Exmore, Va.-based mosaic tile manufacturer New Ravenna has taken wallpaper samples and recreated them into a new glass mosaic collection.
The Gracie collection is a collaboration with wallpaper maker Gracie Studio, which has manufactured hand-painted products since 1898, and it consists of five of the brand’s designs that were selected for interpretation into glass mosaics.
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Blythedunes hand-cut jewel glass mosaic shown in Lapis Lazuli, Iolite, and Covellite, with Sea Glass Absolute White
"We have been avid admirers of Gracie for years,” Cean Irminger, New Ravenna creative director, says. “Our brands have many similarities: we work and innovate in ancient artistic traditions, employ artists with decades of experience, and elevate home furnishings and coverings to an art form. This is a match made in artistic heaven."
New Ravenna chose Gracie designs that represent international historic themes, from Roman and Chinese antiquity to the late Japanese Edo period, and French Art Deco, the company says. For example, Linda's Garden was inspired by an ancient frescoed Roman villa Linda Gracie admired on her travels to Italy; Blythedunes was originally based on rare antique Chinese wallpaper; Wave and Blossom has a precedent in 18th century Japanese plum blossom imagery; Waves represents the Gracie family's love of the ocean and is influenced by a 17th century handpainted Japanese screen of the tumultuous sea; and French Deco is a motif of trees drawn from the work of Parisian designer, Armand-Albert Rateau.
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French Deco hand-cut jewel glass mosaic shown in jewel Absolute White and honed Dawn Mirror
“We admired the work of New Ravenna long before we connected about the possibility of a collaboration,” Creative Director Jennifer Gracie says of the collaboration. “I lost count of their many gorgeous designs that I saved on Instagram. To see their mosaic interpretations of our designs is thrilling, and I look forward to including these in my own home. Wallpaper and showers do not generally mix well, so New Ravenna’s mosaic interpretations expand Gracie into the bathroom and kitchen!”
New Ravenna says its master mosaicists interpreted Gracie’s intricate wallpaper designs through varied techniques, colors, and textures. First, scaling a dynamic section of each design to new dimensions, the designs were replicated in both the original colors of the hand-painted wallpaper and a New Ravenna customized palette. The workers created central motifs in reflective jewel glass, which allowed the natural hand-mixed variation of the glass sheets to replicate the feel of a hand-painted surface.
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Linda’s Garden hand-cut jewel glass mosaic shown in jewel Agate, Amber, Citrine, Peridot, Alexandrite, Jade, Schist, Lavastone, Tourmaline, Labradorite, Zircon, Jasper, Champagne, Opal, and Moonstone with Sea Glass Serpentine
“Tumbled Sea Glass was used as background material to allow the characters in each design to remain dominant, and Gracie’s metallic leaf pigments were honored by using honed antique mirror and 24 karat gold glass,” the company says. “New Ravenna mosaicists used two techniques: hand nipping glass into similar size shapes in the traditional mosaic method and scoring the glass to create larger organic shapes—a method which is traditional of stained glass. Depending on the intricacy of the design, a panel of any size will take several weeks and multiple artisans to complete.”
Mosaics in the Gracie collection can be customized in size and color to suit specifiers’ preferences. The company also recommends that the products be installed on vertical indoor and sheltered exterior installations.
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Waves hand-cut jewel glass mosaic shown in Marcasite, Zircon, Mica, Pewter, Opal, and Moonstone with Sea Glass Moonstone and Absolute White
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