Words by Katie Shoultz
Photography by Chelsea Brewer

With its expression of culture, landscape and time, almost every iconic American building has an artistic commonality with one another. A shared secret among their walls and floors, their staircases and ceilings. These pieces of brick and mortar are part of the very soul of a structure.

The uniqueness of handcrafted artisan tile rose to popularity during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century as a recoiling against the mass-produced, cookie-cutter tile designs of the Victorian period. Fast forward several decades and present-day tile is largely produced by robotic machines in assembly lines. Today, the Tile Council of North America reports a mere 35 handmade tile artisans crafting these pieces of utilitarian beauty.

Combining her own passion for handcrafted tile with a steadfast desire to revive the support of local artisans, Minnesota native, Lee Nicholson, founded the popular West Hollywood tile showroom known as Filmore Clark.

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