An Octave Colozier ceramic floor with same size border - c.1913

This period French ceramic encaustic floor has been recovered along with two other floors from a house in renovation in Fresnes-Les-Montauban in the Nord Pas-de-Calais department of France. Produced by Carrelages Ceramiques Octave Colozier in Saint-Just-Des-Marais the floor appears in their catalogue of 1913, a scan of the page is included below along with photographs of a random section of the floor. The design is simple and easy on the eye; a main field tile which in fours tessellates in motifs of a 3D linked cross and star. The floor is framed by its original same size border tiles, which adds teal in the motif to the palette. Owing to the handmade batch making process at the turn of the century there is subtle variation in the colours of the tiles, most notably in the piping and which can be seen in the photographs below. We have deliberately selected tiles showing the greatest tonal variance in the photograph of the four tile motif but the common tone to be found across the majority of field tiles are the bottom left/top right in this photograph. The variation adds to both their charm and uniqueness.

The floor has cleaned very well, revealing a quality ceramic, consistent with the reputation of Octave Colozier tiles and no surface wear with only a few tiles bearing edge nibbles or small groutable chips. Both the main field tile and border tiles are 14cm sq and 15mm thick.

The floor arrives ready to relay, requiring only a regular wash to maintain its beauty. It will not require sealing and given its size lends itself to laying in a small bathroom, inside a shower, a toilet or porch. Being a highly fired tile, they can be laid outside of the home, for example on a patio or in a summer house where the risk of sub zero temperatures is not an issue for the tiles. Inside the home they can be laid with underfloor heating systems as they are excellent conductors and retainers of heat.