By now you will be spotting the trend. The more preview material Tile Addict receives, the clearer it becomes that some stands at Cersaie 2018 will look more like exhibits from ISH, KBB or Salone del Mobile Milano. Lapitec is the latest manufacturer to concentrate on surface options, XXL slabs, and interior applications – particularly in the kitchen.
Cersaie will close out a particularly important season for the Veneto-based company. It has recently received three international prizes: Plus X Awards 2018, a German Design Award 2018 and a Special Star from Premio Mediastars. The latter was garnered for the creative direction of the video campaign for the Bianco Assoluto and Nero Assoluto colour options, created by marketing agency Gruppo Icat.
Lapitec has continued to expand its product range. The latest addition – Velvet – sounds particularly interesting: the name reflecting the design inspiration. Velvet is billed as a brushed surface with a delicate look and feel … just like the fabric after which it is named. It further extends Lapitec’s large surface trend, that began in 2017 with the Urban collection for exterior cladding. Velvet, however, looks to interiors with a colour palette of four shades – Brooklyn, Berlin, Casablanca and London – and three thicknesses (12mm, 20mm, and 30mm).
As with the Urban collection, the names of the Velvet collection are a tribute to four iconic cities with distinct architectural styles. Brooklyn is a new interpretation of the colours and shades of iron alloys, giving rise to textures with plenty of impact. London, an ash grey, evokes the tones inspired by the smoky hues of the English city in a more metropolitan, glamorous key. Berlin, on the other hand, is infused with the colour and atmosphere of the German capital. Finally, in a light, urban finish, Casablanca echoes the buildings of Morocco’s famed city as they create a pop of white against the Mediterranean Sea.
The technical characteristics of Lapitec make it ideal for cutting-edge architectural applications: calibrated thicknesses and chromatic uniformity make it possible to create walls and partitions with seamless continuity. The Velvet finish is particularly suitable for flooring or kitchen worktop applications as all Lapitec products are extremely easy to clean, non-slip and resistant to graffiti, high/low temperatures, airborne salt particles and UV rays.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, July 2018.