Regular readers of Tile Addict will have noted my comments on the growing use of coloured grout as an integral part of new tile displays at Coverings and other recent international trade shows. Perhaps the apotheosis of this trend can be seen in Cava: a collection designed for Living Ceramics by LucidiPevere.
Cava has many design strengths: a mix of modular formats, engraved linear decoration, and colour play. It starts with a range of six coloured concrete-effect base tone surfaces that seem to encapsulate the soul of this progressive Spanish firm.
“We have worked the right balance between functionality and expressivity, working with its slight irregular trend and taking particular attention to porosity for all purposes be an easy to clean product,” explain the designers.
Unlike most tile collections, Cava’s strength lies in graphic patterns of incisions, instead of surface decoration. The collection offers a wide range of sizes that may or may not be treated with water jet technology. However, the true reveal does not occur until the tiles are installed … at the moment when the chosen coloured grout joint is complete. It is at this point that the design fully reveals itself as the filled lines create the final decoration. To aid the design process, 18 specific grout colours are specified in the Cava catalogue.
The creative minds behind this ground-breaking concept are Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere. Both graduated and trained professionally in Milan. They started to develop their first projects together in 2003 and, three years later, founded the LucidiPevere studio. In the past 12 years they have worked with many top brands, establishing a reputation for technical and aesthetic daring.
Cava is a through-bodied porcelain collection that comes in a range of different patterns and a wide set of modular formats: 900 by 900mm, 450 by 900mm, 600 by 600mm, 300 by 600mm, 100 by 600mm, 150 by 300mm, 75 by 300mm, and 130 by 150mm through-bodied porcelain. The base colours are Cava White, Cava Brown, Cava Beige, Cava Green, Cava Grey, and Cava Black. The recommended grout colours are Moon white, Coral red, beige, terracotta, silk, yellow, mud, Jade green, black, turquoise, green, Space blue, brown, Crocus blue, caramel, tornado, magnolia, and Cement grey.
More on the project here.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, June 2018.
2 thoughts on “Grouted Geometry”