Mosaic house project? Family has it covered

LOS ANGELES -- The transformation started simply enough, with a molded ceramic tile of a flower framed by Celtic tracery.

Neither Aziz nor Louise Farnam can recall now where they found the periwinkle square, but at their son Amiels urging, they glued it to the upper-left corner of a low concrete retaining wall in front of their 1930s bungalow in Santa Monica, Calif.

Both had seen the elaborately tiled mosques and mausoleums in Isfahan, in their native Iran. It didnt take long before they were scrounging in Southland secondhand stores, Catalina boutiques and Las Vegas casino shops for more tiles, plates and figurines.

They collected pieces of cobalt blue, aqua, plum and yellows from pale to sunny. They broke or cut them with special nippers into irregular shapes and applied those to the wall, letting them radiate in no particular pattern from the original piece.

They finished that wall, then tiled the walkway to the front door.

From there, things escalated to a traffic-stopping degree. Motorists routinely slam on their brakes to marvel at the eccentric artistry.

"Everyone knows my house," Louise said. "Just say mosaic tile house in Santa Monica."

About 13 years have passed since the couple set that first tile, and now the entire house on California Avenue at 26th Street is a shimmering montage that beckons the curious.

One morning a few weeks ago, Aziz, 65, fitted bits of plates, floor tiles and orange hearts on the last remnant of bare wall near the two-car garage. A school of whimsical ceramic fish each planted in the center of a tile adorned with circles of blue, green, tan, white and red glass beads swam through the section.

Aziz pointed above the fish, to a colorful bird plate. Atop it he had stationed a turkey. Both objects were treasures from Santa Catalina Island, saved for this crowning moment and placed high for their protection.

Read more from the original source:
Mosaic house project? Family has it covered