Low-relief veining effects define Casalgrande Padana’s new Marmora tiles

Marble might seem like a material that is impossible to improve on, in terms of presence and aura, but it can be done. It has a forever nuance that’s both elegant and elemental, but its intrinsic qualities of weight, and need for maintenance, rule it out for many design projects. For those, the new Marmora collection of ceramic tiling from Casalgrande Padana has the edge. 

Intensive research and innovation have developed a material with the rich colour and depth of rarefied sedimentary rock, complete with streaks of contrast that can be felt by the hand as well as picked up by the eye. The low-relief veining of Marmora is three dimensional – technically ingenious and aesthetically brilliant. The product features a juxtaposition of cool, silk-smooth areas, and antiqued veins set into the surface in an organic and irregular manner, creating something refined. It is fit for many more purposes than anything from the quarries in Carrara, while looking just as luxurious and handsome.

The holy grail for a design brand is to create something that works in limitless situations and becomes raw material for the imagination. Marmora is precisely that. The tactile nature of the low-relief veining is remarkable, but so is the complexity and richness of the six colours in the collection, from a slate darkness to a fresh and pure porcelain gleam, via warm, golden, caramel tones. It gives a world of opportunity to create dramatic juxtaposition with contrasting shades, or varying finishes of the same tone. The tiles allow for the perfect graphic butterfly symmetry of veins familiar from the most beautifully executed projects with marble; when accomplished with the larger tiles in the range, it can become all the art you need in the room. It is the dream bathroom, spa, gallery, hotel lobby, working environment, or bar. 

Marmora incorporates a myriad options for combinations (bookmatch/endmatch) and finishes (honed/lucid/smooth/vein-touch). Each colour – Marmora Grigio Antico, Lunense, Morato, Nero Antico, Palombino and Pavonazzetto – is available in a 10x60 cm size with a 9 mm thickness and a vein-touch surface, as well as 60x120 cm, 60x60 cm and 30x60 cm sizes, also with a 9 mm thickness, and 120x120 cm and 60x120 cm sizes with a 6 mm thickness, available with honed, polished, smooth and vein-touch surfaces.  

Marmora works for either flooring and wall coverings, or both – for maximum impact. It is durable, non-absorbent, and fire-resistant – its resilience makes it easy to care for, and the tiling retains its pristine sheen perpetually. The research and development of Marmora was focused on an end result that would be classic and wholly natural in look, but virtually indestructible when faced with heavy use in hospitality – it resists flexure, frost, and wear, and retains its integrity 100% regardless of temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Marmora is an inspired choice for diverse and demanding clients and end uses, from boutique to palace hotels, to wellness retreats internationally and superyachts. It’s a material that will never warp or age. It can also be ordered with both Bios Self-Cleaning® and Bios Antibacterial® treatments, both certified eco-compatible architectural applications that have taken over 20 years of rigorous experimentation to perfect.

While the longevity of Marmora is paramount, the entirely recyclable nature of the new product is also an essential quality. It is made entirely from natural raw materials, free from glazes, and produced within closed-loop production, incorporating anti-pollution equipment, and recovery and reuse of 100% of all components.

Casalgrande Padana takes the future of the environment into account with everything it does – it is committed to an ongoing reduction in its footprint and implements certified product, process, and environmental management policies. The aim with Marmora was to perfect something more inherently sustainable than marble, which turns between 30% and 70% of its raw material into waste while being dug, consuming vast quantities of energy and water in the process. 

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