We received so many enquiries about the tiles featured in last month’s Design Notes that we decided to track them down. Not surprisingly, they hail from Morocco, a country with a rich heritage of handcrafted tiles. But these aren’t your traditional terra cotta variety of zellige that permeate the medina. These are cement with a modern, whimsical twist featuring patterns like loops, zigzags and sassafras.

The company behind the buzz is Popham Design, named after the owners’ favorite beach on the New England coast of America. It’s the brainchild of Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes, who landed in Marrakech in 2006 in pursuit of a globetrotting adventure - and they never left. Charmed by the ancient walled city, the Dowe-Sandes’ immediately purchased a 250-year-old house in desperate need of some TLC. As the renovations got underway, and inspired by the decorative tiles in their new courtyard, the couple found themselves sketching tile designs of their own and the rest is history.

With chalky hand-mixed colours like petal, icicle and elephant, it looks like we’re not the only ones in love with Popham Design. Ashley Hicks has tapped the duo to produce a collection based on his legendary father’s geometric motifs. David Hicks by Ashley Hicks tiles, along with the rest of Popham Design’s 35 patterns are available in the UK exclusively through Ann Sacks in London. They’re suitable for both interior and exterior use and custom colouring is also available. 

Photograph © House & Home Magazine