Nightclubs come and go in New York City in the “flashest of flashes” (as Rowan Atkinson might say), but none may have been as fleeting as Only Love Strangers. The Lower East Side jazz club, celebrated (albeit briefly) for its captivating interior, shuttered just four months after opening last year. Still, the immersive grid of cobalt blue tiles that enveloped the subterranean lounge has left a lasting impression. It’s a look that translates well to kitchens, where deep blue tiles feel like a fresh take on the once ubiquitous (and beautiful) blue painted cabinetry that's so often paired with white marble. We've been gravitating to contemporary interpretations that mix a sea of glistening tiles with natural wood cabinets and inky black countertops for spaces that feel warm and layered rather than cool and crisp this summer.
As with everything in design, however, what’s new is always rooted in the past. Such was the case for California-based designer Leah Ring of Another Human, as she embarked on the renovation of a historically protected Buff, Straub, Hensman home built in 1959, left. “They’re quite iconic California mid-century designers. The goal was to bring the house back to its former glory but also adapt it to the contemporary needs of a family,” she says.
To do so, she turned to Heath tiles for the kitchen backsplash: 4x4" tiles in Opal Blue. Established in 1948, Heath’s locale and longevity felt apropos for the installation but the colour inspiration came from an image Jean Francois Jaussaud snapped of a kitchen Alvar Aalto designed for Louis Carré in 1956, centre. “It was quite minimalist, but had this beautiful blue square tile backsplash,” she says. To balance the rich hue with the checkerboard floor, Ring chose blue tiles with natural variation in the glaze. “It feels joyful and colourful, but for me it’s still quite subdued. It looks like it could have always been there,” she says. Where Aalto paired the backsplash with white sliding cabinet doors and a wooden worktop, Ring sought to match the wood finish of the home’s original cabinetry and opted for soapstone counters. “It’s a finish that would definitely have been used in that day,” she explains.
Nearly 6,000 miles away, French fashion designer Élise Chalmin went for a similar palette in the kitchen of her Parisian flat, right. Partnering with Plum Living, the French firm that specialises in upgrading Ikea cabinetry, she opted for Klein blue zellige tiles from Surface. The colourway is named after Yves Klein of course, who debuted his iconic monochrome paintings in the 1957 Milan exhibition, ‘Porposte Monochrome, Epoca Blu’. “At first, we wanted a blue wall from floor to ceiling. In the end, we felt that would be too much,” she explains. The compromise, with a feature shelf painted Yves Klein ® blue from Ressource, creates an ideal focal point without overpowering the open-plan living space. U-shape front cabinetry in natural oak harmonizes with the parquet wood floors while the matt black tap disappears into the jet black countertop. “I just wanted it to totally blend into the room,” she says. The result is a feeling that nods to the mid-century era whilst feeling thoroughly au currant.
PS - Photographer Jean Francois Jaussaud recently published the book, Inside the Homes of Artists: For Art’s Sake, in collaboration with writer Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian. While the house Aalto designed for Carré is not in the book, it’s filled with the homes of exceptional creatives like Tracey Emin, David Salle and Rashid Johnson (who has an exhibition at the Guggenheim in New York through Jan 2026). It's well worth a read if you’re looking to be inspired.
Photos: Lance Gerber, Courtesy Leah Ring; Courtesy Jean Francois Jaussaud, Luxproductions.com; Hervé Goluza for Plum Living, chez Elise Chalmin