Architessa

I am reviewing them in terms of service and sales of tiles. Judi Simon was phenomenal helping me choose backsplash tile for my countertops. I had looked everywhere for just the right tile and she found it just like that!

Very poorly. I was referred by my kitchen remodeler to source backsplash tile. There is a nice showroom with good product selection and knowledgeable designers. Everything after that was a nightmare. Two weeks after placing my r, I was advised that one of the tiles selected was unavailable due to a quality control issue. I went back im diately and made a new selection and confirmed that the ref of the materials ordered would be available. Two and a half weeks after that, delivery was scheduled. I leaned only when the truck arrived that it was a partial delivery of only 2 of the 4 times required and none of the grout or other installation materials. Calls to the assigned sales associate and customer service rep w not to voicemail and were not returned. I called the General number and asked for a shoe isotope and got disconnected. I was finally able to talk to someone who canceled the order and refunded my money for undelive material but I am left with materials I can no longer use and have no value to me. After wasting 5+ weeks I finally just went to a different tile store and started over. A highly unsatisfactory experience.

Great place to get ideas with good selections and DIY supplies and knowledgeable staff

The best things about AC is their customer service and their well curated, wide range of tile selection. The staff (in the Rockville store) provides good counseling and a friendly willingness to help. They once delivered the wrong tile bad they were quick to correct the problem.

The designer, Sarah, whom we worked with was extremely helpful, and all the staff were just lovely. Price was not cheap, but that is to be expected at such a quality store. If you want cheap, go to Home Depot. If you want beautiful, unique tile and are willing to spend a little more for quality and look, this is the place to go. I am absolutely thrilled with my tile purchase from Architectural Ceramics. My glass tile was a custom order/custom sized, so I was told it would take 8 weeks for it to be delivered. And right at week 8, i got a call that it was ready for pick up in the warehouse. I have no bad things to say about this place. My experience at this store and with my tile order was fantastic. I also really appreciated their recommendation to use A & E Tile & Marble LLC to install my tile. The glass tile required hand-cutting and the expertise of the installers was top notch. I find myself just standing in my new bathroom just staring for minutes at how beautiful the tile looks...it's that beautiful.

Kelly was helpful, professional and responsive every time I've interacted with her. She answers email inquiries promptly, clearly and completely, and kept us informed about the orders (when the tile would be in, etc). The team in Rockville (the warehouse) was professional, organized, and fast - getting my car loaded and me back on the road in just a few minutes. Selecting tile can be stressful because there are SO many options to choose from. I highly recommend calling ahead and getting a designer to work with you - even if you think know "exactly" what you want. They just make the process easier. I think you may pay a little more for the product because you're paying for this service, but I've been more satisfied with the final project because a designer helped me talk through the options. Kelly is great at both the "brainstorm" process and the "business" piece.

I agree that this store has a gorgeous selection of tile and design ideas and options. I felt the staff in the store was very friendly and professional. Particularly Makia Burns was very nice to me and helpful. I went into the store in Alexandria a number of times before I ordered the tile. I had searched Home Depot and Morris Tile before finding this store almost accidentally. At those stores I got almost no help in selecting tile. At Architectural Ceramics, initially a designer worked up a design that would have come to about $55 a square foot. My husband and I decided that this was more than what we wanted to invest in our kitchen and settled on a simple subway tile. In getting info about the tile, I was advised that I should pay for delivery as I would not be able to transport the tile and materials in my car. The delivery charge was $88 of the total charge. I realize I am not the biggest spender to come along but it turned out, when I finally got the tile, that it was three small boxes, a slightly heavy milk carton sized container, and a bag which I could have fit into the trunk of my Toyota Corrolla easily. I doubt the total weighed more than an averaged sized man. My husband wants to install the tile himself so we weren't working with a contractor or installer. Makia gave me some stock tile samples to take home on one of my numerous visits. It wasn't possible it seemed to get samples of anything else. We had all our measurements but the designer Casey TerrelI was helpful in determining the amount of material needed. I finally ordered the tile in mid August and was told that the tile would be no problem to obtain and could be delivered around the beginning of September. By mid September I had heard nothing from the company. I went back to the store and mentioned that I had not received the tile yet. After I left ,Casey checked and found that some of the tile was back ordered until some time in October and that no one had informed me of this. Since I was hoping to have my husband be able to cut the tile outside in warm weather, this was a big disappointment for me. Casey offered a texture change without a change in price or a change in edge trimming. I agreed to the texture change, the order was resubmitted and I was told to expect the tile in "a week or two". Again I was told it was in stock and not a problem. When I hadn't heard about the delivery two weeks after the order change, I called the delivery person Denise and the store. Denise was very short and snippy in all of her interactions with me. She did give me more of definitive delivery time. She told me in an email that she would call me on a specific date. When I hadn't heard from her on that date I called her at what I thought might be the end of her business day. She informed me that she was a very busy person. The tile delivery was arranged and finally arrived a full seven weeks after I placed the order. All communication after I paid for the order was initiated by me. I feel this is fairly bad customer service. If I was working with a contractor I would have been quite upset. As it is it, it has disrupted my plans for this fall and I am not sure now when I will get the tile installed. I definitely would look at other options if I was planning a project like this again.

