clé notes

learn all about where and how to install authentic zellige tile, including tips for how choose the best grout for your zellige tile and your project.

some of the most common questions our design experts get aren’t actually about tile.

clé’s authentic handmade cotto from italy’s fornace brioni is as pure as terracotta gets, and walks the perfect line between ancient and modern, making it the ideal tile for installations with character and soul.

chicago designer elizabeth ashley has been a long time fan of clé and is particularly enamored with the character and handmade quality of the tiles offered. when the not-so-run-of-the-mill nature of clé’s tiles challenged her installers, elizabeth took it upon herself to do the research and legwork to ensure a perfect tile installation.

2020 was a big year for the small Italian terracotta tile maker Fornace Brioni. The company, located in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, which is noted for its rich clay deposits, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. This is the remarkable story of the Brioni family, founded by Giacomo Brioni who took over an 18th century brick business in 1920 that is now being run by the third generation of brothers, Alberto and Alessio, and is at the forefront of terracotta tile design.

once again, clé tile has been honored by interior design magazine.

We often find ourselves waxing lyrical about patina, that elusive element you feel long before you are conscious of what you are experiencing. It’s something you might not be able to articulate but that you feel on a visceral level, much like ‘umami’, the sixth taste.

interior designer jeremiah brent’s approach to design is very much california modern. although he and his husband, nate berkus, recently decamped from california back to new york, his relaxed california approach is still very much in play.

when anthony d'argenzio of zio & sons collaborated with clé on a line of zellige tiles, he was looking to create an updated, modern take on classic old-world patterns, while still honoring the tile’s long heritage.