Working with Cynitha at Italics has been an absolute dream. As an interior designer juggling multiple projects, having someone like her in your corner makes all the difference. She's not only incredibly knowledgeable about Italics' selections, but she also takes the time to understand your vision and offer thoughtful suggestions that elevate the entire design process. Cynitha has helped me source everything from statement pieces to subtle accents, always with patience, creativity, and an impeccable eye for detail. Her responsiveness and genuine care make her such a standout. I can't recommend her enough to anyone looking for support on high-end design projects -- she's the best! I will continue to go to Italics repeatedly because of Cynthia! read more

I scheduled an appointment a week in advance to help me select tile. The salesperson acted surprised to see me although I had told her what day and time I would show up. She gave me exactly 5 minutes of her time and had a rude demeanor. I'm truly surprised others has a good experience with her. Follow up note for Jon- I scheduled the appointment almost a week ahead, I asked for a time slot and she replied she was open from 10-3pm and didn't give me a time. Then I told her I was aiming for 1pm and I never got a response back. Even if I did arrive early, I wouldn't have been so upset had she been kind and asked me to wait. Plus there was no other customer in the store. She wasn't kind, she was rude. Her lunch arrived as I was leaving. She was clearly unprepared. I don't doubt her ability but her demeanor is not the best presentation for your business. read more

I worked with Cynthia to find tile for a shower and two bathroom floors. I was starting from ground zero, explaining I didn't know the difference between tile that goes on a shower wall versus shower or bathroom floors. Cynthia was very patient with me, explaining all the differences as we walked the showroom. She had photos of jobs she'd done to show me examples. I went back 2-3 times before making choices, and she worked directly with my contractor to ensure measurements and quantities were correct. I went back for kitchen backsplash tile; I saw one I liked at another store, but thought I'd check with Cynthia to see if they had it--turns out it's their own tile, so I bought that from Italics as well. I'm really appreciative of Cynthia's patience with me throughout the process. I was in there with questions, asking for samples, exchanging pieces, and she was very helpful with everything I needed. I highly recommend Italics and specifically working with Cynthia--you won't regret it! read more

Cynthia made designing our two bathrooms easy and fun! Italics has everything in stock which took away the pressure. Cynthia is a professional interior designer and her expertise kept us from feeling overwhelmed by the choices. read more

Cynthia Cox is an amazing interior designer who has great ideas for transforming any part of your home with the most current and trend-forward tile styles. Before you "pick your tile," do yourself a favor and go see Cynthia and the team at Italics! read more

Italics Tile showroom was really great. I spoke with Diane. She showed me numerous tiles and was able to configure how much tile I would need based on square footage. The tiles they have in their show room are their own stock. They own the tile, so, they can offer better prices. The type of tile is a bit different than their competitors. They have very elegant classy, tile. There is no crazy colors or bad decision tiles. I like that. Whatever you buy from them will look good. This is helpful. When I go crazy with my own DYI design, I like to be reeled back into reality. At the end of the day I left with a few samples which, held up against competitors and looked a lot better than the others. Also, I was given a list of good Tile Contractors which happened to be fairly reasonable in price. I loved the tiles at Italics and thought they were very helpful. read more

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I entered shop and was completely ignored by the 2 staff that were doing absolutely nothing. After wandering the showroom for 10 minutes one person said how are you doing and when I said I was looking to remodel 2 bathrooms he said nothing and did not move to assist. Terrible customer service. read more

We last bought tile here 20+ years ago when we remodeled. We returned hoping to find matching tile for a partial remodel and Scott Kenney found the tile and ordered exactly the amount we needed making for a seamless experience. The result looks perfect. We'll keep returning to italics for their great customer service. read more

I needed tiles quickly for a project and was so happy to have gone to Italics! They have a beautifully curated selection of super high-quality tiles (even my contractor commented on on the quality) and the gorgeous tiles I chose were available immediately (I got them in under a week and if I wanted to drive to Emeryville I could have even gotten them the same day)! The staff is also really helpful, responsive, and kind. Spencer spent time carefully answering all of my questions and was never dismissive. I emailed and called with follow up questions and he ALWAYS got back to me so quickly! I seriously cannot gush enough about how great this place is! I have already recommended it to 2 friends doing remodels!!! read more

