Perfect for renters, change-up artists, and the pattern shy: Moonish of Brooklyn silk screens geometric designs onto thin wooden wall tiles that hang from magnets. Use them to build a backsplash, headboard, or accent wall–and switch (or remove) the pattern as you please. You can even take the tiles with you when you move.
The company is the brainchild of Giovanna and Matt Taylor. “I’m from Italy,” she says, by way of explaining how a couple formerly in the entertainment world–she worked in film production, he’s the lead singer in the band Mammal of Paradise–found themselves silk screening patterns onto plywood in a Brooklyn workshop. After a visit to Giovanna’s mother in the “tiled landscape” of Puglia in Southern Italy, the two spent months to developing Giovanna’s idea for grout-free wooden wall tiles that require nothing more than magnets to mount. Here are the results.
Above: Moonish wall tiles are made of silkscreened marine grade plywood, which is water resistant. Each “tile” measures 6 by 6 inches, and patterns, such as Arlequin, shown here, are sold in boxed sets of 36 tiles for $256.50 directly from Moonish. Giovanna and Matt screen print the tiles themselves using water-based pigments, and allow customers to select any color combinations from the company’s palette. The couple describe their work as “combining the geometries of traditional tile with the warmth and natural patterns of wood in a new format.”
Above: The tiles can be applied to any smooth surface; here, a $256.50 set of 1977 – Triangles tiles–enough to cover 9 square feet–decorates a kitchen wall. No glue or grout is needed; the tiles have a magnet on each corner and come with a corresponding square steel “sticker” that’s applied to the wall. The couple report that the tiles can be easily cut to size, and if you’re okay making a few measurements, you won’t need installation help. Once in place, the tiles can be rearranged in different patterns. And when you’re ready to remove them altogether, the wall stickers can be pried off using a blade (“the paint on the underlying wall may need a touch up, but in most cases it won’t,” says Giovanna.)
Above: B & W – The Victorian creates instant wainscotting on a bathroom wall; $256.50 for a set of 36 tiles. All Moonish wall tiles are available in two finishes: wax (for a matte textured look) and polyurethane (recommended for use in moist areas, such as bathrooms).
Above: Music – The Fifth, $256.50 for a box of 36 wood tiles.
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Above: The Modernist set is $198 for 36 wood tiles, each 6 by 6 inches. Sample tiles for all patterns can be ordered for $10 each.
Above: B & W – Tokyo; $256.50 for a set of 36. Delivery for orders is 2 to 4 weeks.
Above: Moonish also offers a small line of patterned floor tiles made of 3/4-inch-thick fir plywood. Each is 12 by 12 inches and sells for $26 a tile, including biscuit joiners. See Moonish for more details.
Looking for ceramic tiles? Peruse our collection of Tile posts, including Can We Now Call Tiles Sexy?
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