By Colin Barber
Clerkenwell Design Week 2014
The Architects Russ+Henshaw approached us in 2014 to be part of the team to create their design that was to be a key feature of the Design Week that spring.
We set 7200 tiles from Turkish Cermaics set in varying sequences and colourways to the floor - these were then amplified by huge mirror walls built within the ancient St.John's Gate.
The work was a great success with all in the design world, and won a GOLD AWARD at London Design Awards 2014.
The Gate is, and remained with the installation in, a public space and was perhaps one of the very best examples I have seen in engaging people on the merits of design and in this instance creative use of tiles.
As the tiling contractor I was extremely pleased to be part of this London project with it's setting in an historic part of my city. Lianne Russ and Phillip Henshaw were fulsome in their praise of the work I did on Tile-mile.
I have great admiration for their vision and their connection with us all in this piece of work.
Colin is a specialist tiler of great experience. He hs been trading as Colin Barber Tiling Co since 1988 in London UK, and now based in Christchurch NZ.
Colin has worked as tiler-contractor on many architectural projects and high value residential works, notable among them restoration work at Buckingham Palace and master bathrooms for Sting, Kate Moss, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Bloomberg and Simon Cowell.
He was the tile contractor for TileMile project in Clerkenwell Design Week which won a London Design Week Gold award in 2014.
He has been in demand for his quality of work with tiles for 3 + decades, and is experienced with every type of tile material and format - mosaics especially.
He has been a member of the UK Tile Association - the body representing the UK tile trade and industry - since 2000, and is designated a 'master tiler'.
He has done international work for clients in Paris, St. Tropez, Marbella, The Highlands of Scotland, New York, and now of course New Zealand.
In moving to New Zealand in 2019 with his Christchurch born wife - the photographer Fiona Fletcher, he brings with him 30 plus years of tiling experience as tiler and contractor, much of it on first-class projects.
Projects large and small undertaken.