About Smink Studio
Smink Studio is a design studio in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, that creates handmade, screen-printed ceramic tiles and draws a bespoke tile layout for every project, whether it is a kitchen splashback in Berlin or the bar of a New York hotel. The studio was founded in 2013 by the designer Marianne Smink, whose background in print design and fondness for things that are made by hand, and are a little imperfect because of it, still shape every tile we make. Her husband, Jonathan, joined her in 2021, and together they run the studio from the Nieuwegracht, one of Utrecht’s historic canals, working with clients across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.
How our tiles are made
Our tiles are made for us by a factory in the interior of Portugal, where skilled craftsmen and women bring a deep knowledge of clay and glaze to every batch. The clay is first extruded into a rough shape and then pressed by hand into a metal grid, which gives each tile its final form; once the tiles have dried and been fired, the glaze is screen-printed onto each one individually, which is how a single tile can carry several rich colours and a bold, graphic pattern. Alongside the screen-printed range we make Relief tiles, whose three-dimensional surfaces catch the light as it moves across a wall. Because every tile is shaped, printed and fired by hand, no two are quite alike, and it is these small variations, the traces of how each was made, that give a finished wall its depth and warmth.
Wall and floor tiles share the same clay body, and since nothing is made from stock, details such as thickness can be adjusted to suit a particular project. The same is true of colour: for projects larger than 20 m² (200 sq ft), we can match a glaze to a paint, a fabric or a brand colour.
A design made for your space
For us the tiles are only half of the story, since what matters just as much is how they come together. We treat every project as a one-off, so once you have told us about your space and shared the images that inspire you, we suggest a sample kit to suit it and then draw a layout to your exact dimensions, refining it with you until it feels right. This design service is included with every order, whether you are tiling a single shower or a whole restaurant. Because we make tiles to order, we produce only what your design needs, which means less waste and a scheme that is entirely your own. Production usually takes six to ten weeks, after which the finished tiles take a further two to three weeks to reach you.
Where you can see our tiles
Smink Studio tiles have been installed in homes, cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops and offices worldwide. They line Bar Harta at the Grayson Hotel in New York and appear in boutiques of the Parisian fashion house Sandro, from Europe to Central Asia, as well as at Starter Bakery in Oakland, California, and in private kitchens, bathrooms and stairwells from Amsterdam to Zhengzhou (yes, really). The majority of our clients are interior designers and architects, with whom we work closely from first sketch to final delivery and for whom we offer trade terms; you can see more of their work, and our own, among our projects.
Get in touch
Whether you have a project taking shape or simply a question about tiles, glazes or installation, we would be glad to hear from you, and we reply to every enquiry within one working day. You can tell us about your plans using the form below, which also lets you share floor plans and the images that inspired you.
