christina zamora

Heath Ceramics opened a new showroom in San Francisco and expanded its production space for tile in 2013. The Heath San Francisco build was the largest interior architecture project I have been involved with. 

Working closely with Commune Design, I was responsible for detailing out their designs for the retail space and leading the design and management of numerous on-site projects and peripheral spaces—from the Blue Bottle café prep kitchen to the tile showroom displays, including 85+ rotating tile panels, and over a dozen permanent tile installations throughout the retail space and indoor/outdoor environment. I worked closely with vendors on fabrication of a giant neon sign, hand painted lettering, a 20 foot mural, tile installations, fixture, casework, concrete and metalwork.

Heath Ceramics design/build, 2012-13.

Materials inform design. Surfaces transform spaces. The following projects showcase how surfaces, both functional and aesthetic, can change and enhance the ambience of an architectural environment through color, texture and pattern. 

Designing dozens of tile palettes and custom glazes for architects and interior designers, hundreds of glaze colors with varying textures and finishes, a handful of unique tile collections utilizing the best handcrafted techniques, and interior installations—then seeing them impeccably installed, fantastically integrated into its environment.

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Dual Glaze: overlapping matte and glossy glazes create an illusion of multiple tile sizes and depths.

Layered Glaze: carefully calculated, two unique glaze formulas are paired for their surprising chemical reaction—creating a surface that is molecularly spectacular up close, and texturally diffuse from a distance.

Tapestry: inspired by tapestry, pre-configured designs in complex layouts and small tile sizes are mounted for ease of installation.

Dwell Patterns: celebrating the belief that modern design is simultaneously functional and expressive, bold and organic—in geometric shapes with infinite pattern and color combinations.

Repurposed Kiln Shelves: ceramic kiln shelves that have passed their usefulness bearing the scars of wear from tiles being dragged across the surface during loading and unloading of the kiln—glazed and re-purposed, become a uniquely tactile architectural surface.

Designed and manufactured at Heath Ceramics, 2004-present.

I live in a 1,000 square foot concrete box with an 18 foot ceiling on the third floor of a converted elementary school, built in the 1920s. Finding the right space meant it had to be open and flexible enough for living and working. With an open floor plan and limited space, we wanted our kitchen to provide just the essentials in function and storage.

The objective was to create a space thoughtfully integrated with the rest of the live-work area, provide ergonomic usable storage, include an island with an eating counter, and leave room for a large screen printing utility sink.

Custom work: all cabinets, drawer pulls, hand screen printed kiln shelves, oak countertop.

Designed and built, 2010. Featured in Sunset Magazine, July 2011.

Inspired by my favorite Scott Hansen print, Knitting Factory, my bathroom renovation was an adventure in resourcefulness. With the only bathroom out of service, an out-of-order elevator, and a tile saw in my living room for four weeks, demo and installation got interesting. I came home to a kitten jumping out of a bag of cement with blue tape stuck to her whiskers more than once.

Every measurement and design detail mattered if the geometric tiles were going to line up and wrap perfectly around the room, along with custom vanity and niches, plumbing parts, light switches, thermostats, shower fixtures, drains, doorways and cabinets—all meticulously placed. 

I was able to save installation time and money by face-mounting the tiles into square foot hexagonal modules, making it easy to line up the pattern and grout lines.

Designed and built, 2012.