FREN
The artisan spirit

Material
has character.

Zellige, carved plaster, crafted wood: skills that bring depth to a home of today. In chosen touches, without changing everything.

Discover the materialsSee them at home
An arched niche in the shower, lined with glazed green zellige.Hammered brass basins under carved-frame mirrors.A blue mashrabiya that filters the light into stars.A backlit, round-cornered mirror set on the mosaic.A floating openwork wood vanity with geometric patterns.A blue and gold zellige frieze around the tub, on a sand-coloured plaster.A band of zellige behind the tub, and Moroccan-inspired frames.A veined marble floor inlaid with bands of blue zellige.A green and white zellige mosaic wall behind a floating wood vanity.A brass faucet running above the frieze.A small carved octagonal table for the soap and towel.A clawfoot tub in a vaulted alcove, in soft light.Above the tub, a framed arch that echoes the pattern.A Majorelle blue window frame, as in the gardens of Marrakech.Glossy black tiles edged with gold trims.The zellige pattern carries through the room to the glass shower.
PBE Rénov / Artisanal
An art passed down

A geometry
that tells a story.

For families who grew up within these colourful walls, it’s a little piece of home. For those discovering them, it’s an encounter with a unique craft. Either way, these materials deserve to be understood before they’re installed: behind every piece, there is first the patient work of a hand.

The crafts

Four materials,
a thousand shades.

And in a home here?
Blue and white zellige with geometric patterns

Zellige

Thousands of small glazed pieces that form stars and rosettes. No two are exactly alike: that’s its signature.

At your placeA shower, a backsplash, an entrance floor.

  • Cobalt blue
  • Emerald
  • Ochre
  • Off-white
Lace-like carved plaster arches above zellige columns

Carved plaster

Carved by hand, chiselled like lace on arches, friezes and ceilings.

At your placeAn arch, a niche, a ceiling.

  • Ivory
  • Sand
  • Stone
  • Lime white
Carved wooden panel with geometric patterns

Cedar

Atlas cedar wood, carved or painted, for doors, ceilings and mashrabiyas.

At your placeA door, a ceiling, a screen.

  • Honey
  • Amber
  • Walnut
  • Light cedar
Lime-plastered wall in ochre with a terracotta pot

Tadelakt

A lime plaster polished with stone and black soap. Soft to the touch, it traditionally lines hammams.

At your placeA shower wall, a basin, a living room wall.

  • Terracotta
  • Pink ochre
  • Warm sand
  • Brick
Bathroom with a green zellige wall around the mirror and an openwork wood vanity
Hand-carved plaster arch
In the home

One touch is enough
to change the mood.

  • Tiles in an alcove.
  • A door with a singular design.
  • A material that draws the hand.

You can love these traditions without asking the whole room to tell the same story.

Explore the inspirations
Up close

The detail makes the room.

Four Moroccan-inspired bathrooms, seen up close: materials, craft and finishes.

An arched niche in the shower, lined with glazed green zellige.
An arched niche in the shower, lined with glazed green zellige.
The colour chart

Every glaze
has its own light.

Cobalt, bottle green, turquoise, burgundy, terracotta: zellige is chosen like a paint colour, but it lives with the light. Here are a few shades and a few ways to lay them.

Bathroom in blue sodalite marble and cobalt zellige, blue basin and brass fixtures
Sodalite blueVeined marble and cobalt zellige
Bathroom with a burgundy diamond zellige wall and a stone tub
Deep burgundyDiamond zellige and pale stone
Pale plaster entrance, blue zellige niche and studded wooden door
An entrancePlaster, studded wood, a touch of blue
Glazed cobalt zellige behind a brass tap
Cobalt blueSquare, straight lay
Blue zellige laid on the diagonal above a stone basin
Cobalt blueDiamond
Cobalt zellige hexagons in a niche
Midnight blueHexagon
Arched shower niche lined with blue zellige in a plaster wall
Cobalt blueArched niche
Glazed blue basin on a cobalt zellige counter
Deep blueCounter and basin
Shower corner in cobalt zellige against a sodalite marble slab
Cobalt blueWith sodalite marble
Studded wooden door with a blue and terracotta zellige border
Blue and terracottaBorder on wood
Bottle-green zellige laid on the diagonal, brass tap and plant
Bottle greenDiamond
Green zellige triangles on a ledge, alocasia leaf
Sage greenTriangles
Turquoise fish-scale zellige around a stone tub
TurquoiseFish scale
Burgundy zellige in herringbone, monstera leaf
BurgundyHerringbone
Plum zellige in vertical sticks
PlumVertical sticks
Terracotta star-and-cross zellige, palm leaf
TerracottaStars and crosses

Inspiration photos: every zellige is handmade, and its shades change from one piece to the next. We compare samples with you, at home, in the room’s own light.

A little history

From Fez
to Québec.

