~Outdoor Showers, Beauty & Utility~

These outdoor showers are a beautiful way to dress up a garden wall, swimming pool area or side-yard. Aside from their obvious function of showering off sand & salt or chlorine, so as to not track it through the house  we make sure to include a low faucet for filling buckets or attaching a hose.

This "Bougainvillea & Hummingbird Mosaic" is one of my favorite beach showers. This is the fifth rendition of my design. They all come out a little differently. I have a lot of fun designing the planters as a collage of talavera tiles, drawing the twisted trunks and the vibrant mixtures of flowers & leaves. The hummingbird wings are detailed in ribbed tiles called 'astriados'. We have such a wonderful rainbow array to work with...it's as if I have a crayon box full of shine & texture!

The Art of Handmade Mexican Tile

Thinking of adding on, or remodeling? Or maybe you just want to spruce the place up a little? Then think about tile.
Made from the very “Stuff of Life”...Earth, Air, Fire & Water...the tale of handmade Mexican tile is one of evolution. No longer just colorful, simple designs on 10cm clay squares...the industry has been improving and innovating. Sizes now range from 5cm to 30cm, with many new designs coming out all the time. Indeed, handmade Mexican tile is no longer confined to just being square. Round, picket, rhomboid, beveled, arabesque, fish-scale, free-form...the list is endless. This wide variety of shapes available adds yet another dimension of interest to your tile installations.
The range of colors available now is incredible. Our tilemaker in Saltillo has over 13 shades of green alone. Colibri Design is currently working on a series of higher end tiles for them based on 16th century European motifs, in subtle earth colors that appeal to the current North American palate. All of the tilemakers we represent will do custom work, right down to specified colors. And all these wonderful new colors make it possible to create quite realistic works of art in tile mosaic.
Textures have also changed and been improved upon...with new metallics, crackle finishes, three dimensional glazes, reliefs and even sculptural patterns that create their own environment. Don’t forget the glass tiles and figures in molded glass. These fabulous finishes offer diverse options for accenting stone and marble. Stone tiles and slabs make an elegant base for tiled edge treatments backsplashes to add the personal touch.
The variety of quality tile is another improvement. Durabilities range from basic quality that can be used for kitchen splashes, to high quality clays, glazes, and higher firing temperatures that produce tiles for use in fountains. Even with direct exposure to our wonderful rains they will remain undamaged. There are many new and beautiful tiles in the high-fired category. Using the right tile for the job will ensure that your tilework will stay beautful indefinitely.
Mexican handmade tile has come a very long way in the decades we have been using it. The economic downturn has made the marketplace more competitive than ever. Innovation is the key. The possibilities in handmade Mexican tile are endless, with something for every taste and budget. 

~WEB-SITE ACTIVE~~PAGINA WEB ARRANCADA~

With our new web-site launched, we'll hopefully be a lot more visible on the internet. We look forward to creating some truly wonderful art for our neighbors in their homes & gardens. We're here all summer, so we'll be looking after all those projects you don't want to breathe the dust of during your time here in paradise. There's lots to explore on the new site, so get on over there...after you're done here, of course!

Find us here    http://www.ColibriDesignVallarta.com

Please also, check out our friends at PV Mirror on-line.  http://www.pvmirror.wordpress.com

You'll find fresh content from many interesting sources...including our own, if we may be so bold.

                                                     Now you'll know what to look for....

~NEW WEB-SITE FOR US~~WEB-SITE NUEVO PARA NOSOTROS~

We are working busily with our web designers at Griffin Graffix. We have a temporary page up now that shows a photo montage of some of our work. We're also getting new signs for the shop!!!!

I'm SOOOO excited!!!!!

www.ColibriDesignVallarta.com
E-mail: sales@colibridesignvallarta.com

~FRIDA & DIEGO VISITANOS~~FRIDA & DIEGO VISIT US~

Imagine our surprise to receive such distinguished visitors to our newly inaugurated "The Art of Tile at Galeria Colibri"

Diego was a little over-heated after his stroll on the malecon in our humid September weather. As a remedy, we offered them a Cerveza Victoria, which they quaffed with gusto and chased down with a shot of Mezcal El Cortijo.

We always have refreshments on hand for our visitors to enjoy with us. So come over & have a splash while checking out our vast array of tiles from all over Mexico!

                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imaginense nuestro sorpresa en recibiendo tan distinguidos visitantes a nuestro nuevamente colocado "El Arte de los Azulejos en Galeria Colibri"

Diego fue un poco calentado despues de su paseo en el malecon con nuestro temporada de humidez de Septiembre.  Para poner remedio, ofrecimos a ellos una Cerveza Victoria, las quales les consumiron con mucho gusto, luego corriendo las con un trago de Mezcal El Cortijo.

Siempre, tenemos bastante refrescos para disfrutar con nuestros visitantes. Asi pues, ven a la galeria y disfruten con nosotros mientras vistando nuestro gran surtido de azulejos desde todas partes de Mexico!

