17 Jun A Millennia of Knowhow
Aït Manos is the go-to Moroccan tile manufacturer for designers all over the world. An outstanding example of craftsmanship, its traditional zellige tiles – made in Casablanca by sixth- and seventh-generation artisans – can be found everywhere from the award-winning Yves Saint Laurent museum in Marrakech by Studio KO architects to a Palm Beach pool house by Peter Marino. In the UK, find its tiles by Ann Sacks at West One Bathrooms, including the patterned ‘Guercif’ and plain scallop-design ‘Dakhla’ tiles pictured above.
The history of zelliges goes back over a thousand years, with intricate examples in Morocco’s great palaces and public buildings having survived down the centuries with their glittering pattern and colour undimmed. Aït Manos’ handmade, hand-glazed and hand-cut terracotta tiles and mosaics are crafted using traditional and regional clays and glaze pigments. Variations in colour and texture are a highly desirable by-product of them being entirely made by hand, creating a unique, characterful surface that is highly prized by interior designers.
