In The News

Awards & Publications featuring Agape Tile LLC and staff.

Spectrum International First Place Residential Award Winner for Excellence in Design,
Ceramic Tile Design Competition, Coverings Global Tile and Stone Expo
Monet’s “Lady with a Parasol”.

Spirits of Ancient Egypt

~ Egyptian Echos by Eric Herman of Aqua Magazine, Photos by Joe Traina. Aquatic/designer and builder Ryan Hughes prides himself on creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful. For the projects pictured in these pages, he was asked to create a unique setting with a lavish Egyptian motif that, among other things, will serve as the set for an upcoming TV reality show, “Laps of Luxury”.

Note: Agape Tile LLC created 3 key design elements for this project. A custom mural and logo on the swimming pool bottom; The Egyptian Eye of Ra in handcut stone mosaic at 72 inches in diameter, and the customer’s personal business Cat Logo in handcut glass mosaic at 48 inches. The custom spa wall artwork is the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra created in handcut stone byzantine micro mosaic at 2′ x 1.5′ in size.

AquaScapes

~ High-end design for every builder, Beguiling Tiling by Rebecca Robledo of Pool & Spa News.

The homeowners of this cliffside home wanted their renovated pool to feature an all tile interior and reflect the ocean theme depicted in their bathroom. They also wanted a very clean look. So rather than order a tile mosaic, they called he mother/daughter team of Agape Tile in Fort Myers, Fla. In this case, the Orange County, Calif., homeowners knew they wanted a very lifelike mermaid with water flowers and seaweed…

The mermaid was fired onto 6×6 inch tiles, with 4×4 inch tiles wrapped over the coping and 2×2 inch cobalt tiles serving as a filler. The step treads are wrapped with 1×1 inch tiles. Agape Tile and installer Glaspools Inc. of Sarasota, Fla., draped the mermaid’s body at the foot of the steps, with her tail streaminig into the lower part of the 25 by 50 foot pool. A seaweed design flows throughout the spa interior, which also contains several starfish designs.

Note: The art for this pool was hand drawn by the staff of Agape Tile. What was then handcut edges, would now be waterjet. What was once hand painted, is now photo kiln fired onto porcelain tile.

Beyond the Surface

~ An Interview with Stephanie Dittrick of Agape Tile by Eric Herman of Aqua Magazine. Since 1984, Stephanie Dittrick and her firm Agape Tile, LLC (Fort Myers, Fla.), have created visual works of tremendous artistic range and power. Although her work spans a broad range of settings, the vast majority of her projects are in conjunction with swimming pools. Over the years, Agape Tils has garnered widespread press coverage, prestigious clients, a reputation for sensitivity to the setting and a willingness to take on the most daring of projects. Agape Tile was a first place winner of the Spectrum Award for Excellence in Design.

Note: This articles features several of our custom pool projects, in different mediums and materials.

Interior Use of Tile

~ Fireplace, 2nd Place, The Teich Group, with Agape Tile LLC, Detroit Home Magazine, Photography by Greg Watts.

Note: This wonderful handcut glass mural graces the front face of a fireplace in a Snowmass, Colorado, private home. The art was created from an original oil painting entitled ‘Not tonight Sweetie, I have a Headache’ by famous Southwestern artist, Oleg Stavrowsky. The upper and lower sections of the artwork were created by our Art Department to fill in the space of the fireplace. The mural measures 105 5/8” high x 83 5/8” wide. Technique: Mixed, handcut glass mosaic. Backing: Mesh.

National Floor Trends

2000 Spectrum Awards Recognize Innovation in Ceramic Installation ~ Residential Category, 1st Place, Agape Tile LLC, written by Jeffrey Stouffer of National Floor Trends Magazine. Coverings 2000 in Orlando, FL is the place to be for the latest innovations in ceramic tile installation. During the event, top honors in the 2000 Spectrum International Ceramic Tile Design Competition were presented to a broa range of cutting-edge projects from around the world. Each year, the Spectrum awards attract global interest for creative excellence in ceramic design. Juries of architects, designers and journalists review the entries and select the winners. This year, winners were announced at Coverings 2000, the largest ceramic and stone trade show in the United States.

Note: Mural on ceramic tile depicting Monet’s “Lady with a Parasol”. Bathroom remodel.

Tile Styles

~ Southwest Florida Business Magazine. Mother and Daughter co-owners of Agape Tile of Fort Myers, Stephanie Dittrick and Candace Mac Nutt were recently recognized for their original work in the international ceramic tile industry. They were the first placer residential winners of the Spectrum International Award at Coverings 2000 – the global marketplace for ceramic tile and natural stone. The award is given for creative and inspiring use of ceramic tile in modern design and architecture and entries – submitted from all over he world – were determined by a jury of architects, designers and journalists….The Agape Tile murals range from building facades, mall decor, and commercial and residential pools and spas to custom logos and home interiors.

Note: Mural on ceramic tile depicting Monet’s “Lady with a Parasol”. Bathroom remodel.

Tile Styles

Yachting Anyone?

