About unalun™ tile

Sensuous and curvilinear, unalun tiles are handmade, sgraffito-carved, high-fired porcelain wall art tiles that get their name from their undulating quality.

Unalun tiles are decorative tiles, carved in lush themes, including botanical, figurative and seaform, and finished with twenty-eight glazes.

Unalun tile is a revolution in wall art. Unalun tiles transform the two dimensional surface into a three dimensional wall sculpture that plays with light and suggests the softness of tapestry, quilt or carpet.

We offer a unique opportunity to take part in the design of your own one-of-a-kind piece of wall art. Work with us to customize your design ideas. We can offer drawings and color consultation and tile samples for you to see and touch.

Unalun tiles are made by draping 12″ or 14″ squares of clay over simple shapes to create undulation in each tile. Tiles are then carved using the ancient Italian technique of “sgraffito.” When laid next to each other, carved tiles form contiguous or abstract designs of any size tile mural. The high-fired, durable, sun and weather resistant tile can be grouted into a permanent installation or hung as a tile mural. The modular format of the tiles can be adapted to suit architectural niches, angles, large or small spaces, curved walls, and indoor or outdoor applications.

This extraordinarily creative product from the designers at Natalie Blake Studios, has delighted and inspired residential and corporate interior designers, corporate and public facility art buyers, architectural firms and private home owners. Clients appreciate the uniqueness and and adaptability of our approach to an ancient, yet contemporary art form.

In May 2009, Ann Sacks Tile & Stone launched its Blake Studios line of tiles, designed and produced by Natalie Blake Studios. The three organic designs, Nautilus, Botanical and Dahlia were created exclusively for Ann Sacks.

Here’s what interior designers are saying about unalun tile:

Dahlia, 2009

“Brattleboro, Vermont-based artist Natalie Blake makes tile unlike any other I’ve seen. Her work is beautiful and evocative at the same time. The soothing, sinuous shapes and textures of her wall-hung mosaics draw attention to themselves without shouting. The stories they tell are purposefully incomplete. Her work requires an observer to fill in the blanks and connect the dots. It’s observational, conversational, participational art. Brilliant, beautiful work; all of it.”

– Kitchen and Residential Design blog.

handmade ceramic wall art tile “My mind immediately started racing with possibilities when I first saw these ceramic wall tiles. I think you can tell by looking at these that each is carefully crafted by hand, the intricate raised wood cut look is just amazing. I can’t decide whether I like the firey passion of Dahlia, or the mysterious organic feel of Nautilus more – I suppose it would really depend on where it was going. But these are so gorgeous I’d consider designing a whole room around them.

You’d probably think these were molded and then detailed, but not so. Each is crafted using the age-old Italian technique of Sgraffato, or “scratching”.

The designs can be applied vertically or horizontally to create dramatic, show-stopping murals, with an individual beauty that is also striking as a backsplash or fireplace surround.”

– Bloomacious.org