At Coverings 2018, fourteen beautiful doghouses tiled by TCNA members were on display in the TCNA Art Tile Courtyard. These one-of-a-kind works of art were installed over custom made Wedi Corp. doghouse forms donated by TCNA and Wedi Corp. After the show, the dog houses were donated to the Homeless Pets Foundation, a 501(c) (3) organization that saves the lives of homeless dogs and cats in Atlanta-area animal shelters and promotes the benefits of pet ownership.
"TCNA is excited to partner this year with the Homeless Pets Foundation to help them achieve their goal of rescuing homeless pets," said Eric Astrachan, TCNA executive director. "TCNA members' generosity, effort and dedication to this terrific cause is evident in each of the wonderfully crafted, unique masterpieces on display in the Art Tile Courtyard. The doghouses are a showcase of yet one more way tile can be used to make a home a work of art."
The following descriptions were provided by the companies/artisans who tiled the doghouses.
AlysEdwards Tile & Stone
AlysEdwards is waking up to smell the roses in its charming doghouse, featuring none other than pink tile in honor of celebrating 10 years in business. Any little diva pup would be Totally In Zinc with the mirrored interior and floral porcelain patterned floor. Sealed with AlysEdwards' famous kiss of approval, this doghouse will take you to another dimension, of tile that is! The doghouse was designed by Kevin Sanchez and tiled by the AlysEdwards Tile & Stone Sample Department.
American Wonder Porcelain
Reflecting the current black and white trend seen in multiple industries, American Wonder Porcelain presents A Vision in Black & White. Fun black and white mosaics, including black and white basket weave mosaic (front); black and white penny round mosaic (doorway); black and white 2 in. octagon mosaic and black and white 2 in. hexagon mosaic (sides); and black and white curve mosaic (back)black and white basket weave mosaic (front); black and white penny round mosaic (doorway); black and white 2 in. octagon mosaic and black and white 2 in. hexagon mosaic (sides); and black and white curve mosaic (back), were used on the body of the doghouse, and the roof featured American Wonder Porcelain's No. 12 series in 12x24 in. Super Black.
Casa Ceramica
Casa Ceramica's doghouse was designed and installed by its in-house design and installation team. The tiles and trim pieces from its Mediterranean Tile Collection were installed in a patchwork motif. Also included were tiles from its new tile collections: the Subway and Heritage Collection. The bones were made locally in Florida by the same artist who produces Casa Ceramica's custom tiles.
Crossville, Inc.
Crossville, Inc. turned to Banko Design of Marietta, Ga., for the design of this year's doghouse. The result is a canine abode that's both modern and classic in style. Black and white tiles from Crossville's Yin+Yang collection interplay on the roof to create a fun, zig-zag pattern. The juxtaposition of the traditional black and white palette combined in such a playful pattern speaks to the current trend of combining starkly contrasting colors to achieve unique tile designs. The natural stone look enveloping the walls of the doggy dwelling offers a timeless aesthetic that also appeals to contemporary sensibilities, creating a doggedly bold and beautiful approach to doghouse design.
Del Conca USA
Del Conca's doghouse features tile from its Calico collection, which emulates a wood design in colors of Sunset and Brown. A chimney was added to make the lucky dog who gets this house feel more at home.
Fiandre
Inspired by Fiandre's global brand sustainability vision, its doghouse design connects the beauty of nature with luxurious Italian porcelain-pet-friendly design and environmentally friendly materials. Any dog who loves the great outdoors will be enamored with Fiandre's doghouse creation tiled in the brown Eminent Wood Italian porcelain, a new collection inspired by the fossilization process of ancient wood. The Eminent Wood finish is described as incredibly vivid brushstrokes of color that stand out among the intense contrasting white background.
Florida Tile
In Florida Tile's home state of Kentucky, you'll find a trail of tobacco and horse barns with beautifully painted symbols and quilt patterns-a history dating back to the 1800s, symbolizing rooted heritage and a promise of good fortune. This year’s dog house is Florida Tile's salute to that traditional folk art heritage with tiles from the Restore THINNER in Tobacco Barn (walls); Aventis THINNER in Titanium (roof); LocalHDP in Bistro, Cafe, Lounge, Tavern (Barn quilt mosaic), and Time 2.0 THINNER in Snow (fence).
