Delft tiles

We specialise in hand painted delft tiles, supplying clients throughout the UK directly from our studio/workshop.

Polychrome delft flower design tile

From Blue Delft
Flowers Collection
Hand painted £25.00 each

Polychrome delft flower design tile

Blue 'corners only' tile
£8.00 each

- our delft tiles

We use carefully selected base tiles made for us by established tile makers in England and France. These base tiles are then hand painted in our studio using a range of glaze colours and designs. The glazing process involves the tiles being fired in the kilns, often several times, at temperatures up to 1200 degrees centigrade.

Our Delft Tile Collections contain a curated selection of over 100 different designs, many based on original 16th and 17th century designs using not only blue but also crimson, sepia, green and polychrome glazes all of which were used by the early delft potters.

In addition we create tiles on a bespoke basis to meet a client's particular project be it restoration work or simply because they have personal ideas or images they want to include in the project.

Traditional 'corners only' tiles are also available which repeat the small corner decor from the design tiles and can be used to maintain the decoration style over a wider area.

Although they are a special product we aim to be very straightforward about the price of our tiles. Hand painted decor tiles from the Delft Collections are £25.00 each. 'Corners Only' tiles are £8.00 each. The price of tiles designed specifically for you on a bespoke basis is between £25.00 and £30.00 depending on the complexity of the design.

- a brief history of delft tiles

In the 16th century Dutch potters based in Delft started to produce white tin glaze wall tiles with bright, typically blue, hand-painted patterns. The use of the white tin glaze was to mimic the natural whiteness of chinese porcelain.

These delft tiles proved very popular and were exported throughout Europe. The Dutch potters themselves travelled and by 1650 were producing 'delft' in London and other British cities. Most of the pottery workshops produced other ceramic items such as plates and bowls hence the collective term 'delftware' to describe the style.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the mechanisation of tile making, English delftware went into a rapid decline and by the 19c had all but disappeared. However in the last 20 years there has been a strong revival of interest which recognises the simple beauty of the delft style and the centuries old tradition of handcrafted tiles that goes with it.