Found more Chemla tiles in Oakland

July 12, 2016 by Evan Hart

I found some more of the cool Tunisian tiles in our house elsewhere in Oakland. The building has a grand entry in a Spanish/Moorish style and is probably from around the same time period as our house - late '20s - when this style was most popular it seems from looking up other examples, that seem more abundant in the Southern California area.

The mural looks Tunisian. There is a single crescent moon at the top of both of the murals on each side - even though they are different designs - which is a Muslim symbol. Tunisian was once conquered by Turkey which is why the pattern is similar to… — The mural looks Tunisian. There is a single crescent moon at the top of both of the murals on each side - even though they are different designs - which is a Muslim symbol. Tunisian was once conquered by Turkey which is why the pattern is similar to Turkish Iznik style.

We have the ledge tile pattern in our bathroom. The rest of the tiles above look Andalusian (S. Spain) if I had to guess.

Right side design - you would think this would be the same mural design as the other side since the rest of it is symmetrical design.

Good looking ceiling

Though the building looks highly modified in the wings that extend out from the entryway, a lot of good detail has been preserved including the oversized sconces which are super cool