What is Zocalo terracotta tile?

A handmade terracotta tile from Zia Tile here in Los Angeles. The tiles on this fireplace are 13 inches, formed in Mexico from raw clay and finished with wood ash, so each one has its own character and finish. We used two colors, Red Clay and the darker Madera.

Can you mix two tile colors in one pattern?

Yes. Here we interspersed the darker Madera tiles through the red clay across the hearth and the surround. With handmade tile, where the darker tiles fall is decided when we sort through the boxes and plan the layout, before a single tile goes in.

Why miter the corners of a tiled fireplace?

For a seamless finish, which is what our clients wanted here. Mitering means cutting each exposed edge at 45 degrees so two tiles meet at the corner, and the corner reads as the tile itself turning instead of a trim piece.

How do you lay out handmade tile that varies in size and shape?

Before anything is set. These tiles had extreme variance in size and shape, so we sorted through each individual box and planned the whole layout before a single tile went in. That planning is also what lets the grout lines run continuously from the hearth up onto the wall.

CONTACT

HOME/PORTFOLIO/ZOCALO CLAY FIREPLACE

TILE

Handmade Terracotta Fireplace Tile
in Encino, Los Angeles

Red Clay + Madera Terracotta

LOCATION: Encino, Los Angeles, CA

PROJECT NOTES

Red Clay + Madera Terracotta

A fireplace surround and hearth in a modern home overlooking the hills of Encino, Los Angeles, retiled by Slow Hand Remodeling in handmade 13-inch Zocalo terracotta from Zia Tile. Two colors, Red Clay and the darker Madera, are interspersed across the hearth and the surround, every corner is mitered, and the grout lines run unbroken from the hearth up onto the wall.

LOCATION: Encino, Los Angeles, CA
YEAR: 2026
SCOPE: Fireplace surround and hearth
THE HOUSE: Modern home overlooking the Encino hills
MATERIALS: Handmade 13-inch Zocalo terracotta from Zia Tile, Los Angeles, in two colors, Red Clay and the darker Madera, formed in Mexico from raw clay and finished with wood ash · non-patterned 8×8 tile in the same finish across the top of the surround · every corner mitered

The fireplace from straight on: surround and hearth in handmade Zocalo terracotta, Red Clay and darker Madera tiles mixed through the pattern, with the deck and the Encino hills beyond.

The fireplace in the room, between floor-to-ceiling windows onto the deck, the terracotta hearth set into the wood floor.

The outside corner of the surround, every edge mitered so the tile turns the corner with no trim, the hearth pattern running into the wall.

Close view of the handmade terracotta on the side of the surround, showing the wood-ash finish and an outlet cut into the tile.

The top of the surround in plain 8×8 tile of the same finish and color, breaking up the pattern below it.

THE SITUATION

This project was in a beautiful modern home overlooking the hills of Encino. Our clients had recently purchased the house and had worked with an interior design firm to remodel various parts of it, including its centerpiece: the fireplace.

The old fireplace surround was one solid stone hearth and a dull gray plaster finish. The aim was to bring warmth and character into the center of the home with handmade clay tile.

HOW WE BUILT IT

The tile was sourced by the designer from Zia Tile here in Los Angeles: handmade 13-inch terracotta, formed in Mexico from raw clay and finished with wood ash, which gives every tile its own character and finish. We used two colors, and thoughtfully interspersed the darker Madera tiles with the red clay.

Across the top of the surround we used a non-patterned 8×8 tile in the same finish and color, to add another dimension and break up the pattern. Our clients wanted every corner mitered for a seamless finish, so each corner is the tile itself turning, not a trim profile.

We also carried the pattern over from the hearth to the wall, so the grout lines run continuously from tile to tile, up off the floor and onto the surround.

THE HARD PART

Working with handmade tile is always a challenge, and these were no exception. Because of the extreme variance in size and shape, the overall layout has to be carefully constructed, and here it also had to keep the grout lines running continuously from the hearth up the wall. We take the time to sort through each individual box of tile and plan our layout before a single tile goes in.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions about
this project.

What is Zocalo terracotta tile?
A handmade terracotta tile from Zia Tile here in Los Angeles. The tiles on this fireplace are 13 inches, formed in Mexico from raw clay and finished with wood ash, so each one has its own character and finish. We used two colors, Red Clay and the darker Madera.
Can you mix two tile colors in one pattern?
Yes. Here we interspersed the darker Madera tiles through the red clay across the hearth and the surround. With handmade tile, where the darker tiles fall is decided when we sort through the boxes and plan the layout, before a single tile goes in.
Why miter the corners of a tiled fireplace?
For a seamless finish, which is what our clients wanted here. Mitering means cutting each exposed edge at 45 degrees so two tiles meet at the corner, and the corner reads as the tile itself turning instead of a trim piece.
How do you lay out handmade tile that varies in size and shape?
Before anything is set. These tiles had extreme variance in size and shape, so we sorted through each individual box and planned the whole layout before a single tile went in. That planning is also what lets the grout lines run continuously from the hearth up onto the wall.