Legacy Pieces
I’m a mother of two. My kids are 1 and 3 and the light of my life, but the laundry tends to pile up. The other morning I was putting my mountain of laundry away and thinking about…tile, because I’m always thinking about tile. Anyway, as I was folding and hanging each piece I was reflecting on fast fashion and the horrific environmental and social impacts that it has on our beautiful world. My degree is in Environmental Studies, so along with tile, the environment and sustainability are two topics that are also very much on my mind.
I have some pieces in my closet that I am proud of and have had forever and will likely have for years to come. Like tile, well made and sustainably sourced clothes never go out of style. I call these pieces my legacy pieces and I hope to pass them down to my daughter Margot one day. I also have plenty of clothes that are less special, and I’m sure not ethically sourced in any way, but the reality is that my budget doesn’t allow for me to exclusively source thoughtful clothing. Budget, that really is the primary deciding factor in most of our purchasing decisions isn’t it?
Then I got to thinking about fast fashion in the design and building industry. We should really be sourcing and building with quality materials that are sustainably produced and made to last, but can we afford that? On a larger environmental scale, can we afford not to? I grew up in a household surrounded by Danish design and fine art. I thought one day my house too would be filled with Wegner furniture, Royal Dansk dishware, Georg Jensen silverware and jewelry, I couldn’t wait to have my own home and fill it with my own treasures. When the time came, what a rude awakening. I had expensive taste and a budget that did not allow for that taste to be satiated. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that someone loves our tile but that it’s out of their budget. I can totally relate to this, and I desperately want to be a part of the solution to help people have tiles in their homes that they love and are proud of and that will fit within their budget. Legacy pieces that are installed in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and will remain timeless and beautiful forever. To me, that is sustainable design, and it’s achievable with our new Baked Earth Collection.
The story of tile and tile making is so rich, with historical roots that date back thousands of years. It’s a craft that deserves to be honored and that’s exactly what we do here at Kibak Tile. I live in a home that my grandparents built in 1980. It still has the original hand painted Kibak Tile that my mother and grandmother made together, over 40 years ago- legacy pieces. I love being surrounded by these original pieces made by my family. It's fun to see how my mother’s design aesthetic has evolved and changed over the years, but the most amazing thing is that the spaces aren’t dated because the design and craftsmanship are timeless and meant to last. The surfaces aren’t scratched, or faded, or dated, because good materials never go out of style. Installing tile that is made to stand the test of time and everything life throws at it (sometimes literally) is a really effective way of making environmentally conscious and sustainable decisions in the design process.
Yes, I thought about all of this while folding laundry…. Like I said, it was a big pile.
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