Yes. I know. You have some Frequently Asked Questions!
All Mesa Bonita tiles are rescued, they come from Barcelona dumpsters, each tile is a piece of Spanish heritage that will grace your home, unique and made to order by local artisans with lots of love, dedication and… passion. Even the wrapping material is recycled.
I moved to Barcelona in 2001, a city I was totally in love with in terms of its Architecture. I kept finding tiles in the dumpsters, (way too pretty and durable to be there) which deeply saddened me. I eventually started collecting these beauties in order to give them a second life and make them functional. If I could not fix the problem I could be part of the solution.
Hydraulic or cement tiles are made of cement, marble powder mixed with pigments. They are called hydraulic because they are water based. Unlike ceramics they never were fired in a kiln and take 30 days to dry.
In the 19th century Barcelona became extremely wealthy because of the Industrial Revolution. Many rich industrials needed a home to be proud of and hired famous Architects such as Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech I Montaner, Josep Puig I Cadafalch and Enric Sagnier who used hydraulic tiles in their palaces through various time periods: Classicism, Japonism, Modernism. Styles, colors and designs kept changing and many factories were copying one another. High end factories such as Escofet would hire aforementioned Architects to design exquisitely crafted tiles that to this day are real pieces of Art. The pigments they used and the intricacy of the designs made them hard to copy. Prices were much steeper as well :)
Oh yes it is! Rescuing, restoring and giving them a second chance is time consuming but so much worthwhile. A little upcyling is needed in order to make you happy which is my greatest satisfaction.
Be assured that the tile you are acquiring is way over 100 years old. Hydraulic/cement tiles started being made in the late 1850’s and stopped being produced mainly around 1936 (Spanish Civil War).
Sustainability and preservation of world heritage are at key here given that these tiles can be up to 170 years old. I do not use any chemicals and avoid the use of machines as much as I can. I feel that after that long it is OK that your tile comes with character and should not look like it was made yesterday. I also try to not over promote myself on social medias, uploading continuous videos and such as we know it goes against what I am aiming at.
Yes, of course! We are located in Barcelona Sants, close to Plaça d’Espanya. An appointment has be made through via email or by phone.
Yes, I do. In the past, more and more people want to add a touch of authenticity with some rescued Barcelona Tiles when they are remodeling their home. Whether placed in or around the fireplace, as a backsplash in a kitchen, or as a separation between two rooms, these tiles will really bring some warmth and character to any given space.
I absolutely do, please contact me.
Yes I do, drop me an email and we can talk about how quickly your order will get to you.
All the pieces are made to order therefore the furniture can take up to 6-8 weeks. For smaller pieces like trivets and frames it is more like 2-3 weeks.
Yes, sure, please drop me an email.
All the furniture is made up to order. My website shows a small quantity of styles, designs and dimensions of what I can do. Drop me an email for your special request.
Chances are that it will be a different one but rest assure that I will give you the best looking one on the pile. Remember these tiles were hand made up to 170 years ago and were used as floors, it is a small miracle by itself that I am able to have them look that good.
Your tiles will stay protected by a coat of transparent pasty wax applied once in a while. If stained you can scrub the stain with the green scratchy sponge and cleaning powder. If stains persist you might wanna try to sand it, clean, let dry and apply wax.
As written above I really try to use as few chemicals as possible. Barcelona is a very humid city and perfect for oxidation. Winter months, though, are fairly dry which makes oxidation very irregular and not very nice looking. Therefore oxidized metal furniture are available March to October.
I actually was and it has been a long and lonely road. When I started, no information was on the internet and I had to assemble lots of intricate “puzzles” to become an authority on the history of the tiles, their designs, manufacturers… During all these years unfortunately the city has been uninterested in protecting this part of its heritage.
