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New Slab Gallery Offers an Immersive Design Experience PAPERCITY PROMOTION I t's all in the family for Artistic Tile, the New Jersey-based, female-founded company that opened in 1987. Given that Dallas is such an active hub for design, it was a natural fit for the company, which expanded to the Design District in 2014 with a showroom of predominantly tile. Now the company has opened the 12,000-square-foot Artistic Tile Slab Gallery, just steps from the Dallas showroom. "We've made a significant investment in the technology behind the process, creating systems that surface our inven- tory on our website and make browsing through all of the details easy," says Joshua Levinson, CEO of Artistic Tile. "Clients can see the slab inventory live in real time, and see where each slab is in our three slab galleries. This allows them to do their research before they set foot in the Gallery, which makes their appointment more efficient and productive." Levinson says that people connect with natural stone. "Coming from the earth, it draws them in. When they choose their slabs, there's a certain ownership — people fall in love with their slab, and there is a genuine personal connection." With an extensive slab collection, Artistic Tile has a wide range of customization techniques that allows flexibility for clients to create the perfect design. "We know that each job is unique and special," he says. "We love the challenge to meet or exceed each client's expectation." When it comes to design, their team is seeing a few macro- trends in the industry. From the creative use of slabs (gone are the days of just countertops — hello, shower walls) to unique-colored marbles, creativity is soaring. The firm is also seeing a movement towards warmer tones, including more beiges and pinks. There's also a demand for full, clean slabs where the natural stone speaks for itself. Larger format allows for flexibility, from countertops to full slab walls. "What's also interesting with natural stones is that you can change the look a bit by changing the finish, so every project can be customizable and personal," Levinson says. "From the movement to the veining, clients want something distinctive." Artistic Tile Slab Gallery 1133 Quaker Street Dallas, TX 75207 945.277.3312 Artistic Tile's 88