A lovely woman from the Italian tile manufacturerer, Bisazza, came by the office recently to show us what’s new. I have to confess to being a little hesitant about the meeting because I thought the world of glass tile that Bisazza pioneered had really been played out. Well, I was wrong. She showed us a number of extremely cool new lines (I was particularly fond of the dense, opaque and highly saturated, Opus Romano collection) and some of the most inspiring installation shots I have seen in a long time. Just look at these clever, creative tile applications! For instance, this stairway in their flagship store in Berlin (designed by Fabio Novembre) got me thinking that I really need to book that Berlin trip, stat:

And if I’m heading to Berlin, I might as well swing by Paris to enjoy this glamorous yet restrained installation at the Spa Guerlain designed by Andrée Putman. I might as well get a facial or massage while I’m there…

And since I will already be in Europe, perhaps I’ll just head to Spain and grab a drink in this magnificent, surrealist bar at the Hotel Barcelo in Malaga designed by Jordi Torres. (I might even pop over to the Picasso museum while I’m there…)

And really, what European trip is complete without a visit to Italy? First stop would be Rome where I could cool my heels after a long day of art viewing and walking the city in the Suite Nijinsky at the Hotel de Russie and soak in a tub surrounded by black and white Bisazza splendor designed by Olga Polizzi:

And of course, I would have to hit up the Bisazza headquarters in Milano to see some of the collaborations they have cooked up over the years. Of course, I would want one of everything. Couldn’t you see me tooling around Italy in one of these bedazzled Minis? Yes, these cars are all carefully encrusted with tiny mosaic tiles:

Not content to stop with cars, Bisazza has partnered with an extremely impressive list of cutting edge contemporary designers to create art and furniture with their tiles. Highlights of these myriad collaborations include Allessandro Mendini’s Mobili Per Uomo, for Italy’s prestigious furniture fair, Salone del Mobile:

And this dynamite Silver Ware collection from the extremely fly Dutch duo, Studio Job:

How about this Summer Trees Commode designed by Dutch wunderkind, Tord Boontje? It would make storage in any room of the house a rather chic affair:

I was thrilled to discover that in addition to all of this tile goodness, Bisazza is now carrying Jaime Hayon’s lyrical yet streamlined bathroom collection, now called Bisazza Bagno. I have been obsessed with this progressive Spaniard’s designs for years now but had an enormous challenge when it came down to ordering them. I couldn’t be happier to hear that I can now actually get my hands on these groovy fixtures, vanities and integrated lighting and mirrors:

So c’mon people, get your Bisazza on. Enjoy!