Natural beauty and technical mastery: the latest stone-inspired tiles by Casalgrande Padana

A beatific array of sweeping verdant plains, rolling hills and rocky outcrops might define the landscape of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy’s agro-industrial heartland. But one of the region’s most feted exports is, in fact, drawn from underneath it all. The exceptional abundance of clay in Emilia-Romagna’s subsoil has made it a global hub for the production of ceramics, and particularly porcelain; materials holistically woven, decoratively and practically, into everyday life for millennia.

For over 60 years, Casalgrande Padana – located in the titular town, a little west of Bologna in the shadow of the Apennines – has been at the fore of the region’s porcelain industry; manufacturing innovative, environmentally-friendly porcelain tiles for floors and walls, indoors and out, in timeless aesthetics and robust forms made to last for generations. It’s an approach exemplified in the company’s latest ranges of stone-inspired tiles: five distinct, yet visually subtle collections that are evocative of the warmth and texture of the natural world, and deceptively scientific in their construction and facility.

Take the slate-style tiles of the ‘Era’ range, which replicate the fine, metamorphic rock’s delicate veining and cloud-like aesthetic, nuanced tactility, and juxtaposition of light and shadow, all the while embracing the technical aspects of porcelain to afford almost universal applications across domestic and commercial contexts.

‘Nature’, meanwhile, harnesses warmer shades and enveloping colours to evoke earth, the elements and agrarian-domestic nostalgia – a rustic vision where ‘spacious verandas and large courtyards, tall granaries and open-beam ceilings accompany memories of tradition and recollections of old family estates’.

‘Stile’ is faintly more muted, designed to mimic fine stone surfaces in a range of finishes (antiquated, bush-hammered and natural silk among them) and quiet colours; while ‘Petra’ riffs on the warmth and beauty of quartzite in delicately earthen and sandy shades, the irregularity of which appeals to the ‘mix-and-match’ sensibilities of today’s interior design trends. The set’s beautiful neutrals can also be applied in a more decorative way, across fireplaces, bookshelves, shower trays, worktops and washbasins in a ton-sur-ton style, offsetting and complementing Casalgrande Padana’s wider range of cement, wood, stone, marble and metal-effect tiles.

The ‘Supreme’ collection is, perhaps, the most intriguing: four classic hues (grey, dark, sand and taupe) in thrall to the ‘harmonious crystal lattices [and] delicate transparencies’ of sedimentary and rock salt crystallisation, inspired by the Fleur de Sel of the Algarve, Brittany’s grey salt and black Kala Namak South Asian rock salt.

It’s a set of signifiers that ties neatly into Casalgrande Padana’s keen approach to melding the serene aesthetics of the natural world and the needs of its customers – with all the technical durability, adaptability and verisimilitude that involves.

‘The development process always starts from a need, in terms of evaluating the coherence between the existing range and current and presumed future needs,’ explains the company’s general manager, Stefano Torrenti. ‘The advantage of ceramic research, if used correctly, lies not in the non-obligatory nature of a slavish imitation but in the possibility of creating something that is more pleasant, current and aesthetically durable than the original.’

The company has more than achieved this. Visually, its porcelain tiles might harken back to time immemorial, but these are incredibly well-considered, future-facing products: 100% made in Italy, incredibly hardy (inert, fire-resistant, resistant to flexing, frost, wear and other temperature fluctuations), non-absorbent and, if required, antibacterial thanks to specialist Bios Antibacterial® technology. They don’t age or warp. They can be glued to screed for high load resistance, or dry-laid directly onto sand.

Thanks to their polypropylene supports, these can be raised outdoors to create a gap for electrical and plumbing systems. They’re also usable in rooms with underfloor heating, due to porcelain’s high transmittance and thermal conductivity. Their utility is unbounded. At their core, these collections perfectly exemplify the company philosophy of ‘beauty as simplicity and harmony, not as excess,’ concludes Torrenti. ‘Creations that are current but will last over time, both in terms of quality and taste.’

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