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Description
ON SQUARE CEMENTO By EmilCeramica
Collection: On Square
Type: Porcelain stoneware wall/floor tiles with concrete effect
The unadorned elegance of industrial concrete, hand-trowelled and foot-worn, has inspired the birth of On Square. We set out to produce a concrete of beauty, on which people have clearly left their mark. This human touch lessens the concrete’s austerity, giving it warmth and life. The space created provides protection from the tumult and chaos outdoors, giving a sense of well-being and calm, as the great architect Tadao Ando tells us. PRODUCTS Concrete is the product of human hands; they move, spread, smooth and mix it. These processes trigger chemical and physical reactions within the material, creating an infinity of colour shades. In the pieces in the On Square collection, we have reproduced the salt blooms on the surface, the traces of sand in the mortar, and the wear caused by feet and time. Goethe said that colours are distorted light and inevitably disturb the intimacy of tranquillity. Accepting this theory, we have decided to create dusty, neutral shades The colour range features the tones of mortar, produced by mixing natural oxides into the tile body. Full, substantial colours, not produced by surface treatments or chemical coatings. The dark shade is obtained with manganese oxide, while white lime is used for the pale colour. As well as the grey concrete, the range is completed by a sand shade, produced using iron oxide. Alongside the 60x60 and 30x60 sizes, we have produced an 80x80 slab. A huge square of concrete, cast in a single piece interrupted only by the expansion joints. SURFACES We have studied the surfaces of industrial concrete and have chosen to interpret two effects caused by wear: the natural surface is matt and textured, while the honed surface seems to have been smoothed and rounded by years of foot traffic. GRAPHICS We have interpreted more than forty different pieces of industrial concrete and reproduced them on a ceramic surface to achieve delicate, elegant effects. We imagine On Square as a discreet, respectful onlooker in houses full of life, sensitivity and emotions.