Riverstone Tile

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

Tile floors are very popular for choice for flooring because of their ease of installation, cost, and durability. Riverstone Tile offers a wide range of tile flooring that will

fit the bill for any flooring project you might have at home or at the office.

Tile is most popular in bathrooms and kitchens because of the way it can handle moisture. You have to think twice about installing wood flooring in a bathroom, but tile can handle the job. It is a higher-end look over most vinyl flooring, and it can be used in medium to high-traffic areas without worrying about wear. You can also use comple

menting Riverstone tile on counters, as backsplashes, and as accents. The use of tile really only ends at your imagination.

Ceramic or porcelain tile is installed by applying a thinset to a subfloor. Pretty much any subfloor will suffice with tile because of the way it is adhered to the floor. But you do have to make sure the original floor is flat, clean, and dry. Follow the installation guidelines provided with your product to know the tips and tricks and proper underlayment for an easy installation.


Riverstone gives the Italian stone suppliers a run for their money because of the quality and accessibility of its products. What makes Riverstone such a beautiful choice is its design is the use of varying colors and textures and the “veining” makes for a realistic, rugged charm that merges nature and home in a seamless combination.

Riverstone tiles come in seven basic colors — warm, neutral tones that will complement any space beautifully. The size variations also makes Riverstone unique. It comes as mosaic tiles (that are smaller pieces of stone arranged and glued to a mesh backing that makes installation much faster and easier), standard 13″ x 13″, as well as 20″ x 20″, 6.5″ x 13″, and 6.5″ x 6.5″ sizes to fit any nook and cranny.

So take a look at Riverstone when you’re ready to start planning your new look. There’s sure to be a natural stone look that will be the perfect choice for your perfect space.

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Raffi Glass Tile

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Catalfamo Gallery

Glass tile can bring a vibrant, dazzling look to any space. It comes in a huge variety of styles, colors, and textures. Raffi Glass is a premier manufacturer of glass tiling and would be a great place to start searching for your perfect look.

Glass tiles are basically installed in a similar way to ceramic or porcelain tiles, but because of their delicate nature and cutting requirements, it’s probably better to leave any major glass tile job to experts. They are “glued” to the backerboard with either mastic or thinset mortar and grouted. (Make certain you select the proper underlayment for the specific area in which you are installing the tiles. Moisture can kill a nice installation from the get-go.)

Raffi glass tiles come in individual tiles or small tiles attached to a mesh backing. The mesh squares make installation much faster — no having to place hundreds of individual tiny tiles, but you can install in groups that can be size of standard tile. You can install glass to accent a pattern of ceramic tile floors for a unique, exciting look — there are floor-grade glass tiles, and you can do a whole floor in glass, but for the floor, glass is often an accent, and wow, can it make a statement! You can mix and match the different colors and styles to come up with a look that’s all you.

Care and maintenance is not as easy as that for ceramic tiles or vinyl, but you can decide if the look you want is worth it. Glass shows fingerprints and smudges more readily than other flooring alternatives (think about how many times you have to clean your glasses to keep them shiny and reflective), and you should try not to allow people to walk on it with bare feet. But for counters and walls that don’t see much contact, glass can be a gorgeous addition to your décor. Glass reflects light like no other product, so your rooms seem larger and brighter.

Do some additional research on glass if you’re thinking of installing it as flooring, but if you do, be sure and take a look at Raffi for your materials. The beauty and uniqueness of their designs will surely win you over!

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Bizassa Mosaico Glass Tile

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Catalfamo Gallery

Bizassa is an Italian glass tile designer. Their elegant galleries include a vast array of modern mosaics, from eight-foot tiled tattoos to elegant showroom floors sculpted in multi-colored glass aggregate.

From Bizassa’s perspective, glass tile can and should adorn any application, whether walls or floors, in shops and homes and galleries. The patterns that Bizassa achieves in these locations is nothing short of artistic. Detailed patterns of flowers cover a living room, while white jolly roger icons on a blue tile background decorate a child’s room. The company seems particularly proud of its extremely bold shapes and patterns, like the black and white bubbles and stripes designed for formal living spaces or offices for work.

Their Metron Collection of glass aggregate seems to be the most subtle, with mostly solid colors, while the Decorations and Codex/Logos Collections in the Glass Tiles section are quite bold, with a striking array of bright patterns in high contrast and high gloss.

The Home Section of Bizassa’s online gallery encompasses quite a large number of decorative items, including tables, chairs, and accent pieces. There is an entire set of organically shaped coffee tables, of course covered in glass tile, but done in whimsical and fantastic colors. Also available are lamps, chandeliers, and even the bust of Antonio Canova to set off the room. (And, really, who hasn’t wanted one of those?)

