uniform tone. Together with the low sheen and subtle movement of the handmade surface, this gives the material a softer, more natural sense of depth, a surface that changes slightly with light, angle and distance.

The variations are not dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. They are simply the natural result of clay, glaze, fire and handwork coming together.

Suitable for both walls and floors, the collection can be used in kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces, as well as restaurants, cafés, boutique hotels, retail interiors and other commercial settings.