Design Daily: A Cool Tiling Tool From Fireclay
Author:Sarah Virginia WhiteMiss the unfettered joy of coloring books? Me, too. It was so liberating to pick up a crayon and create whatever crazy color combo you thought the outlines should rock, without any the high-stakes decision making of creating an actual drawing.
If that sounds pretty awesome, you should check out the new Color-It design tool from Fireclay, a sustainable tile company based in San Jose. First, pick out your pattern (up for grabs are the traditional Mexican and Moroccan designs of Fireclay’s Cuerda Seca catalog), then select your palette. You can click and drag your colors into specific parts of the tile, but with more than 150 designs and 80 colors to pick from, I liked the handy randomize tool, which throws your glazes onto your tile and lets you click through all the variations. I did a quick two rounds with the same palette, with wildly different results, below. 
To create the custom ceramic tiles, which are made from recycled materials, a black border is laid down in the design of your choice, then artisans hand-glaze your colors into the pattern. With all the endless combinations, I’d still consider a consultation with a designer to perfect your palette, but the tool is a fun starting point for inspiration and pinpointing major color decisions.