               ~Por favor, disculpame si mi traduccion suena un poco deslumbrado, estoy aprendiendo.~

~ENTRY NICHE~~NICHO de la ENTRADA~

Another example of how we can create a special space out of an unused corner. This is the entry to "Casa la Piña" in Puerto Peñasco, Soñora. The tiles are from Saltillo and Guanajuato. The cantera stone is from Durango. The carved wormwood door is from Michoacan.

               ~~~

Un otro ejemplo de como podemos crear un espacio especial de una esquina des usada. Esta es la entrada de "Casa La Piña" en Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. Los azulejos sone de Saltillo y Guanajuato. La piedra cantera es de Durango. La puerta es grabado a mano de pino apolillado de Michoacan.

~PEDESTAL BED~~CAMA PEDESTAL~

 No danger of dust bunnies or the dreaded 'squeekiness' when the mattress sits firmly on a concrete pedestal with integrated side tables.

~BATH SUITE with BIRDS & FLOWERS~~BAñO INTEGRADO con PAJAROS & FLORES~

Oh, this is one of my very favorites! It's from "Casa La Piña" in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

Here I've combined 2 sizes of tumbled red travertine with talavera tiles from 3 different makers. Oiled Saltillo pavers make the traditional flooring.

The pedestal bed uses these elements as well, creating an ambiance for the suite.
               ~~~
¡Oh, esta es uno de mis mas favoritos! Es de "Casa La Piña" en Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

Aqui he combinado 2 tamaños de travertine rojo tomboleado, con azulejos talavera desde 3 talleres differentes. Loseta saltillo acabado con aceite compone el piso tradicional.

La cama pedestal utilize tambien estos elementos, para crear un ambiente en el suite.

~MODERN ART BATH VANITY~~CUBIERTA del BAñO ARTE MODERNA~

                   Notice the mirror reflected. It's a mirror I had made for sale in the gallery. Jeannie saw it and, well...it was perfect!

~MODERN ART SHOWER FLOOR~~PISO de la REGADERA ARTE MODERNA~

     
    More of those wonderful astriados. My camera grabs the reds overly much...ho, hum...can't get it to unsaturate the red. It's quite red in reality, but not so overpowering as it appears here.

    This house was one of the most FUN ever for us, because it was a remodel for a couple of very dear friends.

~MODERN ART SHOWER~~REGADERA ARTE MODERNA~

~SUNNY SHOWER~~REGADERA SOLEADA~

This is one of my favorite combos. I've done many a variation on this theme. There are so many great co-ordinates. The main deco band has a companion tile that I've cut into triangles, chained together to make the smaller bands. The little flower dots are also included in this line, as of course, the sink.

The field and trim are from Saltillo. This line has some awesome colors in a wide variety of shades.

The floor of the shower is done in ribbed tiles ('astriados', in Spanish) for a special foot massage.

~REGADERA BUGAMBILLA~~BUGANVILIA SHOWER~

Here is one of my favorite beach showers. This is the third rendition of my design. They all come out a little different.

The planter & deco band is made of talavera tiles,with cut and shaped saltillo pavers.  The leaves, flowers & birds, are cut from brightly glazed saltillo made tile, the trunk from a very special saltillo tile that mimics sand.

My guys did 3 of these over the last decade of building in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. I didn't have time to wait for the cut-in paint when I shot this...oh well.

~LA TAREA SABROSA~~THE TASTY TASK~

~LA TAREA COCHINERA~~THE MESSY TASK~

                                           

~SERIE DE VIñEROS~~WINEMAKER SERIES~

We have 2 sets of this 6 piece series available. Here are the first 2 "chapters" of the story. Made in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, they are reminiscent of antique French country style ceramics. I love using these in kitchen & bar back-splashes. They combine well with a mixture of talavera 4"x4" that use the same colors.
On to the next 4......

~ANGEL EN SU NICHO~~ANGEL IN HIS NICHE~

We created this special niche for an angel we bought in Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Using a small corner is an easy way to create these very special places.  They won't obstruct traffic while adding a peaceful note to your environment.

This one uses a patterned, textured Saltillo terra-cotta tile for the base. Hnad-cut and modeled cantera and travertine stone accents as well as talavera tile and glass droplet tiles. All of it from our beloved MEXICO!!!

Just a few weeks away from taking new pics for clearer images. I've been trying to hold off, but since I've been getting page views and returning viewers, so not wishing to dissapoint, I dared another. Thanks for looking!

~THE BEGINNING~~EL PRINCIPIO~

My beloved original tile sign, still in Sonora. Hand cut using tile from Saltillo & Tecate, a labor of love and our symbol for over a decade. We'll be bringing it back with us this Summer. It will be gracing the back wall of our new "Tile Annex" to Galeria Colibri.

We're pretty excited about our new, actually, re-newed enterprise. Another mission of the Sonora trip is to take better pictures of the many homes and tile projects we have built during our time in Puerto Peñasco. Better quality images to be showcased online.

That's it for now...stay tuned!