Sealily Ceramics Handmade Tiles Add an Artisanal Touch to Island Homes

Unique tile options are hard to come by in the Islands, which makes the handmade creations of Sealily Ceramics all the more special. Potter Yamuna Brennan, who’s also known for lovely vases, dishware and sculptures, crafts her exquisite tiles in small batches at her home studio in Kailua, drawing inspiration from the raw, natural beauty of the ocean.

Growing up in Sydney, Australia, Brennan couldn’t help but develop a love for coastal elements. “Sydney is very much a beach city,” she says. “The contemporary ocean aesthetic is strong there.” Her tiles feature textures and hues reflective of shells, stones and organic shapes. And she opts for glazes that mimic volcanic lava and seafoam. “It’s a monochromatic palette, but there are so many different colors within that—inks, ivories, opulent coppers, luminous shades of pearl.”

A recent project for a historic home in Kāhala called for fireplace tile that reflected the home’s location next to a bird sanctuary. So Brennan dreamt up a series featuring individually hand-carved ‘ua‘u kani, or wedge-tailed shearwater seabirds. The delicate pleats of fan palm leaves served as muse for a kitchen backsplash tile. And Brennan experimented with 20-plus glazes to get the cracked earth finish just right for a client’s ocean-inspired wet bar.

“I love that part of the process,” she says. “You could have one glaze in one color, but if you mix it a certain way or fire at a certain temperature, it will do 100 different things. It’s just amazing.”

In fact, the entire tile-making practice is a slow, intensive process. Brennan draws designs on paper or digitally, then carves them and makes multiple molds. “There’s a very long drying time to ensure that there’s no cracks and even then, about 30% aren’t going to be right,” she says. Smaller batches can take around three months. But the perfectly imperfect, completely one-of-a-kind results are well worth the wait.

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