Vintage Jade Tiles

Mrs Hoptiki here,

If anyone is interested, there is a vintage shop in Burbank that has a large amount of these jade tiles. They definitely look vintage and in very good condition. The color is a very pretty dark blue/green. The owner of the shop says she believes they came from a restaurant in Hollywood and mentioned they were near a Coy pond. I did some research to possibly identify the restaurant but couldn’t come up with anything.

The shop:
Best Of Times
3401 West Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
(818)-848-5851
Owner Laree Adel

I must agree, Jade does have some vintage tiles.

I thought you'd like 'em.:D

...which brings up the question again: How come these tiles were such a staple of Tiki lounge decor !?
Were they introduced by Don The Beachcomber when he polynesian-ized Chinese cuisine, as a left over of that, or were they part of Trader Vic's "Trader" style, representing "exotic" import items, like the sake bundles and crates he used. Actually, ARE they Chinese? Where do they come from in Asian culture in the first place?

I want the answers by 10:00 pm tonite. :)

I believe they "are" Chinese. I've seen tiles like the ones pictured in the basement of a store in San Francisco's Chinatown. They were on a shelf with other building decorations like ceramic roof tiles, etc. I've also seen them used in some Western architecture from the twenties. Architect Julia Morgan (Hearst Castle) used them in one of her YWCA building designs.

I know this is childish and stupid but I gotta say it,

there were tiles in that pic.?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

My money's on that being a photo from a Mai Kai calendar - 1982, perhaps?

Minnie's (Modesto)has a bunch of those tiles up still. They really give a formal, character to a place.

Yes, those are some nice Ti..........um, Tiles.

On 2007-05-10 18:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
...which brings up the question again: How come these tiles were such a staple of Tiki lounge decor !?
Were they introduced by Don The Beachcomber when he polynesian-ized Chinese cuisine, as a left over of that, or were they part of Trader Vic's "Trader" style, representing "exotic" import items, like the sake bundles and crates he used. Actually, ARE they Chinese? Where do they come from in Asian culture in the first place?

I want the answers by 10:00 pm tonite. :)

I'm SO glad someone finally asked this question. I've wanted to know the same thing for quite a while, but wasn't sure how to describe them and I guess I was too lazy to post a picture. Someone please describe the orgins of these and their design. And I've always seen them tied to bamboo in that fashion. I would love to have a wall of these at home. What a great room divider they would make.

And, yes, judging from to 'doo, I'd say 1982 (Rock The Casbah!) for this Mai-Kai calendar pic is just about right on the money.

I've wanted to know the same thing for quite a while, but wasn't sure how to describe them and I guess I was too lazy to post a picture. Someone please describe the orgins of these and their design. And I've always seen them tied to bamboo in that fashion. I would love to have a wall of these at home. What a great room divider they would make.

You know, I just re-read my post and if you read it as though I was referring to the lovely sarong-clad server, it's really quite funny.

I'm pretty sure those tiles are the same as the ones in TRADER VIC'S here in London, England. If so, I would imagine they must have been used in some of the other locations around the globe? I'll check next time I'm in there which hopefully will be in the next week or so! Barkeep!...Make mine a Mai-Tile!!!
Trader Jim - Make mine a Mai-Tai!

At 30 bucks apiece, she's about 5 dollars more expensive than I remember these being in the Oceanic Arts catalog. For architectual salvage, she's way off. They are a tiki bar staple, though. For a 4-to 6 tile order, why not...

And I've only ever seen them for sale for $100 a piece (on which I of course passed)!

But I'd be thrilled to have access to them, be they $25 or $30 a piece.

Not that I have one freakin' free square inch on which to place them....

...I'm not gonna let this one go away THAT easy:

While I am still seeking to throw some light on the mystery of the Chinese Tiles in Tiki style, here is what I know:

First, to get a good image of the subject at hand, I will borrow two of Tikiskip's photos from his Kahiki Catalog thread, they are the clearest shot of the tiles I have found, and of how they are lashed in between bamboo frames:


Thanks, Skip!

Here is one of MANY Trader Vic's that used them, the Portland Trader in 1959, left AND right, with Barney West masks hung from them:

Here is the London Trader Vic's, whose other decor shows why I attribute them to the TRADER-style:

Then there was THE LUAU in Beverly Hills (visible on the bottom, in the foreground and background).

It is obvious that these tiles had become part of the standard vocabulary of Tiki Temple decor. But HOW and WHY?

My 1991 Orchids of Hawaii catalog which has TONS of Chinese restaurant crap in it is of NO help, it just proves how far the Tiki Devolution had progressed at the time: Tridacna shells, Tikis AND the tiles were all made out of plastic by then!:

Here is an ad from the 1958 LA Times that shows that the tiles were not only used in restaurants:

Sometimes these tiles are the ONLY proof left that there once was a Tiki edifice. When visiting Bing Crosby's Blue Skies Mobile Home Village during the last Palm Springs Modcom tour...

