ceramiche refin presents mendini-designed FILO tiles at CERSAIE 2014

ceramiche refin presents mendini-designed FILO tiles at CERSAIE 2014

since 1962, ceramiche refin has established itself as a producer of quality italian porcelain tiles, with a commitment towards aesthetic and technological innovation. along the way, they have made large-scale investments in order to continue offering original products that answer the needs of their global clientele. putting emphasis on their devotion to creativity, they founded designtalestudio as a laboratory of material research and artistic experimentation, involving a host of collaborators who bring forth fresh ideas to the company, including designers / architects alessandro + francesco mendini.

‘FILO 03’ variations (4)
75 x 75 cm each

the mendini brothers have conceived the ‘FILO’ collection consisting of four motifs that each stand as an interpretation of a traditional orthogonal grid — distorted and re-sized to create an almost three-dimensional optical illusion. defined by a series of thin rigid lines that weave and cross-over one another to form a matrix, the resulting effect is all at once geometric and abstract, recalling the OpArt movement. available in a large 75 x 75 cm format, the patterns come in four different colors, and can be mixed to create random, fast-moving floor decorations.

view of retail space with installation of ‘FILO 01’ tiles

‘FILO 01’ and its four variations
75 x 75 cm each

‘FILO 02’ used as a floor covering in an office space

‘FILO 02’ and its four variations
75 x 75 cm each

‘FILO 04’ in the context of a domestic interior

‘FILO 04’ in its four variations
75 x 75 cm each

the mendini’s involvement and partnership with ceramiche refin goes beyond the realization of ‘FILO’. in february of 2014, when designtalestudio and ceramiche refin announced an international design contest, inviting professionals from across the globe to submit proposals under the theme of ‘create your tile’, alessandro and francesco were appointed chairmen of the jury.

‘fossil grey’ by kasia zareba

calling for ‘innovative ceramic ideas for residential and / or commercial flooring, expressing elements of originality, commercial potential and industrial reproducibility, and enhancing the most recent production technologies to define the best in contemporary interior trends‘, the competition saw more than 800 ideas from 78 different countries submitted, of which kasia zareba was awarded first prize for her project ‘fossil’.

‘fossil grey’ tile 1
60 x 60 cm

the young polish designer’s winning graphic theme is a translation of prehistoric imprints of plants and animals found on rock formations. this is evident in the way in which traces of the pattern break and overlap, just like the signs of time in prehistoric sites and archaeological excavations. the motif is a composition of five hand-drawn graphics which merge and disperse into various directions, creating curious optical illusions and solid void effects. in its entirety, ‘fossil’ resembles natural stone, or can be sited as a modern interpretation of marble. offered in five different patterns that come in 60 x 60 cm format, ‘fossil’ is available in three colors (beige, grey and brown) and can be randomly arranged.

‘fossil grey’ tile 2
60 x 60 cm

on the occasion of CERSAIE 2014 – the annual international exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings – held from september 22-26th in bologna, italy, alessandro and francesco are presenting kasia zareba with her prize, alongside second and third prize winners ‘papua’ by martha luise gütlinger and moritz köhler (germany), and ‘tiebelè’ by sarah marinaro and michela schirinzi of microSTUDIO (italy). additionally, both ‘fossil’ and ‘FILO’ are being displayed at the designtalestudio CERSAIE stand (hall 36, stand B33).

‘fossil grey’ tile 3
60 x 60 cm