Chances are, you don’t think much about the term “Herring Bone” until you’ve got one stuck in your throat. But manufacturer Metollius Ridge Tile aims to change all that by rekindling a romance for a classical style. The company’s Herringbone Collection offers multiple colorways and various variations on this timeless pattern.

Herringbone tile. Designed and Manufactured by Metollius Ridge Tile.

The Versatile Geometry of Metollius Ridge Tile’s Herringbone Collection

So what exactly is Herringbone? According to a favored fount of knowledge, Herringbone is “an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings,” most typically involving rectangles offset one to the next at 90 degrees.  The pattern can be linear, giving a labyrinthine feel and a sense of an M.C. Escher work; or diagonally-oriented, which creates a slightly more chaotic aspect.

Metollius Ridge’s distinctive take on the pattern eschews the familiar configuration of rectangles at right angles in favor of a more literal interpretation, as the company’s several herringbone styles quite overtly evoke the backbones of a fish. This manifests as angled lines contained within a frame of adjacent rectangles, each of which are set alongside a similar pair.

The result is an intricate yet self-contained pattern that manages to be both conservative and bold at once, evoking, in equal measure, a tweedy suit that might have been fashionable in the 50s, and a signature updating of the streetscapes of old European cities where the form is popular as road pavement, including Salzburg and Budapest.

Metollius Ridge offers Herringbone tiles in various sizes, including 4”x4”, 4”x8”, and 1”x6”, as well as different colors like Sage, Snow, and Cast Iron.

About the Manufacturer: Could Metollius Ridge Tile exist anywhere besides the bastion of sustainability and artisanship that is Eugene, Oregon? The company and the town are certainly auspicious bedfellows, as Metollius Ridge offers customized, hand-painted tile with an eclectic international aesthetic. The output is appropriate for backsplashes, fireplace surrounds, and wall murals. And, as befits the green nature of the surrounding locale, Metollius Ridge is proud of its commitment to ecological health: “dedicated to environmental sustainability, we run our energy-saving, thick-walled kilns with green power, drive a biodiesel company car, and minimize waste.”