StoryTiles, handcrafted in the Netherlands, beautifully blend traditional Delft blue ceramics with contemporary designs, creating unique tiles that celebrate Dutch heritage with a modern twist. Each tile serves as a miniature story, sparking imagination or evoking personal memories or moments of loved ones, making them not just decorative elements but meaningful pieces of art that connect the past and present. I noticed them at Ambiente, in 2025, and I just loved their joyful creations.

1. StoryTiles is “Dutch heritage with a twist!” how did you started the business? Can you tell us a bit about the team?

How it all started… The StoryTiles story starts with little Marga. When she was young she was crafting and creating all the time with her head full of fantasies and ideas. A bit older, she went to the ‘School of Arts’ in Amsterdam. In that time she made hundreds of ‘collages’, small artworks on ceramic. One day, her grandmother gave Marga a box with really beautiful old Dutch tiles from the year 1600. She revived those tiles by putting her own designs on them. The authentic character gained an artful twist; a wink to the past. From the studio in Amsterdam StoryTiles brings out a new collection in spring and fall every year. StoryTiles bakes her tiles in Holland in the artisanal way in a traditional Dutch oven. Marga is still head of design, and cooperating regularly with known designers and museums. StoryTiles sells in more than 20 countries and over 300 shops.

The dream of the little girl with the many stories in her head came true! Marga van Oers’ designs have become a universal visual language and tile lovers all over the world collect them to create their own story on their walls. We are in the studio with a team of 4, where Marga our founder is the designer of our tiles. Krista is responsible for all our resellers. Chantal works on marketing and Rivka does customer service.

2. What do you do as a brand?

For the past 12 years, we’ve been creating and selling handcrafted ceramic tiles featuring unique designs — all made in the Netherlands. Think of it as a modern reinvention of traditional Delft Blue! Over time, we’ve built a diverse collection in many different styles. These tiles are often used as small pieces of art for the wall. They also make popular gifts for special occasions like a birth, a new home, a wedding, and more. You can even personalize the tiles with names, dates, or a meaningful quote.
We also offer accessories such as frames and holders to display the tiles.

STORYTILES
StoryTiles are ceramic tiles, handcrafted in the Netherlands.
They combine the charm of traditional Delft Blue with modern designs — Dutch heritage with a twist!
Each tile tells a miniature story that sparks the imagination or reminds you of a special person or moment.
At StoryTiles, you’re on a quest to find the perfect tile — whether it’s for yourself or as a gift.

Tone of Voice: Our tone of voice in words: With humor, Imaginative / playing into fantasy,  No-nonsense, Short, easy-to-read, enjoyable texts – no long paragraphs, Positive,  Informative, Honoring traditions and milestones (gift moments) We speak directly to the customer – we avoid typical marketing language. It should feel real, like it’s us talking to you. In some of the stories that accompany the tiles, it even feels like the little character on the tile is speaking to you. Like in this example with the “May You Blossom” tile.

3. I discovered your brand at Ambiente in 2025, I loved your joyful creations. How was the process of becoming an international brand? StoryTiles sells in more than 20 countries and over 300 shops. What was the moment when you realized that StoryTiles is not Marga van Oers’s childhood passion, but a creative brand?

When Marga started to make ceramic tiles, she worked at Loods5, which is a design furniture and home deco store(s) in Holland. Her boss and also friend gave her the opportunity to sell her tiles in the store, to see how customers would react. People did really like the fact that they could buy a true small piece of art but for an affordable price. Other feedback was that people can relate to the mini stories the tiles tell. They sold very well and Marga decided to start StoryTiles.

4. Where do you take your inspiration from, and how is a piece created? How is the process for personalized tiles?

Marga has a very imaginative mind, she gets her inspiration from her walks with her dog in the forest where she lives. But also when she is on a holiday she always comes back with new ideas. But also things that happen in her house or on the street in daily life can give inspiration for designs. When we create customized tiles for museums for example we always discuss together with the customer which look & feel they like, Delfts Blue or more colorful tiles. They tell us which theme they wish to see on their tiles, and Marga or one of or other designers makes the design. (this is not something we do for private customers, because the minimum order quantity is 100 tiles). Private customers can chose for a personalized tile on which we can bake names, dates and short phrases.

5. How do you see design products in a more and more digitalized society?

We really love it that we can say we make hand-baked tiles from Holland. We like the fact that people buy a small hand made piece of art for on their wall. When they look at their tile, we hope it brings a smile on their face.

6. “All tiles have a hanging hook to put them on the wall as a small work of art. You can also display the tiles with the various handmade frames, holders and wall shelves. Should design products be affordable for every household? 

Not every design item has to be affordable for every one. Depends on what material it’s made of, how big it is, for what use it is. But when we look at our own tiles and accessories we find it important that it’s affordable.

7. How do you deal with plagiarism? Did this happen to you?

Tiles are a very popular item at this moment. We have never experienced plagiarism although we do see tiles with designs that look like ours. We have to believe in our own strength as a brand and in our own designs and the fact that we bake tiles for 13 years already.

8. Do you have special designers that you follow or admire?

Yes! We work a lot with the French artist Nathalie Lété, Marga admires her a lot. Recently the Dutch Rosa de Weerd created astrology tiles for us. Very colorful and magical!

9. What do you think is the greatest challenge for a product designer in 2025?

To stay authentic to your own style, your brand’s look & feel. Always look for inspiration to bring a new vibe in your collection.

10. Do you prefer online or offline interactions with your public? How would you define the public that buys your tiles? 

We like both interactions, customers in our webshop and in our stores give us feedback which is very important for us. They provide us themes and ideas for new collections.

Behavior and preferences: The ideal customer is looking for a meaningful gift for friends or family to celebrate a special moment or milestone – or something unique for their own home. They’re inspired by our social media posts, ads, and newsletters. They may also be introduced to our brand by someone they know, or they’ve seen StoryTiles in a store or at someone’s home.
Our ideal customer keeps coming back, because they know they can find a tile for every occasion. They choose a design that fits a specific moment or select a tile based on its title because it resonates with the recipient. They also become brand ambassadors – sharing StoryTiles with others.

11. From your point of view, how can we decorate our homes with StoryTiles products? What products should we buy to start our own StoryTiles collection?

Choose a wall in your house that can use some unique decoration. Decide which moments or persons or places you want to be remembered of every day. Choose StoryTiles that fit with these persons, moments and places. Tiles keep memories alive! When your start to hang 1 or 2 tiles, you can’t stop collecting them. We have a lot of customers who have StoryTiles on their birthday or Christmas wishlist!

12. How is it to open a new shop in Amsterdam?

We already have 1 shop in the city center, so the second shop will be really exciting too. We can compare the 2 locations. Have more customers we can meet. Especially the location of this second shop is great, it’s in the Oude Kerk (the Old Church) which is one of the oldest buildings of the city! We hear the church bells sounds every hour really loud:)