House in Principe Real wins Tile of Spain awards
Spain continues to prove itself in pushing of the boundaries of tile use, coming a long way since traditional azulejos – as the 13th Tile of Spain Awards attest to. It was a game of smoke and mirrors for the interiors category winner with a restoration at Castellón’s Betxi Castle. Studio El Fabricante de Espheras made a lost half of a medieval cloister appear by magic with an engineered wall of mirrored tiles that reflected the remaining half perfectly. The architecture category winner (left) was Camarim Arquitectos Studio’s house in Príncipe Real. Set in the historic quarter of Lisbon in neighbouring Portugal, the terraced home uses a bold, contemporary sea-green ceramic tile that looks both of, and distinctly different to, the ceramic facades around it.