Ironbound Restaurant Artisan Tile

About

About this project

When a celebrated chef opened her flagship restaurant in Newark's Ironbound district, the tile design needed to honor the neighborhood's Portuguese-Spanish heritage while establishing a distinctive modern identity. The 4,500 square foot space would host both intimate dinners and large events. We collaborated with the interior designer to create custom cement tiles featuring a geometric pattern inspired by traditional Iberian designs, but executed in a contemporary color palette of deep navy, terracotta, and cream. The encaustic tiles were handmade in Morocco, each piece poured and hand-pigmented for authentic character. The installation covers the entire dining floor in a seamless pattern that flows through the space. The bar area transitions to handmade terracotta hexagons, while the open kitchen features slip-resistant quarry tile that meets commercial food service requirements. The project required 10 weeks of precise installation to maintain pattern alignment across the expansive floor. The restaurant has since been featured in Architectural Digest and Eater NY.