You’ve got to hand it to the folks over at the Kohler Co. and its many brands: no U.S.-based manufacturer can match their showmanship or their chutzpa. (Few can match their cool product designs either.) I was reminded of Kohler’s skill recently when I saw one of the latest introductions by Ann Sacks, the company’s premium tile brand. It’s called Shagreen, which is a collection of tiles made from the skin of stingrays. Why stingrays, you ask? Because it’s “long prized for its tactile quality and characteristic pointillist pattern.” Well…duh.
If you haven’t touched a stingray (I have, by the way), it has a rough sandpapery quality. This product, the company says, is slightly sanded to create a smooth surface that emphasizes the hide’s granular quality.” Each Shagreen tile is composed of the spine and skin of a stingray bordered in bone and features a spine marking called a “star” centering on the top,” the release says. Very seductive to the touch, the product is available in black and comes in tiles measuring 8 inches by 10 inches, 5 inches by 8 inches, and 4 inches by 5 inches.
So the question you’re probably wondering is how much these tiles will set you back. Well, Kimosabe, you’ll have to pony up $350 per square foot (!) to get this bad boy install in your house. www.annsacks.com.
Yes! Let’s run to the store! Let’s decimate the entire planet for our own decorative pleasure. When it’s out of style in a few we’ll find another animal to kill and display on our walls. I’m sure the coral reefs will be fine, just fine. There are unlimited natural resources, right? After all, only a few species of the stingray are endangered. Who cares about the balance of the ecosystem? Mother Nature won’t care when she sees my fab-u-lous bathroom tile!!
It does seem a little bit much, and it’s not something I would put in my house. I’m sure there are tons of 1 percenters out there who would.
So it’s made from genuine, real live (well, dead) skin? I would’ve guessed it was “patterned after.” It’s a neat concept, but I can’t help but question the logistics behind this. Do they farm their own rays? Fish for them? Hummm…interesting…
Real skin! That’s why I’m torn. It feels great to touch, but I feel bad for the rays.
what do you think leather is!?
I know all the stingrays I’ve ever met have always been very proud of their built-in pointillist art. Cool tiles! (edged in bone?! holy frijoles)
The tiles are cool, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole idea of using stingray skin for it though.
I don’t have a problem with the whole “skin” thing. Leather is mammal skin. Eelskin is, well, the skin of eels. Snake skin? What’s so different about a stingray?
What makes this a bit grisly the more I think about the product–although they’re still cool looking–is the bone. Like a harp made from bone and strung with sinew. Sure the music is hauntingly gorgeous, but: bone and sinew!
Yeah, I’m a hypocrite because I love leather. Still can’t help but be a little creeped out when I think about. Still, it’s really cool and very tactile. Not a whole lot of color variation though. Can’t think of too many applications where I’ll want black tiles.
I’m guessing if they just called it stingray leather (instead of skin) it would resonate differently.
Eureka! I like your spunk, madam. I’m placing a call to Ann Sacks right now.