Hand painted using sponging and marbling techniques, this smooth and strikingly contemporary-looking burnt umber Delft tile is actually based on 17th century Delft originals. These traditional yet modern wall tiles have been sourced by De Ferranti from a small family firm who specialise in the production and research of old ‘Delft’ ceramics.

This type of tile was traditionally used at skirting level in Netherlands houses because the ceramic kept the damp at bay better than timber. Another popular use was that they were often assembled as a wall panel and placed behind an open fireplace, where the tiles became very sooty but didn’t very usefully show the marks.

After being layered with manganese or an iron ferrous engobe, each of the tiles is dried and baked at 1,000 degrees C before being glazed and baked once more at very high temperature. Despite their antiquity, these Delft tiles look amazingly contemporary.

Burnt Umber Delft Tile Colour and Layout

Marbre Burnt Umber moves between terracotta, rust and reddish-brown, crossed by fine ivory veins and broader cream-coloured pools. The marbling can appear relatively restrained on an individual tile, but develops a more animated character when several pieces are brought together. Curving lines pass between neighbouring modules without forming a fixed or mechanically repeated design.

The warm, earthy ground can give definition to a chimney breast, splashback, framed wall panel or skirting-height course. Pale plaster, quiet stone, dark timber and warm-toned metals can provide useful material references when developing a wider interior palette. Several tiles should be reviewed together before confirming a layout, since the position and concentration of the ivory marbling differ between pieces.

Other treatments within this Delft group include Marbre Olive and Marbre Yale. These related tiles allow the same fluid surface language to be considered in alternative colourways.

Burnt Umber Across Other Materials

The warm mineral palette can be extended into dimensional stone through the Basket Weave Braid in Burnt Umber. For an organic surface with similarly expressive dark lines against a pale ground, Wild Vine with white grout offers a contrasting material interpretation.

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