THE ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS OF A VERSATILE AND RESISTANT MATERIAL.

FROM THE BATHROOM TO THE OUTDOORS, IT LENDS ITSELF TO NUMEROUS SOLUTIONS FOR THE HOME AND BEYOND.

Designing one’s own home, choosing its style and coverings is always a pleasant path towards the creation, within the walls of one’s own home, of a small world in which to live peacefully, whether one is single or has a family.

We Italians are well aware of this, and over time we have turned the home into a real cult: a place where tiles, accessories, furnishings and doors are the means of telling a little about ourselves.

But if there is one material that allows you to show off your personality more than any other, it is porcelain stoneware.

Why? Simple: it is available in a wide range of shapes and colours and it adapts perfectly to all environments: from the kitchen to the bathroom and outdoors. A versatile material that lends itself to being worked with great ease, as if it were natural stone, and therefore capable of meeting customised requirements. The different possibilities of colouring and polishing allow us to reproduce any type of effect, from parquet to cement, from marble to cotto, with an aesthetic value equal to that of the original materials.

We know all about its qualities. It is resistant to rubbing and treading, it is waterproof and insensitive to temperature changes (such as extreme cold or contact with boiling pots and pans) and its production process is environmentally friendly.

Most importantly, it is easy to clean. It neither stains nor absorbs dirt.

Porcelain stoneware has a wide range of uses. It is chosen for homes and, increasingly, for restaurants, hotels (here is an example), airports, offices, hospitals and shopping centres.

In short, porcelain stoneware is always around.

Inspired by its versatility, we thought we’d offer you a guide to its many fields of application. There are many ideas, and this list cannot be exhaustive. But we recommend that you make these eleven ideas your own.

Stairs
This is one of the biggest innovations: imagine stairs without joints and junctions. An idea that overcomes the classic discontinuity between floors and stairs. Let’s explain: it is possible to create made-to-measure L-shaped elements with 45° bonding between riser and tread. Fantastic, isn’t it? The result is a linear and contemporary staircase with a strong aesthetic impact that gives a sense of extreme cleanliness.

In the garden

Take a slab of porcelain stoneware, one of those simple ones – perhaps light-coloured – which can blend in with the outside of your home, and lay it on sand, grass or gravel. Perhaps think of a path that will take you from the entrance to your wooden gazebo. Or towards the barbecue. Your garden will already look more beautiful than your neighbour’s. A simple solution that adds great aesthetic value is to leave large gaps between the tiles.

Pool cladding

Have you ever thought about giving your swimming pool a distinctive look? The great capacity of porcelain stoneware to last over time makes it perfect for swimming pool floors, providing harmonious visual and stylistic continuity. From classic sky-blue to more extreme solutions, the result will be fascinating.

Wood effect

We know, it’s not the latest thing. But today there are many new interpretations which, with extraordinary varnish effects, perfectly imitate old boards marked by time. But even with a classic look, we are sure that this type of cladding will bring a natural spirit into any room.

Stone effect

Here we are in the area of classic solutions. But there are also some great innovations here. Today porcelain stoneware is more and more similar to real stone, giving a unique tactile perception thanks to its harmoniously irregular grain. Playing with different formats and with colours or shades, we recommend it for both indoor and outdoor use. The result will be a surface with a natural yet contemporary appearance.

Marble effect

With results that are sometimes even better than the original, the beauty of porcelain stoneware lies in its ability to imitate other more expensive materials such as marble. Suffice it to say that, with zero maintenance, it guarantees a longer lifespan.

Outdoor use

Imagine for your flat to create a beautiful spatial continuity between indoors and outdoors, crossing room boundaries and opening up to a veranda or terrace. This is one of the most popular proposals thanks to the versatility of porcelain stoneware, which in the large slab format makes it possible to combine high performance with a unique and refined aesthetic. Our advice is to choose slightly higher thicknesses (20 mm). Here is an example

In the bathroom

This is a real must and the showrooms are full of proposals for this type of application. Lovers of vintage style will prefer the classic alternation of black and white in square shapes. Those who dream of feeling like they are in a Mediterranean country every day can think of an environment that recalls hammams with earth-coloured floors and walls with small coloured tiles forming mosaics.

In the kitchen

As we have already said, porcelain stoneware is easy to clean and does not retain dirt. This makes it perfect for a kitchen that needs to be comfortable, beautiful and efficient. In addition to the worktop, it can also be used on the walls near the cooking points, covering the entire wall. The recommended colours are pastel (to stimulate creativity at the hob) or dark (if an elegant solution is chosen). It is important that the joints are almost imperceptible so that there are no interruptions at a glance.

In the bedroom

In these cases, we often opt for wood-effect models to give warmth or marble-like references to stay in the classic style. But if we are thinking of the children’s room we can play with fantasy with 3D textures, geometries and pastel shades.

Large slabs for the living room

Beyond the bathroom, the kitchen or the outdoors, large slabs allow us to present an idea of uniformity in more informal environments such as dining rooms, living rooms or living areas. Compatible with underfloor heating, you can also think of enriching the fireplace cladding with small references.
Here is an example