Tile designer Erin Adams
One on One
Erin Adams
The tile designer pushes the limits with her latest collection and explains why tile is the new wallpaper.


Luna
AH&L: How did you choose glass as the medium for your work?
I got my masters at [New York’s] Pratt [School of Art & Design], and at the same time I created environments and did a lot of interior design. It was then that I found glass and realized it was really easy to work with, so it became my medium. Stained glass has great colors, it’s lightweight, you can cut it into any shape and form; it’s basically my paint. Often people say I’m a glass mosaic artist, but I’m not really. I’m a designer first, and glass just happens to be the medium I work with.

What sets you apart from other tile designers in the industry?
My role as a mosaicist is pushing glass beyond its traditional uses. The medium is so “customizable,” so my collection can be customized just as much. The client and the designer can choose any color they want, any shape and size. They have a real part in the process.

Each collection is more beautiful than the one before. How do you do it?
I think my products are successful because they’re all hand done. My team places each piece individually in its own cut. I’m very much about minimalist architecture and very clean lines, but there’s a lot of texture in my product and there’s a real handcraftsmanship that we want to keep. I also think there’s a grace about the product because it shows like art. Sometimes it’s hard to teach the team the difference between sloppy and organic. And my work cannot be sloppy, but there is a fluidity to it. In the end it has to be clean and sophisticated.

Tell me about your new tile line, Luna.
Luna is a collaboration with Pedro Hernandez of Alumillenium of Mexico, whom I met when I was in San Miguel. His product has this wonderful, handcrafted feel, similar to my own. Pedro’s father builds all of the electric transformers in Mexico, so he reuses aluminum from his father’s old transformers, which is then post-industrial waste. So I had the idea to have my glass inlaid into the aluminum. I love the idea of marrying new products together and pushing glass and aluminum where it hasn’t been before. And I’m really excited about the green aspect.

What kinds of trends are you seeing in the way people use tile?
I really view my tile as wallpaper, and wallpaper is so trendy right now; pattern is, too. I think homeowners are going bold with tile, so we’ve scaled up a lot of our designs. I also think people are becoming more familiar with mosaics and more comfortable with them. Tile should be used in so many places. There’s no rule that says tile has to be limited to the bathroom and kitchen.

What’s next for you?
A concrete line called the Gilmore Collection will be out this spring. We’ve inlaid glass into concrete, and it almost has a Terrazzo feel. I’m using all recycled glass, because in my factory we have so much scrap glass. It’s blended right into the concrete. There are bowls, tables, and countertops in the collection. It’s so subtle, a beautiful marriage of materials.  

Erin Adams’ tiles are available locally through Ann Sacks, (404) 264-0255, annsacks.com. Visit erinadamsdesign.com for more information.