The live-tile design is strikingly different from the icon-based environment we find on Android devices and the iPhone.

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Across town and near the Testaccio neighborhood is Porto Fluviale, a trattoria, pizzeria and bar whose black-and-white lacquered-tile design evokes memories of Italian bars from days past.

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Interface has a new line of residential carpet tile for design buffs, called Flor, that lets decorators and homeowners mix and match up to 50, 000 tiles of different colors, patterns and textures.

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Children in Stoke-on-Trent are being challenged to design their own ceramic tile - to become a permanent reminder of the London 2012 Olympics.

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Though the Petersiks in the past have made revenue through paid writing jobs and private design consulting, the majority of their income now comes from advertising on the site - either through automatically generated Google ads, or through direct site sponsors, which often include design and home supply companies such as the Tile Shop.

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