I've shopped at Architectural Ceramics several times for various projects because they seem to have the largest selection in the area by far. However, I've had problems with their customer service, their snooty attitude (widespread), mistakes in orders, and lack of knowledge (or unwillingness to share information) about their inventory. So, for example, I had to discover on my own that they carried exactly the tile I was seeking at a lower cost than the tile they showed me, which they presented as the only option. For this project, I was able to find exactly what I was looking for elsewhere and likely spent a lot less than I would have at AC. I also avoided the typical mistakes in ordering that I've encountered here.

I was referred to the Architectural Ceramics showroom in Falls Church by Reico, which handled my kitchen/bath renovation. I didn't really see any samples in Reico's showroom that I wanted, so the designer set up an appointment with Casey. I took over a sample of the cabinets and counter-top to show Casey, and we discussed what I thought I wanted. I ended up with about 5 or 5 samples that I took home with me -- each was spectacularly beautiful, but I wasn't sure any really went with my stark white quartz counters. So I took them all back and we decided to concentrate on marble -- she picked out a few styles, and I ended up falling in love with mini-subway tile version she brought out. Casey worked directly with the designer on ordering, payment, and delivery and that all worked out smoothly. The tiles are just lovely, Architectural Ceramics has an extensive collection of tiles and ceramics so you will surely find something you will fall in love with. Be sure to make an appointment -- they seem to be quite busy.

I have mixed feelings about this company. They have a huge selection of gorgeous tile and stone. Best in the area by far. It is expensive. My mixed feelings are based on several experiences. It began with my prior house when we were looking for tile to re-do the fireplace surround (and later, for the kitchen and hallway). We worked with Brad at the Bethesda location and he was patient and super-helpful. Ultimately, we decided to sell that house and so we never did the fireplace project. We bought another house that needed renovating from top-to-bottom, including three bathrooms, kitchen, entire lower level all needing tile. I went back to AC, this time the Falls Church store. It happened to be a Monday when all their designers are off, but that was fine as I just wanted to browse. I was given the name of one of their designers to contact. I e-mailed him once and called twice and he never got back to me. I called the Rockville location to complain (because I thought that location was the headquarters) and was told that yes, it was the HQ, and come to that location because they had a bigger selection. The person I was talking to said he was the owner and he'd work with me. We made an appointment, went up there and made some preliminary selections. The top choice was way too expensive so we asked for an estimate on the second choice. Never heard from him again. Later, I received an e-mail from the owner who was following up on customers who hadn't purchased. I was super-impressed by this and so I wrote to explain what had happened (you guessed it - the guy we met with was not the owner - just a salesperson). The owner responded and I was so impressed by his response that we gave AC another chance. This time, we worked with Leigh Cassidy at the Rockville store. Overall, she was great but I was very upset when the store wouldn't stand behind us when the mfgr sent us some trim that they claimed was the same as the one we had wanted (but they were out of) and it turned out to be a totally different color. We were out hundreds of dollars on that one. It is for that reason that I won't return to AC. It is my impression that these tile stores want to deal with designers, not homeowners. We had minimal help figuring out how much tile we needed. Had to do that work myself and was really nervous about having the right amount of each color. This was not unique to AC (we have dealt with two other stores and have had the same experience) but I think the sales people, who have a great deal of experience and are said to be designers, really ought to be more helpful in this regard. Also, none of these stores include delivery, which I think is just chintzy. Again, not unique to AC but it left a bad taste in my mouth. They knew we had two more bathrooms and a kitchen to do. You'd think just in the interest of repeat business, they would deliver. UPDATE: My impression that this is a solid company that really cares about customer experience was confirmed just now. Apparently they read this review and decided that they would stand behind me as to the manufacturer misleading me about the colors. They have issued a store credit. I think that is the stand-up thing to do and will return to Architectural Ceramics. David Benson (VP and son of the founder) really gets it. I will return and will recommend Architectural Ceramics to others.

