Examples of Tile Arrangements
for Fireplaces
Most people are familiar with the three most often
found tile arrangements for cast iron fireplaces, five
6x6 similar tiles per side, five 6x6 tiles making a
panel per side and three 6x6 and four 6x3 borders per
side. These were the most popular and easiest
requiring least thought and imagination, whilst often
very appealing and the easy of choice in itself is
also appealing and there is no doubt effective and
aesthetically pleasing. However there are many other
tile arrangements suited for fireplaces giving greater
scope for individual taste the most significant being
having feature middle tiles that stand out compared to
the others.
Whilst it is widely assumed that five tile panels
were the most desirable it is not born out by the
price, the epitome of good design and good taste was
having double size 6" x 12" tiles as the centrepiece.
These tiles were typically four times the price of an
equivalent single 6" x 6" tile, or double the price of
the same design but spread over two 6" x 6' tiles so
6" x 12" tiles are considerably rarer. Having a larger
canvas afforded more scope for artistic interpretation
and the proportions are better suited to many designs
than five tile panels. Figural designs fit perfectly
on 6" x 12" tiles, landscapes both natural and built
also work well, such subject matter rarely looks good
on 6" x 30" panels appearing rather too stretched.
Panels for fireplaces with a double tile in the
middle, print & tint double the rest in moulded
majolica, were more expensive than print & tint
full five tile panels, quite a bit more expensive at
around 30% more.
Fireplaces with tiles from the popular picture
series were most often found with ten different
pictures or six pictures with majolica borders
especially tiles from the well known series such as
Moyr Smith's Shakespeare. Rarely, and I can recall at
most a dozen original examples, fireplaces were fitted
with all different floral tiles or five different
tiles per side both sides matching. So the scope for
the imagination is wide but selecting such an
arrangement is far more demanding than opting for a
standard arrangement but the visual reward and
pleasure of expressing individuality can be well worth
it. Much more often there would be hand painted
centrepiece picture tiles with majolica borders and
print & tint floral or floral-geometric tiles.
Fireplace tiles were often quite dark, such colours
reflect the flames and fireglow better and look best
with a working fire similar to how a black car shows
the dirt and needs cleaning more often and so why most
builders use white vans. Dark brown (called dark
mahogany in original catalogues) majolica tiles were
very popular especially with yellow flowers optimising
the colour spectrum of the flames and fireglow.
Conversely white tiles can lift the darkness of the
iron although one should consider the effect of the
contrast between black and white. Reds and blues tend
to be dominant colours and may dictate the colour
scheme of the room but perhaps victorian and edwardian
designers were more adventurous, sometimes there is
too much emphasis on furnishings, fabrics wall and
woodwork colours matching. In more artistic properties
such as arts & crafts style colours tended to be
more adventurous, persian colours were popular, blues,
green and purple/brown, colours more often associate
with bathrooms. Green was the primary colour for use
in washstands in bedrooms, it being the most prominent
colour in nature is more relaxing and conducive to a
good night's sleep.
So to the pictures, the first is a fireplace, one
of very few found in catalogues with coloured tiles
fitted in a fireplace, the cost of colour printing
being prohibitive the vast majority of illustrations
of fireplaces with tiles were line art. It is a
prestigious tile arrangement with bold 6" x 12" arts
& crafts style floral tiles amidst complimentary
but subordinate majolica tiles. Following are tile
panels from catalogues dating from 1889 - 1905 and
from manufacturers including Mintons, The Decorative
Art Tile Company, Godwin & Hewitt, Marsden, Henry
Richards, Pilkington and others, a spectrum of the mid
to higher quality tile makers of the times.
All the catalogues were lithoprinted line drawings,
with no colour photography and the limited range of
colours available for printing they were but an
approximation of the tiles. Catalogues were not freely
distributed as they are nowadays, a decent catalogue
was approaching a week's wages for the working man, a
skimpy catalogue one or two day's wages. Customers
mostly made their choices from shop stocks and
samples, catalogues were held by the shops and used in
conjunction with samples to assist customers in their
decision.
Tile
sets for sale | Pairs
of tiles for sale | Design
Your Own fireplace Tile Set
