Executive Homes

Aichinger creates mosaics using stone and porcelain tile as his medium. “I really like stone. It’s really organic,” he says. Diamond cutting tools and hand nippers are needed to shape mosaic pieces from granite, onyx, marble, and other stone. “There’s a local quarry I know where there’s this fossil ferrous shale loaded with fossils, and I’ve been harvesting the stone out of there, cutting and polishing it,” he says. Aichinger works with interior designers or directly with clients to come up with designs. “I dream about this stuff,” he says.

Aichinger wants customers to know why handmade tile is a worthwhile investment. “If they hire me to do it, they’re not going to see it in any of their neighbor’s houses. I can give them exactly what they want,” he says.

Handmade tile is just as durable—if not more so—than commercially produced tile. Blanc has had his exterior-grade tile tested by engineers, and says it’s expected to last 100 to 300 years. And Aichinger’s stone creations won’t be going anywhere anytime soon: “Everything I build, I want to last for as long as the house lasts. And good tile work should. Rome was built with tile.”