At Coverings 2022, the CID Awards honored outstanding Special Recognition projects that demonstrated spectacular craftsmanship and creativity in the use of tile & stone. This week we’re putting the spotlight on two projects who were recognized for their international flair.
Special Recognition: International
Utopian Rationale: Blessing, Doubles
Carmine Abate Architetto
Castellammare di Stabia, Naples, Italy
Second experiment for the fashion bunker. In the new store in Castellammare di Stabia, Naples, almost twice as large, everything remains unchanged, except for the colors. The approximately 20,000 tiles, which cover the walls, floor, and ceiling, are colored with a thin celestine and are the backdrop to the new shades of color: Cartier red for the wings and imperial blue for the curtains.
Iconic pieces of design complete the scene: the “Superleggera” by Gio’ Ponti and the “Chiara” by Mario Bellini. The young Neapolitan architect Carmine Abate, leaves everything unchanged: walnut briar case, diamond-tipped wood, tree trunks on gold cubes.
The mirror that creates the “mise en abyme” effect is already a cult for users. The red neon inscription “for ever more”, born as a tribute to the Irish “unconventional diva” Roisin Murphy, to her always sophisticated looks, to her engaging and particular performances, is now a lucky charm.
Special Recognition – International
PARATY Tapas Bar
Studio Muyelena
Valencia, Spain
Brazilian hospitality and the architecture of the colonial city of Paraty, a tropical paradise on the Atlantic, articulate the reform of this restaurant, carried out by the architecture and interior design studio. The color, rhythm and freshness of Paraty prevail in each of the corners of this homonymous restaurant, whose reform raised the need to optimize the space to maximize capacity and functionality, while seeking to reflect the hospitable and open character of the restaurant. The reform also defined the extension of the kitchen and the bar area, modifying its location, and additional storage solutions were proposed.
As a starting point, it seeks to clearly reflect the concept and cuisine of a corner of Brazil, loved and longed for by the property. Thus, Paraty is the perfect background to speak of calm, of a slow pace but infused with an intense underlying energy. Its wild strength is reflected in an interior made of forceful materials, such as the marble bar, all in one piece, or the stone walls, with a presence that invites you to melt into it and let yourself be carried away. The sea and the land are expressed through a soft palette; The project combines sincere materials, such as the parabanes that articulate the space, upholstered in raffia, or the lamps, which share their artisanal touch with the walls covered in traditional handmade tile or with the decorated mosaic carpet that frames the room.
Indeed, crafts and manual know-how play an important role in the choice of materials, which consciously serves to express the character of the Brazilian island and its people. In the room, one of the walls has been covered with glazed tiles in a deep green that is again a reflection of the exuberance of the island, and that helps to create an intimate setting for the gastronomic experience. The floor of the entire dining room is a large hand-embroidered tablecloth, with Hisbalit vitreous mosaic, following a traditional pattern in different shades of green and white, while the back of the bar is covered in small-format tile in the color albero. The edges and irregular surfaces help us to emphasize the role of the crafts both of the island that serves as a reference and of the dishes that can be tasted on the premises.
The terrace welcomes us with the exuberance of a vibrant installation, with flowers in different shades of red and a volume that impresses, while each of the different areas created in the room displays a succession of color and texture, like nature itself. This is how, once inside the premises, the gaze focuses on the false patios, designed to generate a feeling of spaciousness and freshness, functioning as vanishing points.
Do you have a recently completed project that features innovative design and installation of tile & stone? Consider entering it to the 2023 CID Awards – the submission portal will open this fall.
