Surprisingly Modern

Ceramic tiles that quote familiar things and yet appear surprisingly modern: The Craft and Goldline series, classic split tiles, equally suitable for indoor and outdoor use, owe their handcrafted character to their traditional production.

Compositions of alkaline earths, fluxing agents and metal oxides in combination with the clay body can give rise to particularly vibrant, intensive colorations and typical surface structures under open flame guidance - the Craft series was just right for the dark and opulent atmosphere of the "Bar Bardem" in the centre of Helsinki, designed by interior design bureau Fyra.

In the spring of 2019, the 4-star-plus Ottilia, which belongs to Denmark's leading boutique hotel chain Brøchner, was opened. In keeping with the historical location, the architecture by Arkitema Architects and the interior design by the Brøchner design team are in industrial look: Original, straightforward and rough, but at the same time with typical Scandinavian elegance, casualness and a sense of style. As a reminiscence of the old ceramic façade of the building's base, almost all the bathrooms have been given striking ceramic wall and floor tiles from the Craft series.

The hotel's 150 or so suites and rooms are located partly in a historic building designed by architect Vilhelm Dahlerup and partly in a former warehouse designed by architect Svenn Eske Kristensen in the late 1960s. The primary aim of Arkitema Architects was to focus on the history of the buildings, while emphasising their historical value.

In the Bazillion Apartment, a second home for two people in Vilnius, Lithuania, YCL Studio has drawn a clear line between day and night areas, while at the same time blurring the conventional distinction between wet and dry areas. YCL's designers have used and divided the available space with an intelligent solution: A sloping wall divides the room into two equally sized areas, one living area and kitchen, the other sleeping area and bathroom. The former is cool and light, the latter warm and solid.

The cool part has a white wooden floor, a white ceiling and white walls, while the floor and walls of the warm part are covered with tiles in three shades of an earthy reddish-brown colour. The tiles are from the Goldline series. The concrete ceiling of this area is painted in a terracotta shade similar to the tiles.