Abstract Maze

Location
Milano
Project
Patrick Norguet

Milan, April 2016 _ On occasion of the 55th edition of Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Lea Ceramiche introduces its new Naive Slimtech collection designed by Patrick Norguet. After the Cersaie preview, the full project is revealed in an evocative display entitled Abstract Maze, conceived by the French designer for the showroom on Via Durini in Milan.

Naive Slimtech

Naive is inspired by avant-garde technology. It is the meeting point between design and technology, between craftsmanship and industry, between porcelain stoneware and glaze. The patterns, reminiscent of carefully drawn pencil lines, create an interweaving effect, a web of random marks that emanate an emotional candor. The lightness and the sizes of the slabs accentuate the delicacy of these lines, which intersect unpredictably. A playful interaction between marks and rhythm that creates vibrant and mysterious surfaces available in various colors.

Innovative characteristics and technology used

Naive stands out for its nearly three-dimensional surface texture, obtained using an innovative technology based on glazes. The patterns reproduced create a bas-relief design, a series of lines which emphasize the depth of the material and create a floating graphic effect, that has a pleasant feel and appearance.

Naive is created with modules of ultra-thin laminated porcelain, 5.5mm thick. The slabs, in a record format of 3m x 1m, are produced without the use of molds and are then cut. Beginning with the careful selection of the raw materials and using revolutionary and sustainable technology, Naive Slimtech is a solution that combines aesthetic features and incomparable techniques: robust and durable, easy to cut into any shape, it can be applied to both walls and floors.

Abstract maze

The display, conceived by Patrick Norguet for the Lea Ceramiche showroom on Via Durini in Milan, showcases Naive in all of its chromatic variety and in its integration with the architectural space. The imposing slabs, cut into irregular shapes and positioned in varying directions and at various heights, create new spacial boundaries. Metal tubes extend from the ceiling to the floor, a “weave” of colored lines that recalls the pattern of the project and creates a new architectural landscape.

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“What is really interesting, being an architect, is the creation of a new material that will offer a wide range of applications in the architectural world. Lea Ceramiche is a brand that is open to innovation, and for me it characterizes the strength of Italy, the desire… to play.”