Juju Papers is a wallpaper studio located in the beautiful city of Portland. Since 2010 Avery Thatcher, founder of the studio in Oregon, has tried to bring a fresh, not over-wrought or over-thought, gesture to the room. Now she tries to reach this intent with a new material: cement tile.
Fruit Salad – handmade tile series, in kaleidoscopic colour, calls for a serendipitous installation method. Thatcher, who had experience in installing tile prior to making her name as a wallpaper designer, wanted to bring the complexity and ornamentation of a handmade mosaic into a room without requiring a complicated installation. Tile installers accustomed to natural stone will recognize her installation technique, which entails selecting and spontaneously rotating each tile’s placement in turn.
Tile contours traditionally tend to be symmetrical. I wanted to flip the script and create a design that felt more experimental,’ Thatcher notes. ‘The impromptu installation results in a truly random, scattered, colourful pattern; the warmth of a Persian rug combined with the pigment richness and vibrancy of a Morris Lewis painting.
Made by hand, one at a time in Mexico, the 8”diameter hexagonally-shaped cement tiles sport a billowy, five-colour wave motif. Two colourways – one with white center, one with black – include such sumptuous hues as lilac, persimmon, ocre, blush and military blue. Colours may be customized. A low-energy, no-fire process creates a deliciously washy matt finish.
