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OUR STORY

A few words from Ted Lowitz, founder and chief designer of Foundry Art tiles

Twenty years ago, guided by the belief that the quality of daily life is primary, I started making tiles. I had two goals: to earn a living (no small feat for an artist) and to help people make their homes more beautiful, personal and meaningful.

The quality of daily life

From the beginning, I hoped that the things I made — and soon, the things that my crew and I would make — might do more than just look good. I hoped they would enhance the quality of daily life of the people who make our tiles, the people who sell our tiles, and the people who ultimately live with our tiles.

I set out to build a business that was founded on kindness and compassion, and structured to maintain a balance between focused labor and free-spritied enjoyment of life.

Daily life in our studio is quite good. When we advertise a job opening, our ads attract hundreds of artists, filmmakers, actors, and creative people of all kinds. We carefully select the ones who seem to be the most friendly, bright and reliable. And we've been very fortunate. Our spirit of cooperation, our high standards and our high spirits are evident to anyone who has ever called us on the phone.

A respect for our materials

The great modern architects, from Walter Gropius to Louis Kahn, and the great modern artists, from Brancusi to Rothko, all understood that the best work grows from a deep respect for materials. We take this to heart, and when we design a new Foundry Art tile, we embrace the unique and noble character of bronze.

Bronze takes a polish beautifully. That is why we developed a complex finishing process that brings our tiles to just the right level of polish. Bronze also takes on a natural patina beautifully. That is why we let our tiles earn their patina over time. As we design, we keep these two traits — polish and patina — in mind, carving softly rounded high points that are continually polished by daily wear, leaving the low areas a little rough, to hold the patina and enhance the design.

These practical matters are at the heart of our work, and, I am quite sure they have contributed as much to our success as our friendliness and reliability have.

An invitation

Now that you know a little about the spirit of the people behind Foundry Art tiles, I hope you will find time to visit one of our showrooms, and to hold one of our tiles in your hands. I hope you will find satifaction in the simple act of running your fingers over the tile's surface, and I hope you will find pleasure envisioning our work embedded in the walls and floors of your home.

Thank you for your interest in our story.

Ted Lowitz