Just off the main drag in Hudson, New York, in an early 1900s two-story Craftsman-style house sits an apartment reimagined into a creative studio for photographers on weekdays and a respite for city dwellers on weekends. The owner and designer, Anthony D’Argenzio of the New York-based creative agency Zio and Sons, wanted to reflect the 1,300-square-foot home’s period with a vintage look.

The kitchen backsplash for example features a durable, hand-glazed tile called Zellige by Clé. Made from natural glazes, pigments, and terra-cotta clay, each tile varies in color, shade, and surface texture. Handcrafted in Morocco, the tile measures 4” x 4” and reflects a glossy finish described as a “sequin-like” surface. “Color kind of scares me, but I still wanted some texture and subtle qualities behind it, so these tiles worked out perfectly,” D’Argenzio says.