Hands down the best place to buy tile in Marin. Prices range from $6-7 dollars a tile to $30. Plenty of options to choose from. Knowledgeable designers to help you choose something right for you, read more

Cynthia Cox must be my Fairy God Sister because she is able to figure out my "tile style" and wrap other design services around it for a look you can only dream of! As a friend who worked with her said, "Cynthia designs your home like you would, only better." She is the most inspired designer I've ever worked with. I met her 20 years ago while rebuilding my first home and the results were fabulous. I had the opportunity to work with her again when I moved into a rental while looking for a permanent home. I told her I wanted a "warm modern" look. Not only did I get the look I wanted, I now have a permanent home that I am so ecstatic to be in, because the look and feel is so perfectly me.... but better. We started this project while I was in the rental, and thought about sets of furniture I could enjoy while in the rental house, but which could be moved into rooms in a house I would eventually buy. That day finally came and everything works beautifully. The icing on the cake is that every single person who comes in here feels like the space is over the top gorgeous and magical. It is so affirming that so many with different styles just love the style we did for this house. Most importantly, I love it and it makes me so happy. Now, let me tell you how great it is to work with Cynthia. First she's really fast. Second, she has an ability envision every element of your decor and how they will come together in a whole. She can do this just by looking at photos of your space or envisioning a new space. She knows which fabrics, materials, stone, wood, metal etc come together perfectly. Third, she is fluent in the language of any style you want to design in. In the end, everything comes together like magic and works like a design symphony. Fourth, Cynthia knows how each sub contractor and trade works and the little details that saved me again and again. I've learned so much from her over the years. And of course she works at Italics, so you are going to get the most fabulous tile designs used in the most detailed and stunning way. Nothing busy, nothing cutesy, just great sophisticated design. The selection at Italics is amazing and Cynthia guides you expertly to tile solutions you would never figure out on your own. She's a true design curator, customizing for you, and you alone. Everyone who has seen my house wants to work with Cynthia. I have to upload photos to my computer, so I'll hopefully be able to add them later. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Cynthia for advice on designing my bathroom shower and floor. I was overwhelmed when my floors had to be redone due to a flood. She is a wonderful designer who went out of her way to help me find something that I love, and would last in style and quality. Cynthia was able to direct me and read my mind she was so knowledgeable about the styles the colors and the costs of the tiles. Her patience, knowledge and kindness is what sold me on choosing my tile from Italics. She listened to my ideas and worked around my budget and made shipping out of town easy and with a beautiful result. I highly recommend Cynthia when you decide to see an experienced designer for your next home project! read more

Hands down best tile store! Scott, the sales rep rocks!!! He was so kind, knowledgeable and helpful. He helped me rectify a horrible experience with Ceramic Tile & Design, of which I will never return, but I digress. I also love how all of their tile is stored in Oakland. You need it right away? Just pop over the bridge and it's ready! Don't want to drive? They'll get it to you in less than a week. This place is the best. read more

It is so great when the sales and design staff are friendly, professional and know their products! Cynthia has it all down. Quickly assessed our needs and found suitable tile that was gorgeous. She is the real thing and the reason I'm writing a review. Added bonus; our tile was on sale and available within two days for pick up. This is the best tile store in our area from my experience. read more

Extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great selection and short wait for delivery of products.

Was going to be great up until today when I asked about returning unopened boxes of tile. Spencer couldn't have been more rude and condescending to someone who recently spent thousands of dollars on time. I remember something about a restocking fee for unopened boxes but according to Spencer in the fine print it says after 30 days no returns. Our job wasn't done in 30 days from when we picked up the tile. I asked if he thought it was a good idea to make sure customers were aware to which he replied "it's clearly stated in the fine print blah blah and so on to the point I got steamed and hung up. They're really nice until after you're paid and out the door apparently. maybe a disgruntled employee or maybe an entitled owner ... bummer read more

