4770 Ohio Ave S
Ste B
Seattle, WA 98134
info@paxsonfay.com
When Portland, Oregon-based designer Casey Keasler learned her client collected Blue Willow dinnerware, she saw an opportunity. The delicate earthenware and blue-and-white palette reminded her of Delft, the Dutch imitation of Chinese porcelain-ware made two centuries before. To celebrate the homeowner’s love of ceramics, Keasler commissioned Melanie Nead of artisan wallpaper and tile company Lonesome Pictopia to create Delft-style tiles. The resulting design features portraits of the four family pets, the year the house was built (1927), and scenes of the family’s sons fishing. “It was about creating a visual diary of their time in this home,” says Keasler, founder of AD PRO Directory design studio Casework. The tiles now surround the dining room fireplace.
As homeowners move away from clean minimalist interiors and gravitate toward ornamentation and personalization, hand-painted tile offers one way to leave a mark. “For centuries, tiles were made as a kind of signature for a home, often personalized for a family or to tell a story,” says Greg Santos, founder of Miami-based AD PRO Directory firm Studio Santos. Now, designers are returning to that historic practice, tapping artists to render their clients’ personal stories and motifs in glaze and clay.
A return to storytelling
“People want soul in their spaces again,” says Santos. “Hand-painted tile is tactile, human, and full of history.” It creates a tangible link to heritage with inherent handmade charm. And, when “permanently embedded in the architectural finishes of the home, it becomes a one-of-a-kind heirloom,” says Garance Rousseau, an AD PRO Directory designer based in Los Angeles and New York.
Santos recently incorporated a client’s collection of hand-painted tiles into a South Miami home design. Each tile depicts a different Arizona landscape, which the designer used to inspire a repeated geometric pattern in handmade Italian terra-cotta tiles on a dining room wall.
AD100 designer Jeremiah Brent and Athena Calderone recently covered the walls in the sunroom of a 1903 Rhode Island home with custom-painted tiles from Portugal. Rendered in a Delft style but updated with an ochre-and-white palette, “the designs are symbols of the clients’ family story,” painted with birds, past houses, and nine other familial emblems framed by colored grout, says Brent. This subtle addition creates a more emotional connection to the room. “If you look around and see your story reflected in your space, I think that’s what makes it really feel like a home,” he says. “We are creating things that hold memories.”


Hand-painted tile offers possibilities across scale. Some designers use individual decorated tiles as accents, while others commission murals that treat entire walls as a blank canvas. Designers say that Delft-style tiles are currently the most popular, but abstract patterns are also on the rise.
Bespoke tile can be an accent or flourish to set off a single room, or it can carry through an entire house. “In a Connecticut home, we used hand-painted tile as a backsplash in the kitchen, around a fireplace, and to tile the entire pantry,” says Rhode Island designer Blaire Moore, founder of AD PRO Directory studio Moore House Design. “We wanted it to feel like part of its architecture rather than just a surface treatment.”
Beyond architectural surfaces, consider applying customized tiles to furniture and standalone pieces. “I recently used hand-painted tile as a border around a simple fireplace, but we’re also exploring a custom-tile commission for a coffee table,” says AD PRO Directory designer Julia Sobrepeña King of Studio Roene in Los Angeles. “Then it becomes a piece that can move with you from home to home.”

While hand-painted tile is more cost-intensive than non-decorated tile, for clients seeking meaningful personalization, it’s worth the investment. According to Paige Loperfido, founder of AD PRO Directory firm Décor and More Design Studio in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, hand-painted tiles are typically 30% to 80% more costly than standard handmade options, depending on the scale and complexity of the design.
However, “hand-painted tile is usually a feature element on a backsplash or fireplace surround, versus covering an entire surface,” says Loperfido. “Because of that, it allows us to add artistry without dramatically increasing the overall project cost.”
Once you’ve settled on a motif or artistic direction, working with a ceramic artist is key to bringing the vision to life. “It’s a collaboration,” says Florida-based designer Laure Nell of AD PRO Directory firm Laetitia Laurent. “Sometimes the artist leads, especially if they have a signature style we love, and other times we sketch motifs that hold personal meaning for the client.”
Prototypes, Keasler says, are essential to the process. “We’ll review sketches from the artist first and then actual tile samples to finalize details including the imagery, proportion, glaze color, and final finish,” she explains.
Sometimes, giving the artist creative freedom can be the ideal formula. “The best results usually happen when there’s trust and a little room for interpretation,” insists King, who suggests engaging a ceramic artist to craft the entire tile, rather than painting atop mass-produced tiles. “I love the imperfection of handmade tiles—the uneven edges, the subtle shifts in glaze,” she says. “For me, those flaws are the charm.”—Lauren Gallow
meet the team
We’re inspired by diverse design perspectives, innovation, technology, art, and the world around us. We live for the chance to create and disperse powerful, genuine messages that resonate.
tessa franchini
principal
tessa@paxsonfay.com
Tessa graduated from Fordham University in New York with a dual bachelor's degree in Communications and Political Science. During her time at Fordham, she worked for an interior designer and at NBC News where she developed her love for both design and communications. After graduating, Tessa managed marketing at 3form, a pioneer in the sustainable building products industry. During her tenure, 3form was repeatedly named one of the most recognized manufacturers in the design industry among architects and designers, and the company won multiple awards for its innovative product launches. After 3form, Tessa consulted on marketing efforts with leading product manufacturers in architecture and design before starting Paxson Fay with Amy.
