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Walker Zanger Commemorates 10 Years of Artisan Tile Making in Mexico San Miguel de Allende first appeared on PRWeb.com
Los Angeles, December 28, 2019 - Just four hours North of
Mexico City in the beautiful highlands of San Miguel de Allende, artisans in
the Walker Zanger tile facility put the final glaze on an elongated hexagon
mosaic pattern in punchy peacock blue. Tilt, an eclectic collection of
stoneware mosaic patterns, is one of many handmade and hand-painted tile
collections to come out of the former Cerámica Antique facility, which was
acquired by Walker Zanger in 2009. Ten years later, the 120,000-square-foot
facility remains one of the world’s largest artisan ceramic tile manufacturing
sites and the largest employer in the area, attracting talented craftspeople
from all over the land.
San Miguel de Allende has long-standing traditions in tile
making, art and design, making it a rich resource for Walker Zanger’s most
creative tile endeavors. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic hill
town is home to charming cobblestone streets, brightly colored Spanish colonial
buildings and lively artisanal craft traditions that span from pottery and
paper-mache toys to the vibrant hand-painted tiles and glazes that have long
characterized traditional Mexican architecture. The postcard-worthy
surroundings and arts traditions continue to inspire the artisans who create
the exclusive tile collections for Walker Zanger. In the beautifully sculpted
ceramic borders and intricately pieced mosaic patterns, the spirit of San
Miguel thrives.
Because the San Miguel team creates handmade and
hand-painted tiles that are the product of advanced technology and
craftsmanship, the tiles are “authentic” in every sense of the word. The tiles
are carefully passed through each part of the process, and painted individually
by hand to create truly unique designs that deliver one-of-a-kind impact—with
no automation. Each craftsperson contributes his or her own unique skill to the
process where tiles are touched up by hand up to 30 times. It can take several
days depending on the size, method and complexity of the tile. During this
time, the tile is molded, cured, and reviewed several times until the product
reaches the company’s highest quality standard. As a result, some of Walker
Zanger’s most popular collections, including Studio Moderne by Michael Berman,
Vibe, Robert AM Stern and Pietta Donovan, have come out of the San Miguel
facility. Not all are crafted in the traditional Mexican style either. Studio
Moderne by Michael Berman, for example, continues to be the gold standard for
large format architectural tiles and fits easily into a range of design styles
from Art Deco to Palm Springs Modernism.
The San Miguel facility has allowed Walker Zanger to further
cement its place as the world’s pre-eminent design resource for authentic
handmade and hand-painted tiles. It has also afforded Walker Zanger “the
opportunity to ensure the viability of the long-term ceramic supply chain,
guarantee timely production and provide a facility where we can experiment with
future product collections,” said company president Jonathan Zanger in 2009,
and it still remains true in 2019. As Walker Zanger’s creative and cultural
center, it allows the company to continue to create products that redefine tile
design and artistry.
About Walker Zanger
Walker Zanger is the leading tile and stone design resource
in North America. For over 65 years, the company has helped design-trade
professionals and homeowners realize their boldest design visions with the most
unique, original and thought-provoking surface materials. Walker Zanger has
quickly become a go-to expert in the industry, and is often the first to
discover new materials, styles, innovations and specialty surface products.
Rooted in natural stone slab design, the company continues to push the
boundaries of possibility, including recent introductions of cutting-edge
materials like recycled glass slabs and thinner-than-stone porcelain slabs that
emulate natural marble veining. The company carries on the innovative spirit
with equal passion today in 13 curated showrooms and slab galleries, and 200
authorized dealers nationwide. Walker Zanger also presents exclusive
collections inspired and created by some of design’s most influential minds
today; Michael Berman, Robert A.M. Stern and Pietta Donovan have all lent their
aesthetic vision to the brand. Walker Zanger is more than a destination for the
world's finest stone and tile materials, it's where inspiration lives and
‘Design Realized’ endures. To learn more about Walker Zanger, please visit http://www.walkerzanger.com.
Media Contact:
MARIEL YOHE
DRS and Associates
Phone: +1 8189818210
Email:
DAVID SCHLOCKER
DRS and Associates
Phone: 8189818210
Email:
Website: https://www.walkerzanger.com/
