Tile is of the essence: Villeroy & Boch

Excuse me, but has anyone come across ‘the essential’ lately? It seems to have somehow been lost among the material abundance and emotional-stimulus overload of modern, everyday life. So much input on so many levels can have the effect of making us restless and unfocused, but often, a simple walk in the woods or some other point of contact with nature is enough to reduce our stress levels and allow us to find inner peace.

Gentle natural colours, organic forms and familiar structures give us a sense of clarity and help us to rediscover the essential elements of our lives once again. Unfortunately, though, that forest or deserted beach is not always simply around the corner. Which is why it’s all the more important to try to live more minimal lives, by clearer, simpler principles – and leave the sensory overload at the door.

‘The Art of Simplicity’ also follows this concept. It may sound like a philosophical manual for solving the issues of our time, but it is, in fact, the stylistic credo of the new tile collections from Villeroy & Boch. Instead of fancy designs and countless possibilities, the focus here too is on the art of simplicity, in order to accord more space to the essential once again.

In its new series, Germany's leading manufacturer of ceramic goods focuses on symbioses of authentic materials, simple designs and structured surfaces. The tiles do not, however, simply stand back and let furniture and accessories take centre-stage, rather, depending on the user’s desires and creative concept, they become a highlight in their own right.

The style of furniture plays no role here. After more than 4,000 years, the tile has already lived through a trend or two so adapts calmly to its surroundings – and it’s no different with ‘The Art of Simplicity’. Whether timelessly classic, modern or puristic – mankind’s oldest wall and floor tiles, despite their modesty, enhance every room, bringing out all its strengths and special features.

With its ROCKY.ART collection – and in line with a global shift in consciousness – Villeroy & Boch is embracing the spirit of the age and the trend towards natural living which has found its way into our living and working spaces in recent years. Because, as the name hints at, everything here revolves around nature, from sustainable materials to warm tones to design – with the aim of creating a place close to nature where you can withdraw and breathe deeply.

To achieve this, the concept of ROCKY.ART combines the themes of nature and art in a very subtle way, combining natural stone optics with abstract floral decoration to design walls and floors. The calm basis is formed by tiles made of vilbostone porcelain stoneware in various formats and four harmoniously coordinated shades of beige and grey, which echo the symbiosis of rustic natural stone with concrete. The tiles deliver haptically too, as the stone-matt PowderTouch surface not only looks authentic, it also has a pleasant, velvety feel.

With so much understatement, of course, it’s important the statement not be missed. To this end, and also inspired by nature, Villeroy & Boch have introduced a collection of glazed porcelain stoneware tiles with greatly enlarged and abstracted details of hydrangea blossoms in fine yellow or stronger green nuances which match all the basic tiles.

Whether as room dividers or open shower islands, whether laid over the entire surface of the wall and floor or as individual large-format pictures with a real glass overlay, the three-dimensional hydrangea decor offers various possibilities for opening up individual worlds of retreat – from the living area to the bathroom to the hotel or retail space. And the quality is unquestionable: Villeroy & Boch has been a byword for excellence since 1748, after all.

In addition to ROCKY.ART, other new tile series 2020 ALTA, DAYTONA, FALCONAR, METALYN, OMBRA and NOCTURNE also offer puristic design freedom, with which we can create our own natural spaces. Simple and plain. All that remains is to rediscover for oneself the essential in all its clarity and tranquillity – the most beautiful challenge of all.

© Architonic