Koi of Kimberly Knoll

When this couple moved into their new home on Kimberly Knoll, some of the tile on the patio were damaged by the moving company. Attempts to match pre-existing tile were unsuccessful. Instead of replacing it all, they reached out to Hammerhead for a “welcome mat“ mosaic. 

Inspired by a small water feature and Koi pond in their front yard, I drew two fish in a style reminiscent of Japanese block printing. The homeowners visited my shop to explore the tile stacks and look for colors. We eventually found a pleasing combination of Rosso Verona and Etowah, a marble which is quarried in Georgia. 

Notes: There’s a picture of the stoop just before I installed the mosaic. You can tell why the old one cracked. The tile was sitting on enormous plops of thinset with lots of airspace under there.

There’s also an image that shows the templates numbered and about to be cut with specialized shears. That paper is called a cartoon and those shears are used for cutting stained glass templates. 

Another image shows my over-thinking process, where I wondered if I should add more stone colors. I made three extra dorsal fins but didn’t love any of them. The client was pleased with the outcome, as was I.

I must thank Britt Freeman of Horizon Tile & Stone for referring me for this super cool project.