There are a few big luxury tile stores in town, and Artistic Tile is one of them. With its cheesy ad campaigns and general lack of style, it's not our favorite. So tell us we're wrong.
Founded in 1987, Artistic Tile now has six locations. They sell stone, glass, and porcelain tiles--and just about everything else you mastic to a bathroom floor or kitchen countertop. Prices run the gamut, from a few bucks a square foot to sky's the limit. PSM
Oh the irony.
Some ex friends of ours (long story) recommended Artistic Tiles to us. These were the same friends who recommended whole life insurance to us because a friend of theirs, who they use as a financial planner, recommended whole life to them without revealing why the horrendous commissions that they were paying would cripple their ability to get enough coverage blah blah blah - yep they signed on. Anyway, I digress.
We went there looking for 16" limestone tiles for our bathroom but could not find any that satisfied the both of us. Fortunately for us because an architect friend of ours recommend Stonebridge Stone & Tile to us instead where we found what we wanted and at a price of just below $12 per sq ft for 18" tiles (about $10 per sqft for 12" tiles) vs $16-$18 at Artistic Tiles for their 16 inchers. At 450 sqft that's a pretty big difference! Our tiles were called "Lima" from Portugal and were as good as any of the limestone tiles Artistic had.
While I cannot fault the service we received at Artistic when they were trying to find the right limestone, I can't recommend them simply because their prices are too high. Maybe not in Ann Sacks territory but still more expensive than other places for the same type of product.
www.stonebridge59.com
There was an earlier posting on Quality Tile in the Bronx...
When I re-tiled my kitchen, I had a fairly exact idea about what I wanted -- unglazed 1-inch almost-black-and-almost-white checkerboard tiles. What I wanted seems to have been a pretty classic, standard Upper West Side look; in fact, it seems like at least one of the bathrooms in the Smallest Coolest Apartment contest has the same kind in their bathroom -- maybe Patrick's?
Because of the combination of my desire to try to support local merchants, as well as a certain amount of laziness, I was pleased that my local hardware store, Grand Metro on Broadway at 96th Street, had exactly what I wanted, and their salesguy seemed knowledgeable enough and their delivery guy wheeled it over to me.
However, if I don't already know ahead of time what's needed, I really like to see a LOT of stuff in one place, and it seems like whenever I have happened by Artistic Tile their wares have been easy to see, and bounteous selection. On the scale of projects I encounter, there's not enough square feet for the price per square foot to matter TOO much -- having it look right ends up being a little more important.
You have a 450 sq ft bathroom!
Oh, maybe some of it went on the walls...
check out www.SICIS.com for you home..these mosaics are truly one of a kind.
I've worked at Artitic Tile in the past, and I can tell you that the experience you should expect depends on what you bring to the table. There's no better place to decide on what you like, and to see what's new and exciting in the business. The staff there takes pride in being professional and classy, so you can expect to be treated well and pampered. If nobody is pouring wine, feel free to ask for it. If you're looking for a bargain, look elsewhere. If you'd like to have 'the look' but make it fit your budget, most can be accomodated in style.
Ask your salesperson what their favorite is. Work with a person with similar tastes and you'll leave well sated.
This is not a common retail experience. More like commissioning.
Don't go to http://www.luxiland.com
It's for billionaire only...
Please let them chat together without disturbing...
This is the worst place I've ever been to! The staff was stuck up. They would just look at me and stare, not one person asked if I needed help. I went down the street to Nemo Tile, and was helped without any attitude. They have the same exact materials, but they are updating their showroom. So the initial apperance is not the same.
Had a surprising experience at Ann Sacks.
Great service, everything in good taste, efficient shopping.
Perfect 17x17 imitation stone commerical tile right on their floor. $7/SF.
The Summit Collection is a highly durable, easy to maintain glazed flooring tile that has faithfully reproduced the look of stone quarried in the Burgundy region of France. Its straight edge and monolithic color lend themselves beautifully to contemporary styles.
Bath accent wall - $15/SF
Our second choice was something at $102/SF!
Constellation
Available in a range of iridescent colors, Constellation glass is simply striking. An excellent price point makes this tile the perfect option for budget-conscious jobs that still require the signature Ann Sacks style.
Kitchen backsplash. $13/SF
Beaulieu
Beaulieu is widely considered to be the single greatest value and most versatile design tool offered in the industry. It can be used for graphic treatments from modern to Art Deco, or for sleek, neutral and quietly understated applications. Custom blends allow designers to create unique statements in glass.
The lesson I learned is that Ann Sacks does not have to be more expensive than other stores and the salesperson absolutely did not push the more expensive stuff on us, perhaps discouraged it just slightly.
Frank