Hand-Painted Tiles in Teal and Ochre

Teal leaves and ochre diamonds repeat across a wall of hand-painted tiles, but no two glazed surfaces look quite the same. Worn white lines divide the pattern, with chipped corners and dark grout giving the regular design a lived-in edge. One loose tile sits slightly above the others and exposes the rough surface beneath.

Start with the ochre diamonds, using their pointed corners to separate one repeat from the next. The teal leaves change direction around each centre, so their veins help more than color alone. Sort the cracked edges and broken glaze into small groups before joining the wider pattern. The loose tile gives the upper right a useful landmark. Save the softer plaster and tabletop edges for later, after the main field has its rhythm.