Powder room: Casalgrande Padana

It is a powerful, cross-cultural symbol of joy and happiness. We only need to think of the association of the rainbow palette to understand the role that a vibrant and varied colour spectrum plays in our collective consciousness, filling us with warmth, happiness, serenity and comfort. And we all have our favourite.

When apart, the separate colours are said to have individual relationships with human emotions and spirit. Reds increase energy and overcome depression, blues are calming and harmonic, greens rebalance emotion and encourage empathy while natural earth tones ground us with purification and peace. While chromotherapy may not be used to treat serious illnesses, the pastel palette is, however, still prescribed to hospitals and medical settings to create calm, soothing environments for patients, staff and anxious visitors alike.

‘Colours are archetypes of primordial forms of thought that can transform any setting with their vibrations. A colour can be calming and relaxing, cosy and intimate, energising and invigorating. It can purify or liven up space or make it cosy and cheerful.’ These are the words of Sara Costi, Head of Digital and Content Manager at the ceramic manufacturer, Casalgrande Padana.

The Italian brand’s latest transformative collection, the joy-filled Atelier range, features porcelain stoneware tiles in eight soft and subtle colours. Ranging from light earth tones including a canvas-like Cristallo (Crystal) and warm grey Brume (Mist), Atelier moves through an array of muted green and blue pastels from the subdued green of Lavanda (Lavender) and the slight purpling shade of Indaco (Indigo), to the harmonious Fiordalisa (Cornflower) somewhere in between the two. Coming to an end, the range extends with three bolder, more enticing shades including the verdure of Ottanio (Teal), the oceanic Oltremare (Overseas) and the earthy terracotta of Rubino (Ruby).

‘Atelier’s modern and versatile palette adds a personal and elegant touch to classic and contemporary settings and is spot-on for creating minimalist, urban glamour; classic, country or industrial chic; and metropolitan or Nordic styles.’ states Costi. With their deep, chasmic hues, the Atelier tiles present a perfect base for complementary and contrasting colours, patterns and styles, created especially to collaborate with Casalgrande Padana’s own range of stone-, concrete-, marble-, wood- and even metal-effect ceramic collections.

Add to this a variety of sizes as big as that of colour, ranging from small but easy-to-apply 5 x 5 cm mosaic, all the way up to the truly epic 120 x 278 cm wall coverings, the straight-edged rectified Atelier tiles line up to create perfectly smooth, unobstructed surfaces, extending to any large- or small-scale environment. With Atelier, designers have the freedom to explore the natural harmonious effects of combining surfaces of various colour, pattern and size. As Costi explains, ‘Large-format tiles create a wallpaper effect perfect for niches and recessed bookcases, walls and flush doors, or elegant surfaces that create continuity with walls.’

Instead of ending with the interior, however, this creative freedom extends to anywhere and everywhere an artistic mind lingers. Backing up its calming and bohemian personality with scientific chemical engineering, the durable stain-, sunlight-, wear-, abrasion-, water-, frost- and even acid-resistant Atelier tiles are protected from just about everything under the sun, as well as the sun itself. When combined with its vast size and a lithe 6.5 mm profile, these hard-wearing features make Atelier suitable to all possible applications, from interiors including small, sectional shower or vibrant feature walls, to more architectural elements such as ceilings, plinths, stairs and pillars, as well as extending to robust but stunning exterior cladding.

Science may not accept colour as a definitive medical treatment, but whether it’s providing mood-altering interiors, joyous and stunning exteriors or practical elements for decoration and furnishings, with its vibrant and expressive colour palette, large-scale yet light form and long-lasting composition, Casalgrande Padana’s Atelier collection shows what colour really is capable of.

© Architonic