(No tiles in this shot, just Der Bingle) :)

I was thrilled to find THIS rendering for a Tikified mobile unit in the club house:

(note the awning support post to the left of the Tiki)

After an extensive urban archeological survey of the whole park, I was finally able to identify the site ONLY by the tiles that were left as the last remaining sign of its former glory:

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-05-12 21:22 ]

Awesome details an equally awesome photo's

Nice examples, Sven...I've always wanted a few of these, but the wholesale buyer in me kicks in fast. They are indeed a tiki temple staple.

These tiles are also in the Dallas Trader Vic's. Heck, now that I know they are available, I might want some.
Robert

Robert, watch out that you don't get the newer, globby ones (like worn out Tiki mug molds). The ones in that Burbank store are vintage, with nice detail in the glaze.

Thanks for the link Bigbro. Thats why I took / posted that picture.
So one and all could see how these were tied.
All tiles below are made of ceramic not fiberglass.
We all need to take more close ups of tiki type joints.
Document how they were put together. Here today gone tomorrow.
Here's more. These are all from kahiki.

These tiles are biger. and they have more detail.
These tiles were in the offices up stairs.

This is a close up of the tie job.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2007-05-14 12:20 ]

Ok one more type. These were not from the Kahiki.
This last tile has a made in china sticker.
And a sticker that says"customs permission"
This last skicker is a hologram type stickie.
This tile is much heavier than the others. I do not think they are ceramic.

I believe the last type of tile you have pictured is the type I saw for sale in a basement shop in San Francisco's Chinatown. They all seemed to have chips in the glaze - so maybe the modern version's aren't as durable or well made. They sure were heavy - I wanted a couple - but I didn't have my car and couldn't lug them on the BART train!

They look yummy, Skip! I can see how you picked up your appetite for Chinese tiles at the Kahiki: You liked them so much, you had them for appetizers (yellow), entree (green), and dessert (big green) ! :)

MrsHoptiki here,

bigbrotiki & tikiskip, thanks for posting the information and photo’s.

Basement Kahuna, she quoted me $30 a piece also, but she had one laying by itself on a table with a sticker that said $20. Remember she is an vintage/antique dealer so she would probably be willing to negotiate.

The tiles look just like this one that tikiskip posted. Not the bad mold ones from Oceanic Arts (no offense O A). To me they look vintage and really nice. I'm wondering now if these may have come from the Luau in Beverly Hills that bigbrotiki posted a picture of.

Yes I think they are cool. used to be able to get them for $15.00.
The Kahiki ones were a deal I made with the Tropical Bistro guys.
Plus a trade I made with someone else.
I think the last ones are newer.

I just got this interesting e-mail from Bob at Oceanic Arts:

"Bula Bula Sven:
I noted the thread on T/C of the Oriental Ceramic Tiles.
I believe you are right that Trader Vic first used these. We also sold a lot to George Nakashima over the years.
Originally they were made and imported in TeraCotta and the greenish color was very rich.
When we could not longer get these we had a ceramic firm make these in Ceramic. We had them in the Jade Green, White, Spanish Gold, Red, Turquoise and Cinnabar.
Other colors to order.
Last time we made these up we sold them for $18.50 ea. We did salvage 32 of them from the Pago Pago in Arizona and have about 30 of them left."

So we might never find out how and when exactly Trader Vic's came to use them, but they do seem to be connected with the "Trading in exotic goods" concept. And since his success was a shining example for the other Tiki entrepreneurs, it makes sense that these were accepted as part of the standard decor, and decorators like George Nakashima, who was hired away by Steve Crane from Welton Becket, architect of the Beverly Hills Traders, went on to use them at the Luau, the Mai Kai and the Mauna Loa.
Now we just need to find out about the original, Chinese history of application of these :)

I was in Trader Vic's London last night and sadly only had my iPhone rather than a proper camera, but I took a photo of the Cast Iron "tile" that they have in alternate pattern with the green tiles above.

I got 4 of these off Ebay a while back for about $20 each. Architectural salvage from China. The edges are all plain where they were mortared in place. Very heavy.

Also, you see the lashing there, but under all that rope is the galvanized wire that holds them securely in place. The rope is just there to cover the wire and make it look nice. And usually it's rattan they are tied to instead of bamboo. So, when you are recreating the look, wire them in place firmly, then cover with jute ot\r whatever.

On 2009-07-12 17:23, Swanky wrote:

I got 4 of these off Ebay a while back for about $20 each. Architectural salvage from China. The edges are all plain where they were mortared in place. Very heavy.

Also, you see the lashing there, but under all that rope is the galvanized wire that holds them securely in place. The rope is just there to cover the wire and make it look nice. And usually it's rattan they are tied to instead of bamboo. So, when you are recreating the look, wire them in place firmly, then cover with jute otr whatever.

