Ceramiche Refin at Coverings 2012
17-20 April – Orange County Convention Center – Orlando, FL (USA)
Ceramics of Italy Pavillon- Booth # 4123

From April 17 to 20, Coverings 2012, the most important event of the US market dedicated to floor and wall coverings in ceramic and natural stone.

Ceramiche Refin will take part in the exhibition and showcase its Nordik, Wood² and Cromie collections, which, following their launch in Italy in Autumn 2011, have already been received favourably by consumers and planners.

Nordik: the ceramic interpretation of a Scandinavian natural stone, a material that has traditionally been used in the architecture of North-European countries and that is increasingly being adopted in interior design projects.

Cromie: four colour families organized according to the NCS – Natural Color System ® © , to use colour strategically when putting your project-planning ideas into fruition and to make full use of the expressive potential of ceramic tiles.

Wood²: the warm hints of natural wood scared by the passage of time and of wooden tables gently eroded by the toil of the craftsman are the protagonist of the Wood² collection.

Ceramiche Refin at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2012
7-11 February – Stockholm
Hall A – stand AG45

From February 7 to 11, Stockholm Furniture Fair 2012, the world’s largest meeting place for Scandinavian furniture and lighting design, for both home and public environments.

Ceramiche Refin will take part in the exhibition and showcase its Nordik and Cromie collections, which, following their launch in Italy in Autumn 2011, have already been received favourably by consumers and planners.

Nordik: the ceramic interpretation of a Scandinavian natural stone, a material that has traditionally been used in the architecture of North-European countries and that is increasingly being adopted in interior design projects.

Cromie: four colour families organized according to the NCS – Natural Color System ® © , to use colour strategically when putting your project-planning ideas into fruition and to make full use of the expressive potential of ceramic tiles.

Refin Ceramiche at Surface Design Show 2012
7-9 February – Business Design Centre Londra N1 0QH
Stand 100

From February 7 to 9, Surface Design Show 2012, the only show in the UK focused solely on materials for surface design.

Ceramiche Refin will take part in the exhibition and showcase its Cromie collection, which, following her launch in Italy in Autumn 2011, has already been received favourably by consumers and planners.

Cromie: four colour families organised according to the NCS – Natural Color System ® © , to use colour strategically when putting your project-planning ideas into fruition and to make full use of the expressive potential of ceramic tiles.

CROMIE: four colour families organized according to the NCS colour system, to use colour strategically when putting your project-planning ideas into fruition and to make full use of the expressive potential of ceramic tiles.

WOOD²: the warm hints of natural wood scared by the passage of time and of wooden tables gently eroded by the toil of the craftsman are the protagonist of the Wood² collection.

FABRIC: essential and balanced ceramics, with a minimalist soul and a versatile expression, perfect to merge with contemporary design solutions.

OUT2.0: the new porcelain stoneware by Refin with 20mm thickness, perfect for outdoor applications.

SET-IN: the new dry-system self-fixing floor for interiors, by Refin

Preview Cersaie 2011 – I Mosaici d’Autore

The research path which Ceramiche Refin has set out along with Massimiliano Adami, within the creative exploration of Design Tale Studio – a virtual space to exchange ideas, creativity and familiarity with design and matter – led to the creation of Mosaici d’Autore: a project where ceramic mosaic is observed from different, as yet unexplored points of view, a path along which uncharted creative uses of porcelain stoneware are discovered.

During Cersaie 2011 three different expressions of this new project will be showcased, the Mosaici d’Autore:

1. Mosaico d’Autore 1 – first appearing in an exclusive preview at the FuoriSalone under the name Beside, the idea has now made its way into production. Beside is the ceramic product used in a never-before-seen way, born following close examination of a porcelain stoneware tile in its raw form, particularly its back. Its reverse side (or B-side), the most unexpected, surprising side, becomes the protagonist: its characteristic squared structure creates a graphic pattern which makes the geometry of mosaic resurface by playing with the ceramic glazes colors and reflections.

2. Mosaico d’Autore 2 - is the mosaic that revisits the traditional material of ceramic, such as graniglie and metals, already rediscovered and used by DTS in their original size Pareti and Tagli d’Autore. The eagerly awaited outcome is an absolutely versatile decorative proposal, which unlike modern mosaics made in porcelain stoneware, lends itself to innovative uses, even in combination with other materials.

3. Mosaico d’Autore 3 – so far, the research has focused on light, a key element in architecture that should interact with the 3D in relief with the goal of creating variance effects and chromatic dynamicity with surfaces. The research has already gone along multiple tangents which lead to various still-to-be completely expressed directions.

At the heart of these new expressions is a new point of view, which perfectly embodies all three projects:
- change in the point of view in which tiles are traditionally viewed, focusing on the so far unexplored reverse side;
- rediscovery of the materials that were the starting point of the most traditional ceramic matter and which are rediscovered under a new light;
- new perspectives on the use of light and its interaction with the structures of ceramic materials.

Pavillon 36 Stand B32/C37 and B33

Nordik, the new collection by Refin

Nordik is the ceramic interpretation of a Scandinavian natural stone, a material that has traditionally been used in the architecture of North-European countries and that, today, is increasingly being adopted in interior design projects.

The new collection by Refin has the air of fascination so typical of the Nordic countries the series takes its inspiration from, evoking them through elegance and refined minimalism, features that stem from the balanced graphic, and emanate from delicate natural shades. Bright and darker hues, cold grey tints and warm beige and brown nuances reflecting light that recollects suggestions of unrivalled, breath-taking landscapes.

Nordik is the expression of the traditional Swedish and Scandinavian living styles and its look is in line with the most cutting-edge trends of interior design: this makes Nordik the perfect design solution to meet the most demanding style needs in public and residential venues.