We purchased tile our bathroom remodel. The designers were professional and knowledgable. Price on the tile was a little high but worth the price.

The accent tile we ordered was made up of little pieces of natural stone. When it arrived some of the tile was a different than others, some were different colors, and some were falling apart. The accent tile was a mixed bunch of different qualities, and much of it did not match. When brought to the attention of Architectural Ceramics in Falls Church, it was handed from person, to person, and no one would take responsibility to fix the problem. After weeks, in order to resolve the issue ourselves, we had to use the tile in different sections of the bathroom in order to see less of a change in tile.

We looked at procelain tiles at the Rockville showroom. They have a great selection of tiles arranged by color as well as sample floors to see. Michael Kilgore, Sales and Design Consultant helped us make a decision of the tile and grout. We borrowed several tiles to take home to see how they looked with our cabinets. The tiles were delivered as scheduled. We were very pleased with the service and product. Would certainly use them again.

ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS has the best selection of tile in the area. We looked an many stores but their tile was the best. The tile was top of the line so it cost more than a home store. I was willing to pay more for the tile since it was of superior quality. The tile will last for 20 years.

The first part of our experience with Architectural Ceramics was good--selecting and ordering the small amount of glass accent tile we wanted for a bathroom renovation. The people are friendly and knowledgeable, and the selection at the Alexandria showroom is really large. Our problems started when the tile was "delivered". Because of the rush nature of the order we were told the fastest thing to do was to have it delivered to their Rockville warehouse and drive out there to pick it up ourselves. Rockville is not close to us, but since they said they couldn't get it to us in time otherwise, we were willing to do it. Despite their promises, we didn't get our tiles until nearly a week after we were supposed to, with lots of headaches in between. As originally promised, the tiles arrived in Rockville a few days after we placed the order. I drove out to Rockville on Friday, to pick them up, only to find that they were the wrong ones. A.C. said they would take care of it and get them sent to our house via UPS on Monday. When my wife checked in with them later that day, they said the manufacturer was closed (it was Good Friday) but that they'd get them to ship it to us directly first thing Monday morning. On Monday we called A.C. again who said it was scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went without a delivery. We called A.C. again first thing Wednesday, and they got us a tracking number which said that it had been sent out on Tuesday (not Monday) and was scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. By the end of the day on Wednesday our tile installer had to leave because they hadn't arrived and he couldn't do anything without them. Finally the UPS folks notified us that they had "attempted delivery" at 5:03 p.m. and "no customer was there". Obviously UPS wasn't to blame for not wanting to leave them on our porch, but we work--and our tile installer can't sit around two days in a row waiting for a delivery. So we cancelled delivery for the next day and drove to Landover to pick the box up at UPS ourselves. Beyond the time it cost us trying to track down this tile (driving out to Rockville and Landover) it also caused major delays on our bathroom project, which was set back nearly a week. Through all this A.C. was very nice, but basically seemed unable to get the tiles to us. It screwed over our tile installer -- who had other jobs he could have been doing -- as he waited for their promised delivery. Much of this might not be A.C.'s fault--the manufacturer seemed to have been a real problem for them. But at the end of the day they didn't do much of anything to make it right and we ended up shouldering all the responsibility for tracking the tiles down and getting them.

Our designer was Leland, who was very knowledgeable and responsive to our requirements. He did not rush us, and showed us several options, keeping our budget in mind. He found an accent tile that was discontinued, therefore deeply discounted, and we decided to develop the design using the accent tile as a focal point. He recommended a lovely travertine to offset the accent tile. He put together a plan that included beautiful details, high end materials and it was within our budget. He sketched the design so that we could share it with the contractor. We placed the order and were contacted immediately so we knew when to expect the tile to come in. While waiting for the tile, we had to choose an installer as well as a contractor to make the shower enclosure. Leland was always available by email, and gave me several suggestions. The tile came in on schedule and there were no quality issues. Leland was a pleasure to work with and a talented designer. I would welcome the opportunity to work with him again.

