Natural Stone

designanddirectsource — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:14:03 +0000

While shelving new samples of Monterrey stone that we recently received, our resident stone expert Katherine started noticing something interesting. Fossils. Shells and crustaceans, and plants, and well, we aren’t actually qualified to identify fossils. But, all of the above findings are highly probable. Most of the fossils we spotted were from limestone and travertine. This makes sense because these stones usually form in clear, warm, shallow marine waters. Shells, coral, algal, and umm.. fecal debris accumulate and forms organic sedimentary rock. Travertine is a limestone that forms by evaporation , often in caves or hot springs.

Fossils in stone can be found in buildings and statues all over the world. There are even websites dedicated to spotting fossils in buildings in different cities. While it is unlikely that a tile installer will unearth an unknown species of dinosaur, any aware observer may be able to spot a little shell on the stairs of an office building, or coral in the wall of city hall. Seeing these natural forms in building and in tile is a great reminder of just how natural natural stone really is.

Check out our Monterrey Stone Collection HERE.

SAMPLE ROOM ARCHAEOLOGY- Some of our findings

Monterrey Stone \| Sand	Monterrey Stone \| Poppy
Monterrey Stone \| Sand	Monterrey Stone \| Creme

Value Engineering with DDS

designanddirectsource — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:17:39 +0000

Many projects begin with aspirational products only to be value engineered later into something that is disappointing to designers and owners. In the past few years design and development professionals have come to accept many compromises.

We believe that the compromises are often unnecessary; that in fact identical or almost identical products are lurking below the radar at vastly lower prices.

Take a moment to look at the way in which you can preserve both the design intent AND the budget on your next project.

As a reminder, DESIGN AND DIRECT SOURCE is a WBE and we are certified with not only public agencies such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey but also most distinguished hotel brands.

Please send along your current challenges and we will promptly let you know if we can help!

Best regards,
Ann Sacks

For pricing, sample orders, or inquiries contact samples@desinganddirectsource.com or go to designanddirectsource.com/Request_Samples.php

Latest and Greatest

designanddirectsource — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:53:58 +0000

Eastern Stone | Seaside Glass | Ravenna Crackle

Working in the tile and stone business for over thirty years I can honestly say that the level of CREATIVITY and AFFORDABILITY has never been higher than it is at this moment. We are rapidly bringing in new product which offers value, forward thinking design, and technical excellence. In order to make these products more accessible to you, we have added two new features for your use.

FEATURED PRODUCTS – At DDS, it our mission to constantly provide new products that fit our customers needs. In order to share our latest and greatest with you, we have added a FEATURED products page to the DDS website.You can also stay abreast of new items and trends in tile in stone by signing up for email updates here.

SAMPLE ORDER FORM – Don’t hesitate to request samples! We are proud of the quality and variety of products in the DDS collection and want to share them with you. While a digital image can give you a good idea of the character of a tile, there is nothing like experiencing it. All you have to do is fill out the sample request form found on our website at designanddirectsource.com/request_samples. You can also call us at 503.525.0600 to discuss products that might work to enhance or VALUE ENGINEER your project.

For your convenience, all samples are labelled with prices, sizes, and usage. We provide complimentary ground shipping for all samples. For expedited service, please include your shipping account number.

Best Regards,
Ann Sacks

View featured products at designanddirectsource.com/featured

Request samples at designanddirectsource.com/requestsamples

Santos Dimension

designanddirectsource — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:01:17 +0000

An exceptional series of tiles that is not exceptionally expensive.

Select from a large and sophisticated standard palette of colors to adorn these beautiful dimensional tiles or ask about creating your color. Satin mattes appear ”chiseled” while the watery transparent glazes pool on the edges creating an even more dramatic surface. Metallics are subtle but luxurious. Or you may follow the rule of fashion often cited by my friend: “When in doubt wear black; when not in doubt wear black”.

Enjoy.

Tri in Gold and Black

Tri in Glossy Black

Rectangle in Glossy Turquoise

Rhomboid in Matte White

Dimensional is available in Rhomboid, Tri, and Rectangle tile bodies combined with an extensive color palate in matte, glossy and metallic. Starting under $20.00/SF. Minimums apply. Please contact info@designanddirecesource.com or 5003.525.0600 for samples and inquiries.

Find the complete color selection at www.designanddirectsource.com

AXIOM

designanddirectsource — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:11:12 +0000

Where other lines come close, the AXIOM series is an all around pitch perfect porcelain tile collection. With interesting and subtle textures paired with just the right shades of tan, white, grey, brown or black, AXIOM would add a refined look to any building or remodeling project. AXIOM is modern, versatile, artistic, and totally functional. Additionally, AXIOM tiles are manufactured in a facility that recycles and re-uses 98% of all waste matter in new production processes and many of the AXIOM lines are also available in large format thin tiles. Learn more at www.designanddirectsource.com.

Axiom | Module Sizes: 31"x31" Starting at $11.55

Axiom Mesh 30"x30" Starting at $13.20

Axiom | Madera 32"x32", 23"x47", 12"x47", 8"x47", 4"x47", 17"x35", 32"x32", 24"x24", 12"x12" Mosaic, 12"x12" Deco Starting at $6.10 THIN TILE

Axiom | Estudio 18"x35", 24"x24" Starting at $6.10 THIN TILE

Axiom | Strata 17"x35" $6.10 THIN TILE

Axiom | Diamonds 40"x50", 40"x40" $10.85 THIN TILE

Axiom | Weft 40"x50", 40"x40" Starting at $10.90 THIN TILE

Axiom | Mantle 24"x24" Starting at $6.86

Find Axiom at www.designanddirectsource.com

About Thin Tile

Thin Tile is a more environmentally friendly product, since fewer resources and less energy are consumed during the manufacturing process, reducing emissions and pollutant materials.
Precision-designed to easily be able to meet strength requirements.
Thanks to low-weight slim design, the tiles are easy to cut and handle, making them quicker to install.
A pioneering adhesive-based bonding system, makes it easy to carry out remodeling work by generating no rubble and helping to get the work done in record time.
Innovative non-slip treatment available that gaurantees most minimum safety levels while in no way affecting the visual characteristics of the tile’s surface.

