Designer Sara Baldwin has interpreted her love of Ikat fabrics into a new collection of jewel glass mosaics. Baldwin’s Ikat Collection for New Ravenna Mosaics was “inspired by her travels along the Silk Road and her personal collection of Ikat textiles.” By combining traditional Ikat patterns with shiny glass tiles, Baldwin was able to juxtapose classic and contemporary styles, and eastern and western aesthetics.

Loom Mosaics. Designed by Sara Baldwin. Manufactured by New Ravenna Mosaics.

Handcrafted Jewel Glass Mosaics

Handcrafted in New Ravenna Mosaic’s Virginia facility, the Ikat Collection includes three patterns—Loom, Weft, and Pamir—in five colorways. Loom, which is produced in Quartz, Aquamarine, Tanzanite, and Turquoise glass, is an homage to the bright colors and geometric designs of today’s Ikat textiles. Weft, with its subtle palette of Quartz and Labradorite glass, pays tribute to Uzbekistani leaf patterns. Pamir is inspired by the Central Asian mountain range of the same name. New Ravenna Mosaics explains the connection: “The zigzag design is reminiscent of the steep peaks of this high mountain range, called since Victorian times the ‘Roof of the World.’”

Sara Baldwin has designed other mosaics for the company, including the bamboo-inspired Tatami Collection and the Metamorphosis Collection, inspired by the flora of the Chesapeake shores where Baldwin grew up. The Ikat Collection reflects a very specific artistic departure point, and the result is dramatic. At once familiar, the Ikat mosaics are also unexpected, since the jewel glass material recasts the textile’s patterns.

About the Manufacturer: New Ravenna Mosaics designs and manufactures stone and glass mosaic tiles in their Virginia facility. The company designs for both residential and commercial clients. New Ravenna Mosaics are handcrafted into decorative borders, murals, fields, and medallions; they can be tumbled, honed, or treated. The resulting work is one-of-a-kind: “The end products are custom works of art in mosaic tile.”