Materials & makers / introduction
The story behind Japanese tiles
Start with the tile you need for your room. Then look closer. The colour, texture and form you see are shaped by clay, glaze, fire and the judgement of people who make and select each surface.
01 / Material and fire
Why glazed tile has depth
“The surface is where this philosophy manifests. A tile is first encountered through its surface. Colour draws the eye. Texture catches the light. Depth reveals itself as the viewer moves.” A glaze begins with minerals and changes as it meets the tile body in the kiln. The result has character that cannot be understood from a colour name alone.
02 / Form and space
What the wall adds
The publication asks us to see more than the individual tile: “Light can reveal depth or flatten it. Scale can create calm or intensity. Repetition can establish rhythm.” A tile may sit quietly or give a feature wall its form and shadow.
03 / People and judgement
Why makers matter
The visible surface carries decisions made at every stage: forming, glazing, firing, selection and composition. Mittsu’s relationships with makers help bring that knowledge into the designer’s decision, not just the tile into a catalogue.
04 / The decision
Choose with understanding
A photograph can introduce a surface, but a physical sample lets you examine the glaze, relief and proportion in the light that matters. Find the tile for your room, order its sample, then talk to Mittsu about the larger project.
