Fès Zellige Tiles White 10×10cm Handmade Set of 25

White zellige is where the handmade part shows most, because there's no colour to hide behind. Look at the edges — rust-brown marks where the clay body meets the glaze, different on every tile, some barely there and some running the full length of a side. Look at the surface — one tile catches light like water across its whole face, the next holds a matte patch where the glaze sat thinner. And look at the outlines: not one of these is a true square. That's the difference between this and a white subway tile, and on a full backsplash it's the difference between a wall that looks manufactured and one that looks made. This is Fès, where zellige has been produced this way for centuries. Twenty-five tiles at 10×10cm, covering 50×50cm.

What Makes It

• The edges are the proof — rust-brown bleeding where the clay meets the glaze, irregular on every piece. A factory tile has a clean uniform edge on all four sides, every time. These don't, and that's what a designer is specifying when they choose zellige over ceramic.
• Uneven gloss across the surface — the glaze pools and thins as it melts, so some tiles read wet and reflective while others go soft and matte. On a wall this produces movement that a uniform white tile cannot.
• Not a true square — hand-formed, so the outlines are slightly off and the thickness varies across a single tile. Laid together, that gives a wall its handmade line instead of a printed grid.
• Warm white, not cold — a faint cream-grey with dark specks showing through from the clay body underneath. It sits with oak, marble, brass, and lime plaster rather than fighting them.
• The most versatile colourway — backsplashes, shower walls, full bathrooms, fireplace surrounds, or as a field against a coloured border. White zellige is the one that works in a kitchen that isn't otherwise Moroccan.
• Sold in 50×50cm panels — 25 tiles, 0.25m² of coverage. Order the panel count you need and add 10–15% for cuts and breakage, as with any tile.

The Craft

Zellige begins as clay dug from the ground around Fès, formed by hand, dried in the sun, then fired. The glaze is applied by hand and fired again, and what comes out is a range rather than a match — the same glaze on the same clay in the same kiln produces variation the potter cannot fully direct. Moroccan tile setters have worked with that range for centuries; the pattern language of zellige exists because craftsmen learned to compose with variation instead of against it. The imperfection is not tolerated. It is the material.

Details

Before You Order

Order a sample first. Colour and texture vary between batches, and a screen cannot show you how the glaze moves. Buying a sample before a full order is standard practice with handmade tile and it will tell you more than any photograph.

Zellige needs an installer who has worked with handmade tile before. The thickness variation means it does not set like a factory tile, and the result depends heavily on how it's laid. We recommend a professional.

Need a specific quantity, a different colour, or a bulk order for a renovation or a commercial space? Message us and we'll prepare it.

Care

Seal after installation as recommended by your installer. Clean with a pH-neutral cleaner. Avoid acidic or abrasive products, which will damage the glaze.

What's Included

25 tiles covering 50×50cm, packed with protection for transit. One Origin Passport card with a QR code — scan it to see the workshop in Fès, the artisan who made them, the technique, and the GPS coordinates of where the clay was fired. The passport stays with the tiles permanently, including if the property changes hands.

Ships worldwide via DHL Express with tracking. 0 returns across 63 orders. 5.0 rating.