Ceramiche Refin, in partnership with Ceramic Tiles of Italy and ICE, will be present at AIA Convention & Expo, to be held in New Orleans (USA) from May 12 to 14, 2011.

AIA Convention & Expo, the annual convention of AIA, the American Institute of Architects, represents an important showcase where to discover the latest news in the interior design and urban architecture fields. For this reason Ceramiche Refin attends the event with two of the company’s latest creations, which have already earned great success among customers and industry insiders: Graffiti and Pietre di Borgogna.

The Graffiti collection reinterprets the effect of raw cement in porcelain stoneware, a versatile and first-rate material for its technical and aesthetic performance. Surfaces featuring a basic design in line with contemporary aesthetic trends, versatile and original, perfect for realizing every conceivable planning expression.

The Pietre di Borgogna collection reinterprets the natural limestone which can be traditionally found in Bourgogne. The natural appeal of this precious material, that has been widely used in the history of architecture, is combined with the excellent technical performances of Refin’s top quality porcelain stoneware.

Graffiti and Pietre di Borgogna are the result of research, innovation and design: the features of Refin collections, always able to amaze customers for their extreme versatility, that makes them perfect for indoor and outdoor spaces, for commercial and residential venues.

Our staff will be at visitors’ disposal, we await you at

AIA Convention & Expo 2011, from May 12 to 14, 2011
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans (USA)
Stand n. 3041

There are exactly two weeks to go until the opening of the 2011 edition of the Fuorisalone exhibition and, as usual, the excitement of the last few days, and the official presentation of BESIDE, is starting to tie knots in our stomachs.

We aren’t ready to reveal too many details just yet about the result of the partnership between Massimiliano Adami and DesignTaleStudio, our creative laboratory.  But just as a teaser, we can reveal that Adami has continued his path along the analysis of ceramic tiles from a creative point of view, experimenting and reinterpreting porcelain stoneware to discover new possibilities for this material.

While we wait to unveil everything in two weeks time, we would like to remind you of the first project created following the initial collaboration between Massimiliano Adami and DTS, to jog your memory on the approach and the point of view the Milan-based designer had of porcelain stoneware: Terraviva.

Terraviva was the result of the first collaboration between Adami and DTS: a meeting with lots of nods, winks, exchanges of opinions as well as visual and tactile senses.

That moment was the first step along the path of how the ceramic material would no longer come to be considered as a mere means to cover a surface, it was the start of a study on orthogonality, on the surface and on the concept of the ceramic tile intended as an integral part of a project, a decorative element, a break from the norm and from monotony.
Adami developed the need to bring porcelain stoneware and design closer to earth, to nature and terrestrial life.

It was no longer a question of making the space cleaner, more minimal and rigorous or to identify and imitate natural materials, but to empathize with the earth itself, to study the surfaces and the interruptions that make it unique.
Hammer at hand, Adami delighted reducing Refin porcelain stoneware slabs into smithereens and re-assembling them, using cracks as a decorative element and not as a defect.

The skilled, almost artisanal study of how and where the slabs broke and their re-composition was examined in tremendous detail and replicated at an industrial level using hydro-jet cutting machines to obtain the maximum cutting precision.
Cracks have been re-composed using coloured epoxy resins to highlight the contrast between the ceramic surface and the breakage line.

The result, a project that does not try to escape the passage of time but takes what is traditionally considered a defect and turns it into the focal point of the piece, there for the whole world to see.
Returning down the same path we successfully negotiated with Adami makes us eager to show you the new chapter of the partnership between Refin and Massimiliano Adami, BESIDE.

In two weeks time, at Refin Studio.

Following the success last year of  Terraviva, Refin asked Massimiliano Adami to give his interpretation of the ceramic material once again this year. And the designer said yes.

Adami, the design artist, observed, studied and reinterpreted ceramics, developing the research already started by DTS, Refin’s creative laboratory, and finally came up with a prototype, BESIDE, which we will showcase during the Fuorisalone exhibition.

Beside is a new interpretation of the ceramic mosaic, normally considered a finishing touch when it comes to ceramics, but that this times becomes the absolute protagonist of the space and decoration.

A new size: no longer repetitive inserts but modular surfaces and numerous different surface treatments creating geometrical as well as random patterns;

A new use: thanks to this new concept of different surface finishes, BESIDE is a ceramic mosaic that can perfectly match different materials such as resins, wood, metal or can just be used alone.

A new point of view: how many ways are there to see, use and appreciate ceramics? The BESIDE prototype crated for the Fuorisalone exhibition will answer these questions.

Would you like to know more? We await you at Fuorisalone 2011, at Refin Studio. Foro Bonaparte 68 – Milan

Fuorisalone 2011
12 – 17 April

Refin Studio
Foro Bonaparte 68 – Milan
opening hours: 10-22

Massimiliano Adami interprets ceramic mosaics for DesignTaleStudio.

Fuorisalone

Refin Studio - Foro Bonaparte 68 – Milan
12 – 17 April from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Opening cocktail with Massimiliano Adami reserved for invited guests only: Thursday, April 14, 7.00-12.00 p.m.

Brera Design Night: Friday, April 15, 7-12.00 p.m.

BESIDE – Unexpected tiles – is Massimiliano Adami‘s latest project for DesignTaleStudio, the creative laboratory of Ceramiche Refin.

Following Terraviva, the project designed by Massimiliano Adami for the Fuorisalone 2010, the designer has created a new project, putting his unique touch on the ceramic mosaic and offering an unexpected, creative interpretation.

The design set of the project will be created by the designer at Refin Studio, Ceramiche Refin’s showroom in Milan, a place where architects, designers and planners can share their experience and views of the ceramic material.