Folding screens and room-separating panels are also for sale from Bizassa, adorned in the same style of exquisite mosaic tile patterning. The most striking thing about this selection of panels is the beautiful figures that are represented in the mosaic art work. There are classic poses of Adonis and Venus, the Cupid, and Vestale. Also available to grace your walls are the likenesses of Napoleon Bonaparte, Paride, and Endimione.

Bizassa does it all. Walls, floors, decorations, lamps and chandeliers, home furnishings, and corporate installations. But they don’t use wood and paint, they use glass tile. And above all of the other things, they concentrate on mosaic artistry that is truly inspiring. From a perfectly represented portrait of Cupid or Napoleon to the tiniest starry night pattern for a guest bedroom, Bizassa tile has you covered. In gorgeous European glass tile.

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Parquet In Flooring

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Catalfamo Gallery

Parquet In from Italy makes flooring products that are simply stunning. Concentrating mostly on an unusual combination of parquet woods and ceramic tiles, Parquet In has come up with extravagant flooring patterns that are both unique and elegant.

While their ultra chic website lulls you with dark and soothing jazz music, you’ll soon find that the flooring collections the company has designed are as exciting as anything you’ve seen.

The New Mosaics Collection keep things fairly simple and encompasses three distinct styles, known as Glitter Glam, Glamour, and Stylish Ways. And the name of the collection describes it well: most of the patterns are made up of small rectangles of dark-stained, highly polished wengé wood, inlaid in the center with gold ceramic tile. This flooring style really does look like a modern mosaic.

Next is the Old Chic Collection, which is based on a mid-century, classic flooring style that is coming back for a resurgence. The Old Chic Collection is comprised of larger patterns with more intricate angles and lighter hues than the New Mosaics Collection. In this collection, there are twelve separate styles, with names like Versailles, Izolde, and Tavole.

The third collection in the Parquet In gallery is called The Elegant Collection. This collection is made up of fourteen separate flooring patterns graced with womens’ names like Daisy, Tiffany, Catherine and Chloé, each of which features a fascinating and beautiful mingling of wood and marble. Some of the patterns are quite subtle, while some are much more courageous. The combination of exotic and classic woods and fairly large squares of exquisite marble in unusual colors make for a captivating gallery of flooring options.

The company is dedicated to reviving antique Italian culture in its flooring collection, though they like the idea of drawing from as well as appealing to many world cultures. Parquet In stresses that its floors represent and promote harmony in materials chosen, and in the versatility of the floor styles to mingle well with any décor.

Parquet In is for the discerning customer who wants to bring home a modern classic style that is reminiscent of the pre-modern era.

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DuChateau Hardwood Floors

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Catalfamo Gallery

In a time when new flooring products are being developed at a great rate, engineered and artificial laminates are at the height of popularity, and technology seems to be king, there are some flooring designers that are pushing the industry forward by looking into the past. Even the deep, dark past of the Medieval Era. DuChateau Flooring Company, in particular, is unearthing those ancient traditions to create some very unique flooring styles.

DuChateau has positioned itself as a flooring company that merges the modern with the rustic, an alchemy of design that produces elegant and unusual results. There are eight distinct lines of flooring styles available from DuChateau, with names like Palais, Atelier, Vernal, and Terra. Perusing the styles and color choices on their website, reveals everything from striking and precise parquets in fine inlaid patterns, to distressed, knotty offerings, to smooth, sleek, modern planks. DuChateau seems to like to exploit the boldness of the natural grains and colors of the wood, and also isn’t afraid to use bold colors in the staining of their products.

Eco-friendly production of solid wood products is at the top of the core values list at DuChateau. The company describes itself, as many do, as an organization committed to utilizing renewable forestry techniques. And DuChateau says that they make every effort to create the highest quality flooring available, and provide excellent customer care in the process. Many others are saying that as well.

But DuChateau doesn’t stop their environmentally responsible focus at the tree-line. In creating a product line that attempts to re-create the vintage styles of ancient Europe, they’re using ancient, time-tested methods to finish their products. And it so happens that those methods include natural vegetable oils and hardened wax to create a stunning top-coat on their floors – oils and wax that are all-natural, non-pollutant, non-toxic, and include absolutely no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). It appears that the history books have divulged a few environmentally friendly secrets that everyone can live with.

DuChateau Floors of Holland is a company that has created a unique style of flooring products, blending the modern and the rustic for a truly elegant product line. In the process, they have found an ancient way of developing beautiful wood products that perfectly suits the modern age.

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