Interior designer Sasha Bikoff creates an Americana-inspired line of tile for New Ravenna. Following her design debut with an apartment in the famed Dakota, Sasha Bikoff was dubbed the “interior designer for the young and wealthy” by the New York Times and the “go-to decorator for Manhattan’s well-heeled millennial set” by the New York Post.
Sasha has dabbled in many design elements, fabric being her most recent endeavor. But one thing she hadn’t done—until now—was tile. Bikoff says, “I’ve wanted to do tile for awhile. I think of tile as being really connected to a sense of place,” citing Portugal and the Middle East as places with long traditions of the medium. “But I thought, America doesn’t really have a signature tile.”
So, she decided to create and sought out a manufacturer. New Ravenna and Sasha Bikoff felt like the perfect match of aesthetic, customization, and quality. We were so excited to hear Sasha’s ideas and inspirations, incorporating influences from across history. First up? Delving into the exploration of “the new world” by Europeans, Sasha pored over a copy of Joan Bleau’s Atlas Maior, an expansive 17th century volume of illustrated cartography. The result? One of Bleau’s maps has come to life in the form of a massive 44″ x 80″ mural – the star of the collection. To augment the map of the Earth, the collection also includes a mural based on Ptolemy’s cosmic map.
For the smaller, non-map inspired pieces in the collection, we have the bandana and lace mosaics. Inspired by different textile traditions across America, Bikoff said, “I love the playfulness of turning a textile into a tile. The paisley bandana is a print that started in India, but it came to really represent America.” There are two bandana patterns in The New World —one for the east and one for the west coast. The colors in each version are indicative of both sides of the country.
In addition to the bandana prints, the collection boasts three gorgeous lace patterns. “I started thinking about all the women who came to America and the crafts they brought,” says Bikoff. The three types of lace, Swiss Dot, Point d’Angleterre, and Queen Mary, were created to honor the women that brought these patterns, textiles, and designs to America in the first place.
The bandana and the lace patterns have complimentary border tile, making it easier than ever to include elements of this collection in your space even if it’s just as small design accents – sure to make a huge statement. What’s even more exciting than launching this collection? She will soon be installing many of these mosaics at her hew home in the Hamptons, and we can’t wait to see the results