Rachelle was extremely helpful. There is a large selection. I had a very specific vision in mind of what I wanted and was having trouble finding it. She helped me out and suggested ways to make what I found in the store work with my budget. We were prepared to buy from them. However, we found the specific tile backsplash I wanted elsewhere. They did not have it at Architectural ceramics. If they had, I would have purchased from them for sure. Very nice sales people and they know their products.

Terriblle experience. The staff has no idea what they're doing and clearly there is no supervision. They can't even convert square feet into a tile sheet per the manufacturer's conversion tables. The store did comp me a few extra tiles (4 sq feet) but it was not worth the aggravation and the additional charges by the tile installers to come to my house 3 times because of the store's mistake.

If you're going to use this company, and I wouldn't, insist on paying a deposit not the order in full. I will never use them again.

We started our kitchen remodel after Christmas. We purchased flooring and backsplash material from LOWES. However, when the counter tops arrived for the new kitchen, they did not match with the backsplash and flooring. In a panic, we went out to find other suppliers that had material on stock that we could choose from. ACI came highly recommended. Met with a Sales Rep and I provided her with samples of new counter top and cabinet trim. The Rep, Courtney Ridley, reviewed the samples and very quickly identified 3 possible recommendations for flooring and backsplash material (which were all in stock). We chose one design and within 24 hrs, we had the new material back home and ready for installation by kitchen remodel company. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY. It may be a little expensive, but the final look of the design is PRICELESS.

Good showroom. Designer assistance was disappointing. They were the only dealer in the metro area that sold the tile I wanted. Poor communications regarding problems with my order. I got the impression that at $1900 my order wasn't big enough for them to be concerned about. I expected more.

If you want to see beautiful tile and stone then visit one of their showrooms. But, buyer beware from that point onward. Architectural Ceramics, owned and operated by the Sullivans, is run without concern or consideration for customers. If Tom Peters were to pen a book about this company it would certainly not be entitled, "In Search of Excellence", but instead would be entitled, "In Search of Sub-Mediocrity", for that is the epitomy, heart and soul of this company. My experience with them was awful. What lay ahead was a series of frustrations over receiving broken tiles/travertine, and little concern or follow-up when I called to voice my concern - some of the pieces I received even had hardened thinset on the back, which of course means that they delivered to me previously used tile/travertine. They have ZERO quality control. The Sullivans and their crew simply pay "lip service" to taking care of and satisfying customers. Lest you forget my point at the outset, let me repeat it to those considering a purchase from this store. BUYER BEWARE!!! Once you have purchased tile or stone from them you will almost certainly receive broken or inferior tile/stone --- and you will assuredly be treated as a second-class citizen thereafter.

Rex (Old Town Alexandria Location) helped me pick out a few samples to take home and look at with our decor. After picking out the right one, we ordered it and it arrived at our house one week later. It was up to us to have it installed. Our installer was very impressed when I told him where we purchased our tile.

We had an absolutely terrible experience with this tile store and we will never use them again. The major problem – after placing a tile order for our bathroom renovation a few weeks prior to demo, we were alerted the night before our demo was slated to start that our tile was all of a sudden out of stock and wouldn’t be in for months (it was AC stock, not special order). They had already charged our credit card for it however. It ended up taking me almost 1 month of calling them to get a refund of about $1,500, which they at first refused to refund without our contractors signature – even though I paid for it with my own credit card. On top of that, the woman who sold us the tile at the Falls Church location was horrible. Rude, unhelpful, gave no design advice, and was all around just the worst salesperson ever. I only used her on my contractors recommendation, which was a huge mistake. I also spoke to the manager of the store and he was just as useless as the saleswoman. Run as far away from this company as you can.

We went into their showroom and they helped us to select the tiles for the bathrooms. They gave us options and choices for the tile. We have been very happy with the tile that was chosen. They were very well with the prime vendor that we were working with. There were some issues when they delivered the incorrect tiles and they were very good about working with the vendor to correct the problem.