As a total rookie at remodel projects, getting the tile right on my bathroom remodel felt both critical and like something I could easily screw up - so of course I left it to the last minute before going into Italics, where I got the most helpful possible support from Spencer, who was absolutely great! Willing to give design opinions, great insight about different combinations, even helped me think through issues I didn't know I needed to address. And, unlike many tile places, Italics has a local warehouse (Emeryville) so they can get you what you need quickly. Customer service was great and prices seemed reasonable. Outstanding experience with Spencer and Italics! read more

What great customer service! My plumber broke 3 of my tiles when repairing a sink and so I have been on a quest to find a matching tile so that we did not need to retile the entire sink and shower area. I called Italics to see if they had a great selection of older tiles and Evan Churchill answered and asked me to send a photo and a measurement of the tile. I emailed the photos and dimensions and Evan replied almost immediately to say that they did not carry that tile and he gave a suggestion of a competing tile store in San Rafael. I drove over yesterday and viola, Evan was right! Bought 4 tiles and, thanks to Evan, we saved hundreds of dollars! You can be sure that I will come back to Italics next time we do a remodel! Thanks Evan! read more

They have the most horrible customer service I went there multiple times and I was never asked to pay for ceramic tile samples. During one visit a gentleman working there asked me to pay $20 for two samples. I guess they sing different songs for different customers with different sales people. read more

As a tile installation contractor ( London Tile, Mill Valley) I frequently refer my clients to Italics. They have a readily available selection of stone, mosaic and porcelain tiles at excellent prices. The sales people are knowledgable, helpful and professional and eager to facilitate your order. Very important to me as a tile installation contractor who is always on a tight schedule..... read more

Cynthia was sooooo responsive. Knew exactly where to guide me. No nonsense advice and always a speedy reply. My kitchen looks amazing.

I also went to Ceramic Tile Design before Italics. There is no comparison. Spencer @ Italics, went out of his way to make sure I had all the samples and info I needed plus recommendations for tilers. Italics was warm and fuzzy vs Ceramic Tile Design was cold, distant and not helpful ... read more

If there were more than five stars this company would get them! I am so impressed with their service, their quality, their selection and their prices! Their show room staff is kind, courteous, knowledgeable, professional, helpful and whatever other positive attributes I could include! I had a very small order and I was treated as though I was giving them business to re-tile the Taj Mahal! Thank you Cynthia and the rest of the staff of italics in San Rafael! read more

Cynthia and staff treated our small bathroom project with the importance and attention of a large project. Great experience from beginning in end. Highly recommend. read more

Cynthia is fantastic, we went to several places only be put off by the service and selection. Coming to Italics we found what we wanted with Cynthia's help in 20 minutes. Could not be happier with the service and they were able to give us several folks to contact for install. We will definitely be coming back for our bathroom tile when we get are there. Thanks Italics! read more

This place is the best! The choices are overwhelming and the customer service is top notch. We stopped in and thought we would just look around. The young lady at the front said no problem. If we need any assistance, let me know and we can have our consultant help. Well, it didn't take long to realize that there was way too much there for us to figure out what steps to take. So, we placed our name on a list and shortly we were getting help from an experienced lady. We worked together and figured out a game plan. We're still in the planning stage but definitely planning to use this company. read more

We had a fantastic experience working with Scott at Italics tile. He really worked with us on our bathroom remodel to achieve the look we wanted, and gave us some great ideas. They also have a great selection of tile in the San Rafael showroom, and having the warehouse right across the bay in Emeryville makes it easy to pick up a little extra tile on short notice if you need to (like we did). I would definitely work with them again. read more

Beautiful, high quality selections and in stock ! As a lifelong interior designer I was so happy to find this showroom. The staff was fun to work with and very knowledgable. I highly recommend Italics! read more

Meant to expand... This is a great tile, stone and fancy trim showroom. Wonderful selection, much of it is made custom for the company. I was trying to reserve my thoughts until after I actually picked up the order, but I prematurely Yelp'ed, sorry. read more

Italics has the best tiles around. I worked with Cynthia Cox and she was amazing. Cynthia has decades of experience as a top interior designer and has a superb eye. She was able to recommend options I would not have thought of and it ended up saving me a lot of time and money I would have spent with my own designer. I highly recommend connecting with her when you go in. Everyone at Italics is really fantastic and I will definitely be referring people there. read more

