We all have varying levels of comfort with venturing out to restaurants for varying degrees of safe dining and drinking in public. The one way to ensure a totally healthy dining and drinking experience? Staying home. But instead of begrudgingly preparing margaritas behind what may once have just an okay alternative to your local watering hole (and home design afterthought), now is the time to turn a home bar into a dreamy haven of indulgence and joy. How? Artistic Tile CEO and recent home-bar-renovator herself Nancy Epstein shares how you can transform your backyard home bar into the crown jewel of your outdoor space with a little tile spruce-up.

How is shopping for outdoor tile different from shopping for indoor tile? What should we look out for?

As with indoor tile, though many man-made materials try to replicate natural stone (and wood), there is no substitute for the eternal beauty of natural stone.  Installation is a considerable portion of any project’s expense and varies little to none between man-made and natural materials, so I urge any prospective client to select natural stone.  Currently, Artistic Tile stocks over 25 materials ideal for exterior floors, including quartzites, granites, marbles, even an elegant schist – the stone that famously comprises the bedrock of Manhattan, and is seen as boulders outcropping Central Park.

What preparation work is key for a stunning final product? Where do people cut corners that they shouldn't and how do we avoid this?

Choosing the size that is right for the space and having as much cutting done prior to the material arriving onsite; you never want to turn your home or your outdoor space into a tile-cutting facility.  Invest in having your stone supplier do as much of this work in their shop as possible.  Rely on your supplier, as well, for the proper setting materials for the stone and the installation; they will always know best.

What are your favorite materials for installation? Any that are overrated?

I am personally very fond of blue, and there is a lovely natural Quartzite, Azul Bochira, that features rippling waves of mid and dark blue, very aquatic, and a real favorite of mine. I used it on my outdoor Cabana and bathroom, and my cousin (Artistic Tile President of Wholesale) Josh Levinson chose the same stone for his outdoor kitchen. 

As to overrated materials, the impressive technology that allows porcelain tile to be printed to resemble just about anything has made it quite popular. I agree that porcelain is ideal for many commercial installations, but especially now, as we confront a world full of the “virtual,” the ability to live with the “actual” – in particular, natural stone, is a true luxury.

What are the major trends you're seeing right now in terms of style?

Color, especially the color green, which I believe is a visual expression of green as philosophy.  Our Jazz Glass collection of glass mosaics includes many green items ideal for exterior wall application.  I love our Billie Ombre in Green, which ombres from deep pine green through emerald and spring to moonlight. 

What guidance do you have for first-time tile DIY-ers?

I would urge them to rely on an expert to help select the right product, and to inform them as to installation methods and protocol.  Our showrooms are extraordinarily resourceful; our team is expert at design and at guiding the client to the correct installation protocol. 

Tell us about your own residential outdoor gathering space.  When did you take this project on, how did you decide on the style, what is the upkeep like, etc?

Those who know me well know that I have two passions – world travel is one, and the other, my grandchildren – all eight of them!  While I love taking my grandkids with me, time at home with them is precious, and I have made my outdoor space as luxurious and beautiful as possible.  I am lucky to have experienced extraordinary outdoor spaces all over the world, and 5 years ago, when it came time to update my pergola and outdoor bathroom, (carpenter bees and woodpeckers had destroyed the ceiling grid, which collapsed in a snowstorm, and took the walls of the outdoor shower with it) )  I knew what I wanted.  I chose walls of a custom glass mosaic in a languid lily pad pattern we call Walden, retained table and bar tops of Azul Bahia (which survived the collapse,) a new firepit clad with our Jazz Glass tiles, and floors of that gorgeous stone, Azul Bochira. The ceiling of my pergola is composed of grape vines wrapping around wooden beams.  The limestone columns are wrapped with Star of Jasmine plants to make the experience as fragrant as it is exceptional. Especially now, when travel is far less feasible, it is incredible to have such a relaxing and beautiful space at my own home.  My own yard feels as lush and indulgent as the finest outdoor spaces I have experienced anywhere in the world, and I use it almost every day from spring to fall!  There is just nothing better.