amy golden
principal
amy@paxsonfay.com
Originally from Seattle, Amy left her home in the Pacific Northwest to attend Fordham University, fulfilling her dream of living in New York City. After graduating with a BS in business administration, specializing in marketing and minoring in economics, Amy began her career in advertising sales at CNN and the Hallmark Channel in New York and LA. However, Amy’s love of writing, design, and connection with people ultimately led her to PR. While finishing her MBA back home at Seattle University, in 2015, Amy cofounded Paxson Fay with her friend and business partner, Tessa, driven by a shared vision to build a PR agency that reflected their values and passions. At Paxson Fay, Amy thrives in media relations and pitch development, enjoying the process of diving deep into each client’s story to craft compelling narratives that resonate with editors and journalists. Amy has a particular passion for architecture-focused projects, and securing SHED’s feature in The New York Times was an especially rewarding moment, as they were her first client. Another major career milestone was helping build out Paxson Fay’s talented team, fostering an environment where young professionals can grow their skills and pursue their passions. Outside of work, Amy loves spending time with her family, chasing after her two little boys, exploring Seattle’s restaurant scene, traveling with friends, and reading.
colby wood
senior account executive
colby@paxsonfay.com
After graduating from Fordham University in New York City with a major in Communications and Media Studies and a handful of marketing and PR internships, Colby moved to Boston to manage marketing for a small, women-owned, creative consulting agency. While in that role, Colby managed public relations and marketing efforts for some of Boston's most prominent events and public art initiatives, including the Boston Pickle Fair and The Bulfinch Crossing Projections in downtown Boston. Colby gained experience crafting brand stories and identities through social media marketing and creative copywriting, seen through the successful launch of a premier Massachusetts adult-use dispensary and the revamp of her agency's own website. After two years, Colby decided it was time to figure out what the West Coast was all about. Looking to blend her marketing experience with her passion for design and architecture, Colby found Paxson Fay, where she focuses on social media strategy and management and public relations.
paige childs
account executive
paige@paxsonfay.com
As a child, Paige wanted to be an architect; but after falling in love with storytelling, the power of words, and yes, the show West Wing, she decided to pursue journalism at The George Washington University in the nation’s capital. Following graduation, Paige crafted communications for the beauty and banking industries. Craving space for creativity, she joined the small team that would reopen the congressionally designated National Children’s Museum. There, she played an integral role in establishing the museum’s brand, bringing it to life across digital channels, including social media, email, and advertising. After nearly eight years in DC, she decided it was time for a change of scenery. Having grown fond of the title Washingtonian, she made the cross-country move to Washington State. She landed in Seattle at Paxson Fay, where in true full circle fashion she is the architect of social media and public relations strategies for our architecture and design clients.
martina povolo
account coordinator
martina@paxsonfay.com
Martina joined the Paxson Fay team as an intern when she was a senior at the University of Washington. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Interest Communications, Martina is now continuing with the team as a Communications Assistant. During her time at UW, Martina worked as the Special Sections Editor at the university’s newspapers where she won multiple awards for her front page spreads. Looking to blend her minors in real estate and environmental science with her focus in communications, Martina is passionate and excited to join the Paxson Fay team.
tara lyons
account coordinator
tara@paxsonfay.com
With roots in Napa and Denver, Tara ventured to the Pacific Northwest to pursue her academic journey at the University of Washington, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Education. Tara's love for writing began when she delved into songwriting, building on her pre-existing passion for singing and playing the piano. Following her undergraduate years, she returned to Paxson Fay, where she had previously interned, transitioning into the role of Communications Assistant. With a keen interest in PR and social media, Tara seamlessly integrates her creative flair into the professional realm. Outside of work, you'll find Tara passionately supporting the Kraken, embodying her love for both storytelling and sports.
We are hiring for our internship program! We are looking for an intern with a passion for design to help manage key communication channels. Click here to read more.
what we do
We are a communications firm founded in our passion for good design. Our unique approach to marketing and public relations in the architecture and design community has elevated our clients work to the next level. We’re backed by a talented community of creatives. From copywriters to social media experts, we provide a complete package of customized services. We strive to create a personal experience with each client, integrating teams and tackling your biggest marketing and public relations challenges from a high level. Then we help execute those plans ensuring lots of reporting along the way, with lots of coffee breaks in between because we’re from Seattle and that’s what we do.
marketing
marketing strategy
brand strategy
project management
partnerships acquisition and management
e-mail blasts
public relations
media strategy
content production
media communications and outreach
awards: strategy, content development and submissions
social
platform strategy and management
content production
targeted campaigns
results + reporting
advertising
advertising strategy
budget strategy + negotiation
calendar management
creative coordination
content
storytelling
copywriting
website and e-mail marketing
video: sourcing, storyboarding and scheduling
photography acquisition + curation
events
event management
sponsorships + partnerships
tradeshow coordination
press tours
clients
Here is a little taste of who we love to work with and what we love to do.