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There’s a growing emphasis on nature and natural elements in architecture and interior design. Sometimes large windows invite nature inside by connecting the interior and exterior. Sometimes contemporary designs bring the tones of nature inside a home to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Terracotta is a valuable addition to this trend, reviving a Mediterranean tradition that’s characterized by timeless pieces hand-worked from clay. And it’s for this reason that today, years later, its look has been rediscovered and is being reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.
Many of the latest interior design projects and collections reveal a shift towards nature. And many of Marazzi’s lines are part of this, especially the new Slow and Crogiolo ArtCraft collections. With their innovative compositional language, range of formats, and debt to the handcrafted tiles of the past, they combine to give a fresh impulse and vitality to terracotta, which has been traditionally used in rustic settings but has now been reinvented so that it complements applications with a contemporary aesthetic.
A coming together of the traditional and modern, the Slow collection takes its inspiration from traditional terracotta. It simulates the look of hand-beaten earth, right down to its irregular surface full of tiny imperfections and material-driven appearance, produced using Premium 3D Ink technology. It has a soft, welcoming feel, encouraging slow living and rediscovering the past, its crafts, and its materials.
Each element of the collection is unique, with Premium 3D Ink technology creating ever-changing graphics and textures, resulting in the opaque, sandy, and iridescent surfaces typical of clay. With their warm appearance, with a touch of liveliness, the tiles are available in six colors – Pumice, Calce, Sabbia, Coccio, Cotto, and Argilla. With six formats also available – square in three sizes and rectangular in two – the collection offers real freedom in terms of application and installation, while also allowing for bold combinations of contrasts, shades, and textures. The Tapis and Rafia versions, in particular, feature relief decorations for creating richly contrasting patterns. Both are suitable for creating repeated patterns with different tones or experimenting with different laying techniques.
ArtCraft, one of the twelve collections included in the Crogiolo line of small stoneware and ceramic tiles, is another example of the contemporary revisiting of traditional materials such as terracotta. The tile features an interplay of patterns that reinterprets historical designs with its square, rectangular, and hexagonal shapes. The collection recreates the typical marks left by the hands and tools of artisans in the slight irregularities on the surface and edges. There are seven colors available, ranging from Argilla to Coccio and Sabbia. But these tiles also offer three-dimensional designs, geometric patterns, and designs inspired by traditional ceramics, including the classic Quadri and Segni versions, and the more minimalist Bolli, Triangoli and 3D Bande. The result is a rich selection of colors and surfaces that make it possible to use the ArtCraft collection in highly customized and surprising ways so that each project can be unique.
More info: www.marazzitile.co.uk
All images courtesy of Marazzi
