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Shopping for Antique Tiles

May 5, 2016 by ashleyt 7 Comments

cement tiles provence

Antique Cement Tiles

Robin wanted to stick to the traditional non-baked cement tile. They add a lot of local character. Check out my Instagram for a couple photos of local cement time floors. These tiles are well known in Portugal, but have been used all over Europe. In Provence, they are quite popular and if you’re not used to them you may think they are a bit too “busy.” Finding these beautiful tiles is not difficult here in Provence. However, to make our lives more difficult, we wanted the antique tiles rather than the reproduced versions. This is our search for the patterned bathroom tile…

tomettes provence

A larger version of Tomettes, which are the traditional terra cotta floor tile here in Provence.

Sourcing the Tiles

Going to the Materiaux Anciens warehouse in Tarascon was slightly torturous because there are too many beautiful original specimens. Unfortunately, our budget didn’t allow for any of them. I was intrigued to find a lot of the shipping labels were for the States and England.

tuiles anciens

terra cotta roof tiles

Terra cotta roof tiles that have been weathered to gorgeous perfection.

As we were on the lookout for the real thing, we searched in my brocantes/vide greniers for brocanteurs selling recuperated vintage materials. Michel had these tiles that I wouldn’t normally have considered but we found them to be quite beautiful- and certainly full of character.

carreaux anciens

Troubleshooting

The problem was that he didn’t have quite enough. We tried adding another type of tile around the edge of the pattern, but I think it would have just been too much in a small bathroom. The French often suggest to use a pattern in the middle of the floor and then surround it with a plain tile (like a carpet I suppose). Personally, I’m not wild about the idea. I think that would only work in a large room.

antique tiles

These antique tiles are 3 euros a tile. Reproductions are only a little less but lack that beautiful weathered condition. We even considered using these terra cotta interchanging tiles in our bathroom.

mossy tiles

A little too weathered?

The Final Decision

Our problem with the cement tiles was agreeing on a pattern (and colour!) we both liked. Robin likes the more geometric patterns and I like the more organic. We spent hours searching the web, looking at random piles of tiles in people’s garages and in the end, will you believe it, we bought these at our local DIY store. The pattern was discontinued and there was only one box left on the shelf. I snarled at anyone looking at that box while Robin ran to get the cart.

carreaux de ciment

These are a smaller 15x15cm rather than the more common 20x20cm. Which pattern is your favourite?

We decided to go for the plain tile in the shower for a little contrast. This photo isn’t great but you get the idea!
showerfloor2

See also:

Shopping for Vintage Doors

Finding a Stone Sink

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Filed Under: Sourcing Reno Materials Tagged With: antique tiles, carreaux ciment, cement tiles, decorating, DIY, DIY Renovation, european tiles, french style, materiaux ancien, provence renovation, renovation, terra cotta tiles, unbaked tiles, vintage tiles

« Spiced Version of Daube Provençal
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Comments

  1. Barbara Tomlinson says

    May 5, 2016 at 4:57 pm

    I adore your choices. The plain in the shower really allows the others to shine! Great job! How much more is there to do? I can’t wait for finished pictures! So proud of you two!!!

    Reply
  2. Shelley says

    May 5, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    Love the colour & pattern…a very soft organic effect. So anxious to see more.

    Reply
    • ashleyt says

      May 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      I wasn’t sure at first but Robin convinced me. More coming soon!

      Reply
  3. Susan Morris says

    May 5, 2016 at 11:33 pm

    The tiles are exquisite, I would never be able to make a choice. Looking forward to more pictures.

    Reply
    • ashleyt says

      May 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      Robin tells me I’ll have a finished kitchen in 1 month…fingers crossed! It’s hard to take photos at the moment as we’re living amongst all our stuff! Not very pretty I must say.

      Reply
  4. Lynn Tinker Toye says

    May 6, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Tiles are beautiful. Hard to know which I like better.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Day Out in Provence: Carpentras + Mt Ventoux - Curious Provence says:
    January 5, 2018 at 9:01 am

    […] The stallholders have more time to explain where they’ve acquired that rusty lamp you covet or even what specific residence those beaten-up tiles came from. We contemplated the tiles below for our bathroom floor. See more about our search for antique tiles. […]

    Reply

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