~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. 

~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

~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.

~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.

~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!