culture
A GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Tour the world through tile with artisan Meir Zenati BY KAMILLA GRAHAM | PHOTO BY CARL SCULTZ
L
ocated in a shaded, lush courtyard in the Scottsdale Design District, you’ll find Tabarka Studio, which specializes in creating custom terracotta tiles. Named after a city in the North African country of Tunisia – a colorful and historic mosaic of ancient civilizations – Tabarka’s aesthetic is drawn from history and far-off locales, providing distinct designs with a worldwide influence.
The visionary behind Tabarka Studio and its products is Meir Zenati, creative director of the studio. At the heart of Tabarka’s portfolio are handcrafted terracotta tiles for homes in the Valley as well as all over the world, with close to 300 dealers. Each custom tile is a labor of love; tiles are hand-sorted, hand-glazed and hand-packed by the Tabarka Studio team. And after years of specializing in
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
SS_74_75Culture_Mar16.indd 74
74
tiles, the studio expanded its repertoire to include rare stones, gold and silver leaf, metals and reclaimed woods for a unique parquet collection. No matter the material, every piece adds a feeling of history, art and luxury to a home. I stopped by to sit down with Zenati and talk about his past, his art and the future in his showroom. Born in Israel to Moroccan parents, it is easy to see his childhood in a country with so much history reflected in his collections, with names like: A Piori, Maghreb, Paris Metro, Nord and Toureg. Each is designed to speak of the Old World’s nostalgia with relevance in contemporary settings. Zenati got his start by creating tables. He states that he has always felt a connection to wood and is drawn to the organic, natural warmth of it. “It’s always alive; wood always moves,” he says, running his fingers across the grain of the gorgeous oak table where we are seated. So, how did this love for creating with wood become the design of tiles? Smiling, he tells me that it all started during a trip to Istanbul. There, they serve tea on small tile-topped tables, and so Zenati was inspired to create similar tile-topped coffee tables. Upon returning home, he was unable to find a tile design he liked. And so like all great creations, it started from a desire for something more. Now, Zenati has created more than 200 designs, each of which can be customized by color, size and shape. He finds influence and inspiration in all things when he travels, with a vision to give people a sense of luxury and transport them to a time between ancient history and tomorrow. When asked if he had a favorite pattern out of all of his designs, Zenati responds with a laugh. “No. Well, they are all my favorite at one point.” Surrounded by gorgeous, subtle design suggestions and samples at Tabarka Studio, it’s easy to see that Zenati follows his passion for celebrating different cultures and finds inspiration in far corners of the world, as well as right here in his own backyard. Tabarka Studio, 7501 E. Redfield Road, Scottsdale; 480.968.3999; wwww.tabarkastudio.com.
| MARCH 2016
2/23/16 10:29 AM