After a disastrous experience at another local tile/flooring showroom, I went to Italics and was so impressed with the fabulous service, the assistance, the explanations and the help I received. Tim was so amazing as were the other specialists that I never even considered going to the next tile store that was on my list. They have a beautiful selection and allowed me to take home sizeable samples to see what worked best. The tile setter they recommended not only is a skilled artisan but also one of the most pleasant , trustworthy and helpful professionals. Working with Italics in San Rafael was truly the most positive experience and I recommend them wholeheartedly. read more

We purchased our tiles for our shower remodel here. Very friendly and helpful staff. Excellent range of products and inventory.

Had ripped down our bathroom and paid for tiles, on the promise of another tile provider that they had my tiles in stock only to find out on the day of pick up their inventory system made a mistake. No tiles. Called up Italics and spoke to Scott who fortunately had similar tiles in stock (really did have them in stock). Problem solved inside a 5 minute phone call and a quick visit to the showroom. What's more was that I could pick a porcelain tile instead of the ceramic version for half of what I was going to pay with the other tile provider. Thank you Italics and Scott! read more

We had to match some grout we had purchased 5 years ago. They looked it up for us, figured out what we needed. However, they were out of stock and would have to special order, which would take a week. We were planning to do our project in a few days, and didn't want to wait a week. He went into the back room and found an open bag of grout from one of their own projects that matched what we needed! He gave it to us for free. They are always so helpful and kind. We love this place! read more

Great tile fabulous customer service. I've used them for 3 jobs very pleased the store has so many choices of tile all beautifully laid out The quality is top of the line I've sent many friends here and they are all pleased read more

This is by far the best tile place in the area. We just did a bathroom remodel, and these folks were nothing short of superb...they helped us easily choose some terrific Italian tile, got if for us right away. Advised perfectly when we needed to make a few modifications, and then immediately got us a little more when we ran short on one part (the shower drain!). Evan (et al) was terrific, super service-oriented, friendly, smart, efficient, and always made me feel valued as a customer. Selection, service, advice, support, smiles...all terrific, how could you ask for more? Don't waste your time elsewhere, start here. read more

I would give Italics San Rafael 10 stars if I could. When the store opened many years ago I purchased 18 inch tiles for my kitchen and dining room. When the job was finished only one tile left. The tiles remained looking like new until two of them cracked when my cleaning person dropped a heavy vacuum on them. I walked into Italics in the morning with the one tile I had kept all these years telling them I was hoping for a miracle. As I suspected they recognized the tile but the product had been discontinued and the computer showed no stock available. While waiting for the search I noticed a display board on the wall that had an 18" tile as part of the board that was a perfect match! That same afternoon Scott called with the news that they he had been able to remove the tile from the display and that it was ready to pick up. I know this is a lengthly post but I wanted to share the fact that miracles do happen even in the midst of a pandemic and a nation crippled with hate and division. Cynthia and her staff are sterling examples of what is possible when people genuinely care and want to help. Thank you Italics!!! read more

We had shopped at several local tile and stone vendors for our bath remodel before we visited Italics. What a difference! As soon as we walked into the showroom we were impressed by the understated elegance of the natural stone and Italian tile on display. Cynthia, an experienced interior designer, looked at pictures of our house and seemed to read our minds in guiding us to materials and suggesting ideas. We choose a contractor (Escarlata Tile) from Italics' list of recommended installers and ended up with a beautiful result. read more

This is the best tile store in the Bay Area. Their product selection is excellent, and their pricing is, too. The sales staff are helpful, knowledgeable and make the whole experience fun - and Ross is just the best. Don't bother shopping around - just go straight to Italics. read more

I came to Cynthia and Tim at Italics desperate to match some marble I had run out of, and they were so incredibly helpful, letting me meet the guys at the warehouse and bring some home to see if it was a match. It turned out that it didn't work, but the time and effort they spent with me to help me out and point me in the right direction saved my project. I will definitely use Italics in the future and recommend them as amazing customer service. read more