Mix and Match

designanddirectsource — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:35:13 +0000

Our new Tomohito line provides a variety of tile bodies, sizes, textures with a fantastic color pallet. Want wave tile in gold? Looking for curved subway tile in pale apricot? We’ve got you covered. Mix and match the colors and finishes of the Basic series with the surfaces and shapes of Tomohito however you like. Starting under $2.00/SF, Tomohito is an inexpensive and versatile tile program to fit any job.

Tomohito | Surface Shape - 2"x2", 2"x4" Available in all Basic colors and finishes.

Tomohito | Curve in White - 2"x8" Available in all Basic colors and finishes

Tomohito | Basic - Available Colors

Happy Earth Day

designanddirectsource — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:37:54 +0000

How about some earth friendly tiles on Earth Day?!

Black Butte | Noir Bouquet

Made in America using the historic dryline technique. Tile body is made of 40% recycled materials.

Black Butte | Noir Bouquet

CW Series | Standard Offering

Standard Offering is Made in USA and 20% recycled material. Not to mention affordable and available in tons of great colors.

CW Series - Standard Offering

Umbria | Saba

Tile body is LEED certified at 25% recycled material. Tile does not release VOC (Volatile organic compounds). Factory reuses and/or recycles water, emission waste, and heat from firing. All packaging material is composed of recycled material.

Umbria | Saba

Dechutes | Hand Crafted Glass Mosaics

Tile is comprised of between 30 and 70 percent glass from bottles and/or other waste glass that would otherwise have entered the solid waste stream.

Deschutes | Handcrafted Glass Mosaics

For samples or more information, contact samples@designanddirectsource.com

Introducing the Eastern Stone Program

designanddirectsource — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Introducing the Eastern Stone Program! High quality granite, onyx, slate, limestone, and marble available in a myriad of tile, mosaics and trims. DDS president Ann Sacks has been traveling the world throughout her career searching out products and building relationships in order to put together the perfect stone program. We are now proud to launch Eastern Stone. From our most trusted sources, we are able to supply a full range from dark cool to light warm stone and neutrals to bright colors. The other fantastic feature of this program is the flexibility of size and patterns. Please visit our website to view the complete program.

Featured below is a small sampling of mosaic patterns available for any of the Eastern Stone selections. Custom patterns and stone combinations welcome for pricing. If you wish to send us a pattern to value engineer, we will send you a quote within 24 hours.

Related Products

Eastern Stone Slate

Eastern Stone Sandstone

Eastern Stone Granite

Questions about stone? Ask Ann! Ann Sacks is the retired founder of Ann Sacks Tile and current founder and President of Design and Direct Source. DDS specializes in creative sourcing for large construction projects, value engineering, and providing affordable standards while providing WBE diversity credits.

askann@designanddirectsource.com

Custom Tile

designanddirectsource — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:18:52 +0000

We recently had the pleasure of visiting one of our custom tile projects installed and in use. While in Las Vegas for Coverings, we dined at Jaleo restaurant, which prominently displays our brightly glazed large format Honeycomb tiles. For this project we worked with The Rockwell Group to create the perfect Spanish inspired hexagon tiles . It was fantastic to see beautiful tile as the a bright and bold centerpiece in this fantastic restaurant. After working on this project, we couldn’t help noticing large format hexagon tiles as a major trend at Cevisama and Coverings this year. What a treat to have collaborated on this project with forward thinking designers with bold visions for color and shape. Oh, and the food is delightful too!

Honeycomb Installation at Jaleo in Las Vegas

Honeycomb in Production

Honeycomb Glazed

Honeycomb Finished Product

Honeycomb Installed at Jaleo Restaurant - Photo by: Ryan Tang

Check out Ryan Tang’s culinary review and more photos of Jaleo at Epicuryan. Contact us at info@designanddirectsource.com or call 503.525.0600 for more information about this product or custom tile projects.

In Valencia for Cevisama

designanddirectsource — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:17:09 +0000

Valencia is a marvelous place to attend an event about tile. Renowned for it’s tradition of handcrafted tile, the city is also creating bold new designs that are taking ceramics back to their historic place of great public art.

This sophisticated balance of tradition and modernity is mirrored in the city’s architecture which includes ancient treasures and now the exquisite family esplanade by Santiago Calatrava known as Prince Felipe Science Museum. A wonder of engineering brilliance and exquisite design, it exemplifies the city’s amazing grasp of past and future.

Family roots are deep and strong in Valencia. Pride in their creativity and professionalism keeps family business surviving and thriving. So what is new in tile from Spain is that it continues to innovate; what is incredible about the culture in tile is the level of quality from artisanal to industrial.

Please view these highlights and if you want to know more, please call.

Inspired by beautiful Valencia, Design and Direct Source is now in the process of ordering samples of the best new products from Cevisama. We look forward to sharing them with you!

Monterrey Stone \| Sand	Monterrey Stone \| Poppy
Monterrey Stone \| Sand	Monterrey Stone \| Creme