Just as a master tailor or seamstress designs and sews a suit to fit the individual, so our works of art are unique and are made to your requirements. Unlike industrial or semi-industrial mosaics, the materials and design are heavily influenced by our client’s tastes, personality and needs and unlike industrial mosaics they can not simply be reproduced or copied.
We begin the project by identifying the best designs, colours and motifs and then begin adapting them to the environment that will host the mosaic.

Each marble tile is cut by hand using an anvil and mallet. By using natural variations within the stone’s colours we are able to add shades and tonality to the overall design, adjusting the size of the tiles to bring life to the mosaic. Only a skilled mosaic artist is able to chose the most appropriate marble in terms of its colour and durability. Unlike the semi-industrial process that uses ready-made, machine-cut tiles, hand-cutting and hand-selecting results in a mosaic that has life, character and depth and of course a mosaic that is completely unique, whereas machine cut tiles result in mosaics that are somewhat lifeless, pixellated and synthetic.

The amount of time and skills required to correctly select and hand-cut the millions of marble tiles that go to make each unique mosaic means that our mosaics are a premium hand-made product. The knowledge and traditions of this craft have accumulated over the years and have been passed down by generations of craftsmen (and women). One only need look to museums and archaeological sites spanning Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilisations to know that mosaics do not last a mere hundred of years, but they leave their commissioner’s legacy and give pleasure for thousands of years to come.

The term Cosmatesque refers to a generic Roman ornamentation style, typical of the period. It was often used to decorate ciboria and cloisters. The term Cosmatesque is derived from the name of one of the most important Roman families of marble workers, the Cosmati. There are countless examples of Cosmatesque floors from which we continue to draw inspiration to create new floors and table-tops.

A Florentine is made of semiprecious stones and is an ancient craft which began at the end of the 6^th Century in Florence. It was an evolution of the craft of using mosaic tiles to create more and more refined, painting-like mosaics. The materials are different from those used in mosaic tiles, using semi-precious stones like Lapis lazuli, Chalcedony, Jade and opaque precious stones. These are cut into thin plates and then carefully and precisely shaped before being positioned next to each other and glued onto a support. The final polishing of the work is crucial, and this is still done by hand, enabling the beauty and iridescent colours, streaks and stains in the stones, to shine through. 

There are two main mosaic techniques: the direct and the indirect technique.

The direct technique refers to inlaying the mosaic tiles directly in to its support.. After preparing the cement, the mosaic tiles are placed into the design one at a time. This technique requires the presence of the mosaic artist on site from the beginning to the end of the mosaic’s preparation, and is used on rare occasions.

There are two approaches to the indirect technique, working on paper, using an inverted design which is then turned over and embedded into its final position, or working on clay, which, once completed is then installed into its final position.

The indirect technique on clay was used to create this copy of Donna con Ermillino. Enabling us to carry out a highly complex process of selecting the various shades of marble and creating the final overall mosaic.

Mosaic Vase

The vase can be used externally with plants or internally filled with dried flowers.

The parallelepiped design can be created in different sizes and it can be decorated in any mosaic pattern, image or colour.

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This intensive mosaic course provides you with the  opportunity to learn each of the phases required to produce a stunning mosaic following the indirect technique. Not only will you learn how to make a mosaic, your work remains yours to keep and all mosaic materials are included in the price of the course.

We also collaborate with local artisans who offer a range of objects which are perfect for displaying your work of art. For a small fee your work can be included in: wooden tables, towel stands, or even wrought iron wine-bottle holders.

All you need is imagination, and we’ve always got a selection of designs on hand to help you with that too.

Example Works from Previous Intensive Mosaic Courses

The technique we use most commonly is to beat the grit into the floor cement on site; however, we also use the sowing technique

A.F. Mosaici also removes, restores and repairs Venetian flooring

This colourful mosaic curtain was created to hide an unsightly radiator. The idea of a mosaic curtain is to provide an aesthetically pleasing cover for the radiator that allows heat to pass through. The curtain is made of strips of mosaic, separated by a ½ cm gap. The mosaic is glued to a reflective material.

This particular design was commissioned by a client, but due to the highly flexible nature of mosaics, any design or colour scheme would be possible. The mosaic curtains can be made to any measure, using any colour from our extensive range.

Mosaic Curtain Being Prepared

A wide range of colours are available for your mosaic curtain