Thanks for the heads up on how they are attached.
I'm making a tile screen for my home bar as we type and this is great information.

Gotta love TikiCentral's knowledge base,

thanks
Swanky

boy the floral decor of some of those really pops out.
wish the ones at Don's were like that.
;-(

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Woo-HOO!
Scored a pair of this kind today, together for $25, in Huntsville, TX (home of the state prison).
Good things come to those who wait. . . for 10 years. . .

Now, since there are no defunct tiki bars within 70 miles of that city, I'm gonna guess that these came from a Chinese restaurant.

I'm planning on hanging one over each window in my tiki lounge. (2 don't make no room divider.)

Fantastic score Formikahini!

From the "Luau Mexico" thread

Looks like a nice place! Let's go there some day, Zeta! :)

I photographed these tiles when I was at the Riverside Mission Inn two weeks ago:

The Mission Inn is one of the great examples of early California theme architecture, and they always had a Chinese themed room:

This is a little off topic, but I remember that in the 50s, when every hotel had to have one, they supposedly had a Polynesian restaurant, in there or some other room, called the Luau Room (or something like that). Does anyone know anything about that? Any paper ephemera out there?

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=33640&forum=2&hilite=riverside%20mission

Wow, thank you, that thread totally went by me, it was posted while I was in my last week of shooting in Paris last year.
Tiki Central delivers again!!!

Just a note for those of you who happen to score some of these vintage tiles. Swanky is right, use galvanized wire to secure them in place and then rope or jute to decoratively "tie" them. On my installation... :down:

... I also used a hot glue gun to keep the rope all nice and tidy because my boy scout days were a long time ago and I don't remember my knots so well. :)

I've still got 4 more to tie up with bamboo on the other two windows of my bar, when I ever get around to it.

I recently purchased some of these green jade tiles, and I've been kinda obsessed... here's some cool pics I came across:

A-Ma Temple - Macao

Shanghai

Don's Beachcomber - McCadden St.

-Trad'r Bill

On 2009-07-12 15:19, blue.octopus wrote:
I was in Trader Vic's London last night and sadly only had my iPhone rather than a proper camera, but I took a photo of the Cast Iron "tile" that they have in alternate pattern with the green tiles above.

When I took a tour of the old Trader Vic's warehouse in Emeryville, I was shown some cast iron tiles that were made by one of Vic's brothers. That brother owned an iron foundry. I believe the tile was marked (something like) Bergeron Iron Works Richmond Cal. I'm going off a memory from about 15 years ago!
That said, any iron tile in a Trader Vics may have been made by the brother! Look on the edges or back side next time someone sees one..I am curious!

Great thread! Those tiles are all over Oahu. Seemed to be a popular architectural accent for homes built in the 30's. You can spot them on homes along the old pali road, in Nuuanu, and a few in Manoa. A bunch are set in a wall in Lanikai, and I always ponder where I could get my hands on some every time I run by it.

Henrik

Google Street View of a whole-lotta these on the side of a restuarant in Calgary's Chinatown:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=calgary&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Calgary,+Division+No.+6,+Alberta&gl=ca&ei=nMHmTNXQM46qsAOrm8mxCw&oi=geocode_result&ved=0CCUQ8gEwAA&ll=51.050065,-114.059758&spn=0,0.005026&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.050209,-114.060993&panoid=qG0Vkmm7wtfoq5hcXtvkdw&cbp=12,6.88,,0,-6.81

[ Edited by: Slacks Ferret 2010-11-19 10:39 ]

I photographed these at Minnie's in Modesto, CA last year.

Here's a shot from aquarj's thread of the Lanai in San Mateo:

Every epic tiki temple needs these...

-Trad'r Bill

La Mariana - Honolulu HI:

On 2007-05-10 18:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
...which brings up the question again: How come these tiles were such a staple of Tiki lounge decor !?
Were they introduced by Don The Beachcomber when he polynesian-ized Chinese cuisine, as a left over of that, or were they part of Trader Vic's "Trader" style, representing "exotic" import items, like the sake bundles and crates he used. Actually, ARE they Chinese? Where do they come from in Asian culture in the first place?

I want the answers by 10:00 pm tonite. :)

I was looking up an unrelated topic and found this link that Limbo Lizard posted a few months back.
Chinese Ming Dynasty Openwork Tiles ca 15th Century AD with authenticity guaranteed for only $700 each.

Assuming that's true, now you have an answer to your question Sven
Sorry about the 10:00 deadline, I'm only 4 years late :lol:

Great info MDM...and only $700 for the authenticity...gorgeous tile!!!

Apparently, you gots your "vintage tiles" (mere decades old),... and then you gots your truly vintage tiles (centuries!).

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2014-04-17 11:15 ]