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AUTHENTIC APPEAL IN AN AGE OF ROBOTICS, HANDMADE TILES ARE MAKING THEIR MARK words by J. Michael Welton
PHTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF NEW RAVENNA MOSAICS
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wo trends drive the tile industry today, and they could not be more divergent. One’s powered by technology; the other’s all about authenticity. And they’re both moving forward at full speed. Visitors to any of the thriving tile factories in the Emilia-Romagna and Sassuolo regions of Italy won’t hear human voices on the factory floor today. Instead, the dominant sound is the steady hum of robotics turning clay into large-format porcelain tile. The mass-produced patterns mimic the look of natural stone and sell at a lower price point. At Cersaie, Bologna’s sprawling trade show for tile, they’re all the rage. Coliseum, Dimenisioni Collection (above); Astronomy, Trove Collection (top, right); Leone Grand, Aurora™ Collection (middle); Michael, Trove Collection (bottom, right)
NEW RAVENNA MOSAICS
Robotics aside, the more intriguing development in today’s tile industry is the ascendancy of the human touch. Coast to coast in the U.S., artisans are creating tiles, stones, and mosaics with a natural, enchanting October + November 2017 | O C E A N H O M E M A G . C O M 33