  1. 10th century

    The first mosaics

    In the Maghreb and al-Andalus, artisans cut glazed terracotta into small pieces to compose patterns. Zellige is born.

  2. 13th – 14th century

    The golden age in Fez

    Under the Marinid dynasty, Fez becomes the great centre of zellige. The Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas bring zellige, carved plaster and cedar together in a single harmony.

  3. Al-Andalus

    An art of two shores

    Between Morocco and Andalusia, artisans and know-how travelled for centuries. Zellige, chiselled plaster and carved wood formed a shared vocabulary there, often called Hispano-Moorish art.

  4. Today

    A living craft

    Fès is still the capital of zellige. Master craftsmen still pass on the gestures by hand, and their pieces travel all the way to homes here.

Tap here to draw the circle

An experience

Lay your
first zellige.

  1. 1Drawing
  2. 2Glaze
  3. 3Lay
  4. 4Seal

Drawing

Tap the workshop: a circle, a square, then the same square turned.

All zellige starts here: a compass and two squares. The eight-pointed star appears by itself.

The master craftsman’s gestures

Every room
cut by hand.

Historically, a large zellige panel meant hundreds of hours of work for the master craftsmen. Nothing is moulded: every star is cut, one by one.

  1. The clay

    Clay from the Fez region is shaped into tiles, then dried in the sun.

  2. Fire and glaze

    The tiles are fired, glazed in one colour, then fired again.

  3. The cutting

    With a hammer, the craftsman cuts each piece by hand from a template: stars, diamonds, almonds.

  4. The assembly

    Traditionally, the pieces are laid face down following the pattern’s plan, then set in mortar.

Not just the bathroom

From floor to garden,
everywhere in your home.

Moroccan craft suits almost every room, even the floor, as in a riad courtyard. The material is chosen for how each space is used.

Terrace and garden Kitchen Living room and entrance HallBathroom Front door
Zellige

The kitchen

A zellige backsplash or countertop.

A small glossary

The words
of the workshop.

Zellige
“zeh-leezh”
A mosaic of small hand-cut pieces of glazed terracotta.
Tadelakt
“tah-deh-lakt”
Lime plaster polished with stone; its name evokes the act of rubbing.
Riad
“ree-ahd”
Closer to a small palace than a house: a prestigious residence, like a royal villa, turned toward an inner garden and its fountain. Zellige is everywhere, on the floors as on the walls.
At your place, in Québec

An ancient art,
a home from here.

A touch, not a full décor

No need to transform everything: a backsplash, a shower wall, a niche, a fireplace surround or stair risers are enough to add character.

Water and upkeep

In a shower, waterproofing is done under the covering. The zellige is then protected by a suitable sealer, to be renewed over time.

Our winters

Freeze and thaw are demanding. Outdoors, we first check that the product suits our climate; indoors, no worries.

One-of-a-kind pieces

Colour variations and small irregularities are part of the charm. We also build import lead times into the schedule.

Entrance with arched wooden doors

An entrance with wooden arches

Oriental bathroom with gold basins, carved mirrors and a marble and zellige floor

The spirit of the hammam

Arched fountain covered in multicoloured zellige

The artisan atmosphere

Sink corner with tiles and a blue window

A window, a zellige frame

Structure, waterproofing and ventilation follow local standards. The craft comes as a finish: we plan the surface, the pattern and the preparation, and we coordinate installation with experienced tilers.

Talk about my project
Before you start

The right
questions.

Is Moroccan craftsmanship only for bathrooms?

Not at all. It suits almost every room: a kitchen backsplash or countertop, a living room wall, an entrance, a fireplace, a deck or a corner of the garden, and even the floor. Zellige, tadelakt, carved plaster or cedar: the material is chosen based on how each space is used.

Is zellige suitable for a shower?

Yes, it’s even a traditional use. Waterproofing is done under the covering, then the zellige and its joints are protected by a suitable sealer.

Can it be installed outdoors in Québec?

With care. Freeze and thaw are demanding for glazed terracotta: you need to check that the chosen product suits our climate before considering outdoor use.

Why aren’t all the tiles identical?

Because they are made and cut by hand. Variations in shade and small irregularities are sought after: they give the wall its depth.

How do you care for zellige?

Simply: a soft cloth and a pH-neutral cleaner, with no abrasive or acidic products. The joints, and depending on the type of tile the surface, are protected by a sealer. In a shower or humid room, the sealer is renewed roughly every one to two years. Over time, zellige develops a patina: that’s part of its charm.

Is tadelakt possible here?

Yes, in a bathroom for example. It’s a demanding plaster that requires an experienced artisan and a well-prepared substrate.

Does zellige need to be ordered well in advance?

Often, yes. Handmade pieces are sometimes imported: we build that lead time in from the planning stage.

It all starts with a conversation.

What touch of craftsmanship
inspires you?

Even if your ideas aren’t fully drawn yet. We take the time to understand what matters to you.

See how we workThe house, room by room
Talk about my project
Talk about my project