~ Think Weight, by Stephanie Dittrick of Agape Tile, Florida Kitchen and Bath Magazine. The World is Your Oyster – Dream of having a white castle that floats on the sea? Clad it in White Mother of Pearl. This can be accomplished through a variety of seashell veneers, seashell inlaid lacquered tiles and gemstone or seashell mesh-backed sheeting and tile. Insertion into architectural elements such as columns or furniture is easily accomplished and replaces the old clad honeycomb currently used. There are materials for a seamless installation for the cladding of walls, countertops, doors and ceilings. For instance, the seashell veneer offers the extra advantage of wrapping around curved surfaces. And there are untold opportunities to match special order handmade cabinet knobs and custom or standard sinks… For creations afloat on the seas of the world, all materials should be able to be customized to fit a particular style of yacht, ie. custom artistic designs, material combinations or blueprint-specific installations.

Note: All seashell material from Agape Tile LLC is custom fabricated at time of order placement.

Work of Art

~ Naples Daily News. Work done by Agape Tile of Naples on this swimming pool in Royal Harbor will be featured on Home and Garden Television’s “Modern Masters” program in February. The pool features an 8.5-foot-by-20-foot handpainted tile mural entitled “An Offering to Flora”. The large scale tile work was inspired by a historical bas relief which was originally modeled at the Wedgwood factory in 1771 by one of its modelers, William Hackwood. Agape Tile designs and manufactures commercial and residential murals in tile, glass, stone, clay, agglomerates, handpainted marble and canvas, photo-imaged tile and marble and gemstones. The firm has been in business since 1984.

Note: What was once hand painted, is now photo kiln fired onto porcelain tile or the art is converted digitally into a 10mm, 12mm or 20mm standard glass mosaic format design for assembly into mosaic sheets.

Pools: Refinishing Interior Common Improvement

~ The News Press. Customize Your Pool: Agape Tile and Murals in South Fort Myers will create a glass mosaic for your pool or spa…

Note: We offer custom art compilation for glass mosaic in an assortment of colors and sizes from many manufacturers in order to meet your time and budget constraints.

Local Artists Have Designs on Tile Trade

Award-winning company hopes to grow. Article by Laura Ruane ~ The News Press. Photos by Todd Stubing. Art as Business…

Note: We have now been in business over 35 years and counting…!

Monet on Tile; Local Firm Gets International Award

~ Naples Daily News. A Fort Myers firm has been saluted for its efforts in reproducing a famous Monet painting in ceramic tile…

Note: What was once hand painted, is now photo kiln fired onto porcelain tile or the art is converted digitally into a 10mm, 12mm or 20mm standard glass mosaic format design for assembly into mosaic sheets. We also offer custom handcut stone or seashell as well.

Murals Make a Lovely Living by Laura Ruane

~ The News Press. Stephanie Dittrick’s handpainted tile murals are comfortably esconced in some of the most elegant homes in Southwest Florida. But increasingly, new business is coming from the commercial realm – including Publix Supermarkets and a resort in Taiwan. It’s an exciting development for the former newspaper advertising saleswoman, who in the past 12 years has built a family business from a long time art avocation.

Note: We are proud to say we are still a family based women-owned business still serving interior and exterior application to both the trade and residential clients.

HeadyBrew

HeadyBrew: Beer-maker executive and wife decorate to please – Themselves ~ Naples Daily News, Home of the Week by Maxine Ginsberg. Photo by Ben Gray. A mural with meaning decorates the backsplash of thisPark Shore high-rise kitchen…”When I planned the kitchen, I decided painted tiles would be right for the backsplash, especially the focal area over the cooktop, but the design I wanted was not like any design I’d seen, ” said Knapp. “I love hats, but I don’t like to wear them,” she laughed. “So I had a ribboned straw hat painted in with herbs and wildflowers as part of the design. Then we added a Miller High Life bottle to the design, so that Charlie would have a presence in the painting. Because the tiles were refired after being painted, the can be scrubbed without harming the design,” she said.

Note: Our art staff now produces custom art on paper or canvas. The art is then scanned at a high resolution and sent for reproduction onto photo kiln fired porcelain tile.

Storefront a Work of Art

Storefront a Work of Art; colorful parrots are part of the detail of the mural by Agape Tile ~ Naples Daily News. A handpainted menagerie is gracing the tile front of a Naples Interior Design firm…. Note: Our art staff now produces custom art on paper or canvas. The art is then scanned at a high resolution and sent for reproduction onto photo kiln fired porcelain tile, or translated and produced in our more popular choice of handcrafted byzantine glass mosaic tile murals…

Pool Art

Artistic - Hand Cut

Geometric

Gradients

Greek Keys

Gemstone

Seashells

In The News

Spirits of Ancient Egypt

AquaScapes

Beyond the Surface

Interior Use of Tile

National Floor Trends

Tile Styles

Tile Styles

Yachting Anyone?

Work of Art

Pools: Refinishing Interior Common Improvement

Local Artists Have Designs on Tile Trade

Monet on Tile; Local Firm Gets International Award

Murals Make a Lovely Living by Laura Ruane

HeadyBrew

Storefront a Work of Art

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