Never let it be said that Tile Addict won’t go the extra mile to keep its followers abreast of the very latest trends in tile design. So it was on 17th May that I strolled from London Bridge Station along London’s Southbank to The Barge House. The reason: to experience at first hand Caesarstone‘s launch of what it billed as the “groundbreaking Metropolitan Collection.”
Metropolitan comprises nine products that play to the vogue for industrial design chic. The selected venue, The Barge House, could hardly have been more apt. It still amazes me that such buildings still exist in central London. Strategically located in the shadow of the iconic OXO Tower, this is a totally-unreconstructed four-storey warehouse, with exposed metal beams, raw concrete, powerful brickwork and original windows. An exciting and atmospheric space, The Barge House is a blank canvas with tremendous scope. Part of the Oxo Tower Wharf development, it is owned and managed by social enterprise Coin Street Community Builders and surrounded by restaurants, cafés, bars and contemporary design shops … the perfect setting for a design party at which the five new products took centre stage; each one rough and unpolished, evoking the popularity of the neo-industrial style.
In a contemporary rethinking of Brutalism, robust finishes have become popular with both specifiers and consumers. Inspired by factories and urban lofts, and translated for residential and commercial interiors, each of Metropolitan’s energetically-styled surfaces has been created to reflect the authentic textures of raw manufacturing, such as oxidized steel, poured plaster and raw concrete. Using cutting-edge technology, weathered patinas have been achieved in quartz for what is claimed to be the very first time. Caesarstone UK’s VP of Marketing, Jon Stanley, comments: “Last year’s reveal of 4033 Rugged Concrete was a significant hit with both commercial and residential designers; numerous projects and a number of awards followed but what the launch really did was set the tone for the Metropolitan Collection that we are unveiling now. The Metropolitan Collection, as well as comprising perhaps the most visually arresting surface designs available on the market today, is highly commercial and keenly priced.”
Excava is inspired by the intriguing patinas of casting and oxidisation, combining the authentic features of rust and concrete. Its look captures the geological decay of stone, weathered by time and nature. Its excavated look offers texture and depth, from earth shades through to copper and dark brown. Its finish is subtly coarse to the touch, yet still easy to clean.
Subtle and sophisticated, Cloudburst Concrete offers white-on-white tones coupled with a low reflective matt surface. As a result this design will work alongside light and dark timber, stainless steel, or concrete; providing wide design flexibility, from industrial loft or Scandinavian through to contemporary minimalism.
Airy Concrete’s light grey base illustrates the richness that minimalism can achieve. It is an authentic rough concrete finish that has been refined for the home. Its airy visual textures are enriched by dark grey and white areas.
Topus Concrete takes its inspiration from topological strata; those fossilized textures built up over time in veiled layers. The design combines natural mineral formations with the rugged patinas of industrial materials. This lends the surface movement, opacity, and depth. Surprisingly, a gentle hint of warm pink offers a blush undertone that echoes today’s on-trend pastels.
Frozen Terra is a fresh, modern concrete-terrazzo fusion, with sparsely distributed irregular translucent aggregate and fine black basalt; while the matt finish achieves an authentic industrial patina. For further information on the Metropolitan Collection, as well as details on how to order samples, contact info@caesarstone.co.uk.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, June 2018.