NanaKi Bonfils, Josephine Aquama Hoffmeyer, and Rosario Parrinello founded Made a Mano with “the ambition to create a collection of tiles, countertops and sinks, combining ancient traditional handicraft with modern techniques – revealing a sure sense of beauty and style.”

All Made a Mano products are worked, glazed, and embellished entirely by hand with influences from Arabic, Japanese, and African motifs. The materials are natural lavastone and terracotta from Mount Etna in Sicily (the oldest recorded active volcano in the world). This organic tile is a poetic way to introduce a bit of Mother Nature’s most destructive material (lava) inside in a beautiful way.

Though lavastone has been used in the building industry for many decades, glazed lavastone (or Majolica) is a relatively new process. The results are a functional dream, suitable for walls, floors, fireplaces, bathrooms, shower walls and floors, countertops, tabletops, sinks, swimming pools, mosaics, etc.

“The glazed lavastone has advantages which other raw stones such as marble, terracotta, and granite lack. The technical features and aesthetic possibilities of the glazed stone combine to create a wear resistant, frost resistant, stain resistant, impact resistant and chemical resistant material. Because of its versatility this opens up new possibilities in interior and exterior design as well as in architecture. It has the ability to adapt easily to temperature. It can also undergo thermal shocks without breaking.”

All of the tile is gorgeous, but the Novecento Collection is an eclectic and artistic tribute to the style of the Aoelion Islands in the nineteenth century. Terracotta and smooth lavastone are glazed in milky white, then embellished by hand. Made a Mano tiles are infused with art through free hand drawing, hand painting, and handprinting (similar to silkscreening).

Soak in the beauty of the 2010 catalogue.

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One glance at a backsplash made of recycled tile on Re-Nest.com, and we were smitten. (When I sent the link to Sara, her response was hilariously succinct: “want.” That makes two of us.) If you have leftover tile from a bathroom remodel or tile that’s slightly cracked or irregular in size, this is the perfect project! In fact, we love how the variations in the size and shape of the tiles play off the monochromatic color palate in Re-Nest’s example.

But it turns out that you can also use mix different colors or different shades from the same color family. The DIY Network has step-by-step instructions on creating a backslash from recycled tile.

You can also use stencils to dress up your existing tile backsplash. Or you could opt for recycled aluminum tile for a glossier look, perhaps playing off of stainless steel appliances.

Don’t have extra tile lying around? We also uncovered several companies that specialize in recycled glass, like the Seattle-based Bedrock Industries and Oregon-based Stardust Glass Tile. According to one source, recycled tile is a bit more time-intensive to prepare and install, but we think the eco benefits (not to mention the stylish results) make it worth a little extra prep time.

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Recycled from the cork stopper industry’s byproduct and fashioned into penny size patterns on hand-mounted paper mesh sheets, cork mosaic tiles are a chic renewable resource. We’ve seen the large sheets of cork flooring, but when adopted as mosaic tiles this green choice quickly becomes a classic.

The designs from Habitus New York City even come in custom colors that are current and design friendly, like the green, red or white. The natural is appealing to purists. I wish I had opted for this rather than the ceramic mosaic on the floor in my kids’ bath remodel because it insulates and is water resistant, making it ideal for high traffic areas (kitchen, baths and dens) and suitable for the surfaces of baths and showers. Cork flooring also repels allergens which is handy with dogs and cats and all the other stuff in the house.

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