International Wholesale Tile
International Wholesale Tile thoroughly enjoyed working on this fun and exciting project spearheaded by the Tile Council of North America. To keep with the doghouse theme, Wholesale Tile decided to utilize its Bark series, a collection of recycled glass inkjet mosaics available in a myriad of colors and sizes. Installed on the outside walls is the Bark Bay Multi-linear 11.75x11.75 in. mosaic sheet. Mimicking roof tiles, the roof is portrayed in Bark Aspen 3x6 in. staggered 11.5x11.5 in. mosaic sheet. And, like any good house, you need a little bit of bling on the inside. For the doghouse's back wall, the company installed Glimmer, a blend of glitzy glass and metal available in one color in a random linear 11.75x11.625 in. mosaic sheet.
Ironrock
The theme of Ironrock's doghouse is The Little Brick Puppy Palace. Reminiscent of a classic brick home, Ironrock's Royal Thin Brick product was used to achieve this look. With the sturdy brick design, the lucky puppy who occupies this dog house will be safe from any amount of huffing and puffing that might come along. And he/she will feel right at home with an entrance complete with decorative tile dog bones. The roof made of Metropolitan Ceramics quarry tile will also keep the pup nice and dry. Designers included Ashley Miller, Ron Williamson, Mike Shoffner, and installation was also done by Mike Shoffner.
Lunada Bay Tile
Inspired by Adora, a fluffy, design-loving hound, Lunada Bay's modern doghouse is intended to provide Instagram-worthy style and shelter from the midday sun. The roof and side walls showcase the striking architectural shapes of Ka-nu Keel ceramic tile in Harbor Blue, which feature a lustrous, subtly pearlized glaze. The front and back walls are a combination of Ka-nu Buoy Mosaic in Sandbar, Harbor Blue, and Sea Kelp, and the house is trimmed in Ka-nu Plank 1-3/4x9-3/4 in. in Sea Kelp.
Marazzi
Marazzi's doghouse is playfully-themed to capture the vivacious and happy energy that dogs add to everyday life. Marazzi's Costa Clara tile in Blue Wave comprised the majority of the doghouse. This tile has a handcrafted, artisan look and texture that lends to Marazzi's fun-loving theme. The deep, rich blue and movement of Costa Clara's texture also took Marazzi in the direction of a coastal theme, so they selected a tile for the roof that added both a look and texture akin to the waves of the ocean.
The blue tile was paired with bright white grout to simulate the white piping that is typically part of any good nautical theme, bringing additional vibrance to the overall visual. As one last whimsical touch, Marazzi added the image of a dog bone right over the door of the house, so Fido knows this home is definitely for him! The doghouse was designed by Sarah Morales of Marazzi, and installed by Albert Pena of LAB Exhibits.
New Ravenna
New Ravenna's doghouse, Ruff Stuff, was designed by their creative director, Cean Irminger. The tile used is similar to its Hare Apparent pattern made of frolicking bunny rabbits. Ruff Stuff is comprised of Absolute White and Zircon Jewel glass. There is a dog print on the roof, and the base is made from bricks for a classic look with a luxurious twist. The bricks are 2x8 in. Absolute White with a 1 cm stripe trim in Zircon. The grout on the base is a blue gray to pop the look of the bricks, and the roof is grouted in white to accentuate the lines of the dogs.
Quemere Designs
The theme for Quemere Designs' doghouse is Country Living - Home Away from Home. The doghouse was designed by Quemere Designs' creative group and installed by their design team, featuring the following tile Palm in Myrtle Green Gloss (roof); Prism in Gris Gloss (walls), 4x4 in. Manhattan in Pinot Gloss (wall base); Pencil liner in Pinot Gloss, 1 in. quarter round in Pinot Gloss, and mini square mosaics in Myrtle Green Gloss (wall borders and liners).
StonePeak Ceramics
The design and installation of StonePeak's tiled doghouse at the TCNA Art Tile Courtyard was a group effort from its team of dog fanatics and features their bestselling mosaics. All tile used in the doghouse are from 2017's most popular new product collection, Classic 2.0. A mix of mosaics in Travertino Grigio color highlights the countless design possibilities available through StonePeak. The roof is composed of 9x15 in. Chelsea mosaic, and the side walls are 2x6 in. brick mosaics. The doghouse's front and back feature 12x12 in. basket weave mosaic.
"We are very pleased to have been chosen to receive these amazing doghouses," said Michael Good, Ph.D., founder of the Homeless Pets Foundation. "This partnership with TCNA and its members will help us raise funds to further our mission of saving pets' lives both through local adoptions and by transporting them with the Underhound Railroad to areas of the country where the adoption demand is higher. Thank you to TCNA and its members for their support.”
For more information, visit homelesspets.com or www.tcnatile.com.