Double Take: Is That a Little Blue Crab Crawling up the Fireplace?
Handmade local accent tiles bring sea critter personality to this coastal Cape Cod living room
A pebble fireplace surround in beach colors brings coastal style to any room. But this cottage on Cape Cod has even more going on beneath the mantel. Handmade starfish, turtles, scallops, sand dollars, fish and crabs float across the textured surface, adding color and carrying a coastal theme across the fireplace.
This living room in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, has a calm coastal palette — breezy whites, sandy off-whites and dollops of ocean blue. On the fireplace, tiny beachy accents crawl across the hearth and up the surround.
Patriot Builders’ tile installer created the fireplace design using Island Stone’s 12-by-12-inch pebble tiles inset with custom stoneware accent creatures by Lee Meehan of C Shore Designs.
The pebble tiles are composed of natural stones glued to a mesh backing. To create the custom look, individual pebbles were popped out from the mesh to create spots for the critters. A layer of thinset mortar was applied to the backs of the pebble tiles, which were pressed against the surface. The critters were then mortared into the openings. “You can simply pop out a pebble and pop in a critter,” Meehan says. After the mortar dried, the pebbles and accent pieces were grouted for the finished look.
She says the look is also popular on backsplashes, tub surrounds, showers and even stair risers. She has been supplying the stoneware accents for a lot of outdoor kitchens lately, and she sends more blue crabs to Maryland than anywhere else. She often works with Patriot Builders, who used her glass mosaic wave tiles in a bathroom in the same house.
To create a layout, Meehan meets with clients in her tile shop, and helps them decide where the critters (or other stoneware accents) will go. She then takes a photo of the layout in the store and passes it along to the tile installer. For long-distance orders, she ships the pebble tiles and critters along with the photos of how they should be laid out.
Pebble tile: French Tan, Island Stone; stoneware accent creatures: C Shore Designs, via Cape Cod Tileworks
The pebble tiles are composed of natural stones glued to a mesh backing. To create the custom look, individual pebbles were popped out from the mesh to create spots for the critters. A layer of thinset mortar was applied to the backs of the pebble tiles, which were pressed against the surface. The critters were then mortared into the openings. “You can simply pop out a pebble and pop in a critter,” Meehan says. After the mortar dried, the pebbles and accent pieces were grouted for the finished look.
She says the look is also popular on backsplashes, tub surrounds, showers and even stair risers. She has been supplying the stoneware accents for a lot of outdoor kitchens lately, and she sends more blue crabs to Maryland than anywhere else. She often works with Patriot Builders, who used her glass mosaic wave tiles in a bathroom in the same house.
To create a layout, Meehan meets with clients in her tile shop, and helps them decide where the critters (or other stoneware accents) will go. She then takes a photo of the layout in the store and passes it along to the tile installer. For long-distance orders, she ships the pebble tiles and critters along with the photos of how they should be laid out.
Pebble tile: French Tan, Island Stone; stoneware accent creatures: C Shore Designs, via Cape Cod Tileworks
Meehan notes that some customers design the patterns themselves, while others leave it to their interior designers or tile installers. Placing the sea critter accents somewhat randomly across the surround and on the hearth creates delightful surprises. These kinds of accents bring character to any tiled spot around the home.
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Bancroft White DC-01 (walls) and A la Mode 2109-70 in semigloss (trim)
Check out the rest of this Cape Cod cottage
More
So Your Style Is: Coastal
How to Install Tile
Browse tile designs in the Shop section
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Bancroft White DC-01 (walls) and A la Mode 2109-70 in semigloss (trim)
Check out the rest of this Cape Cod cottage
More
So Your Style Is: Coastal
How to Install Tile
Browse tile designs in the Shop section