Meet The Maker
Tabarka Studio
For nearly 20 years, Meir Zenati has been designing and handcrafting custom terra-cotta tile in colors and designs with cultural influences from around the world, much of which he was surrounded by during his early years in Morocco. Here, we chat with Zenati about Tabarka Studio and what’s in store.
What was the genesis of Tabarka? We started as a small business producing handprinted furniture, pottery and hand-painted tile-topped tables in Mexico. People fell in love with the tile and wanted it on backsplashes and countertops. When we moved to Arizona in 2004, we became completely focused on the tile. It’s something that kind of found us instead of us pursuing it.
What prompted you to expand beyond rustic tiles into lines that incorporate metal and geometric forms? Terra cotta has its limitations. We love modern and contemporary design, so we have imported more and more materials to incorporate cement, terrazzo, stones and wood, hand-painted parquet and mosaic. Still, everything is custom. No two pieces are the same. You can have something completely unique and different, made just for your home.
What’s on the horizon for Tabarka Studio? There’s always something new in the works. We are pursuing collaborations with some European companies and we are thinking of adding another showroom in late 2020.
