Login
Registered users
The rules of tradition can be rewritten through the irreverent, the original, and the unconventional. Cross-pollination between experiences, cultures, styles, and even related disciplines – say, fashion, art, and design – are all part of this experimental process.
A good example of this has grown out of the renewed collaboration between Iris Ceramica and Diesel Living, which has again seen ceramics used for a collection of products that are both innovative and iconic. The results, which were launched by Federica Minozzi, CEO of Iris Ceramica Group, and Andrea Rosso, creative director of Diesel Living and Diesel Sustainability Ambassador, have a “signature look that unmistakably combines the style of Diesel Living and Iris Ceramica in pieces in which marble, metal, concrete, PVC, and fabric are reinvented to create captivating, enigmatic, and fascinating ceramic surfaces.” The Diesel Living with Iris Ceramica brand includes seven new collections: the porcelain stoneware designs of Hoily Marble, Welding Rivets, and Aged Concrete, and the single-fired red body ceramic wall tiles of Melt, Stripes, Wrinkle Foil, and Vynil.
“These products grew out of a different conception of ceramics,” Minozzi continued. “As a result, they feature patterns and an aesthetic that are rather unusual for ceramics, such as oil stains and welding effects on a concrete floor, or even crumpled tinfoil.”
According to its creators, Hoily Marble is a porcelain stoneware tile that combines the “sacred and profane.” It has a marble effect inspired by the image of oil spilling on a rough asphalt surface, with the density of natural stone becoming a backdrop for opalescent effects, arabesques, and veining. The result is a classic element with an innovative effect. Five colors are available: four neutral – Beige, Black, Grey, and Blue – and one an iridescent merging of pink, purple, and blue.
Another porcelain stoneware design is Welding Rivets, which combines an industrial edge with retro details to create a new aesthetic language for contemporary interior design projects. This surface is brought to life by fracture lines from which irregular shapes emerge to create an artisanal feel, with the lines and fissures recreating a vision of the past through their signs of time and wear. White, Grey, and Steel are the main tones of the backgrounds, which are crisscrossed by ocher, anthracite, and pitch.
Finally, with its rough appearance, Aged Concrete is a tribute to exposed concrete. However, glamorous and warm details on its surface turn the perception of what is normally a plain surface on its head. Oxidation and spatula effects appear velvety to the eye, again introducing new stylistic rules to architecture and interior design. To best reflect the minimalism of urban habitats, the colors are gray and sand.
>>> Discover also Bottega d'Arte collection by Iris Ceramica
Among the single-fired red body ceramic wall tiles created through the collaboration between Iris Ceramica and Diesel Living, Melt is intended to be a metaphor for a material that changes, that transforms to become something else, the way a solid turns to a liquid. The dynamism and plasticity of this surface change according to viewing angle and are further accentuated by light. The effect is a constant interplay of fluctuations, with its red color – the only shade available for this collection – acquiring greater intensity through its glossy finish. In fact, the color of Melt is its identifying and key emotive element.
An exuberant red, combined in this case with White and Steel, is also a defining feature of the Stripes collection. It was created to reflect the vibrancy of a city, taking its lead from networks of streets, and alternating full and empty spaces. According to its creators, it could be described as “an investigation of spaces, places, and shapes through a ceramic surface that features a dense network of 3D striations and staggered patterns.”
With its curving, sculpture-like raised surfaces and chiaroscuro effects, Wrinkle Foil draws its inspiration from the appearance of laminated surface finishes. The sensory nature of this wall covering is accentuated by ripples and folds, which themselves are brought out by light. Four colors are available – White, Iridescent, Lead, Copper – combined with a metallic finish that creates an effect of movement.
Finally, Vynil is a single-fired red body ceramic wall tile that transforms each moment with its interweaving of dynamic and static dimensions, and optical and tactile sensations, giving life to a mix of plastic shapes and bright, lacquered chromatic shades. The bright and sometimes eccentric colors give interiors a scenic impact.
More information: www.irisceramica.com
All images courtesy of Iris Ceramica Group
