Cromatica Ceramic Tile Collection by Formafantasma for CEDIT.

The engineering of ceramics for architecture has allowed the production of larger and larger sizes and brighter and brighter colours. At the same time, the process’s mechanisation has eliminated the flaws which, even when they were unwanted defects, once gave character to surfaces. These differences were particularly noticeable in ceramic tiles, which when placed side by side were usually not exactly alike, particularly in shade.

In the “Cromatica” collection, Studio Formafantasma investigates the potential of colour in contemporary ceramic covering manufacturing. The collection consists of 6 colours with two surface finishes (natural and glossy) and a large number of sizes. In production terms, the slabs combine a variety of technologies to achieve new shades and colour variations within every single panel. Every slab is designed for use in its full size or cut into smaller sizes, which can be combined – even at random, and mixing different colours – to reveal a wealth of shades, the basis for interior designs with unique, original chromatic combinations. When developing the colour assortment, Studio Formafantasma also drew on the CEDIT archives, taking some of its inspiration from a vast selection of glazes which Ettore Sottsass designed for the company in the late 1990s.

“This work is a reflection on colour, and above all on how to bring the multiplicity of shades typical of a hand-crafted piece into a large-scale project,”explain Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Formafantasma.

See more projects from Studio Formafantasma on Yellowtrace.

[Images courtesy of CEDIT – Ceramiche d’Italia. Photography by Lorenzo Capparucci. Porcelain pieces from Delta Collection by Formafantasma, courtesy Gusting Stagetti- Galleria O. Roma. Stool from the Craftica Collection by Formafantasma, courtesy Gallery Libby Sellers.]