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Minnesota State Chapter

Member Spotlight: Mercedes Austin, Founder of Mercury Mosaics

36 days ago
ashley-holeton

We’re a Minneapolis-based tile studio crafting handmade ceramic tile rooted in artistry, sustainability, and design. Collaborating closely with kitchen and bath professionals, we bring one-of-a-kind surfaces to life—thoughtfully made with heart, story, and often, reclaimed materials.

Years in NKBA: 20 years?

Years as a Business: 23 years

Where is your business located: Minneapolis

Is it a showroom? We’re a production studio & showroom

Why are you a part of NKBA and/or how does it add value to your company/team/clients:
I respect the community

One event you’re looking forward to with NKBA this year: KBIS! I attended for the first time this year and WOW – what a life-changing show. I look forward to seeing the innovation again.

Fun Facts!

  •       Cabinet Preferences; Frame/Frameless, Painted/Stained Frame. Painted.
  •         What is your favorite design style/or trend? Why? Craftsman-Industrial. I’m in love with the collision of things made by hand while at the same time repurposing industrial spaces. It’s taking something that can have a very cold shell and adding warmth to the overall environment with color and finish materials adding new life.
  •         Tell us about the most exciting project you’ve completed
    One of the most exciting and meaningful projects we’ve completed to date was a custom mosaic mural for the Whitney Museum of American Art in collaboration with artist Dyani White Hawk. What made this project stand out wasn’t just its scale—over 18,000 individual handmade tiles—but that nearly 40% of the materials came from our own studio’s reclaimed tile ‘misfits.’

We took what would’ve been waste and turned it into a highly intentional, high-variation mosaic that now lives in the museum’s reimagined 8th Floor Café in their permanent collection. This project is a powerful example of how artistry, sustainability, and collaboration can come together to tell a story in tile—and it pushed our craft to new heights!
Link to the project here.

  •         Favorite spot to get lunch or happy hour as a team? MoMo Sushi

Any other information you feel is important our members know about your company?
Mercury Mosaics is female founded, we’ve been in business for 23 years – born & glazed in Minneapolis, Minnesota!