The trend of reissues is also conquering the world of surfaces. It is not only the furniture pieces of the great Masters that are making a comeback updated in materials and sizes, but also ceramic collections of the past, with strong design and aesthetic value, can return to the contemporary scene by exploiting the potential of new technologies that increase their performance and quality. This is what Refin and its team of Tile Designers have done, recovering the Beside collection from its archives and launching its reissue in the new Upside project.
Beside was born from the creativity of Massimiliano Adami; the designer created a porcelain stoneware collection starting from the observation of the back of traditional tiles (the “B side” from which the line’s name was later derived), characterized by a typical checked structure: that “hidden” decorative motif, the result of the ceramic production process, thus became the aesthetic signature of the wall tile proposal, transformed into a geometric mosaic pattern and decorated with the colors and reflections of ceramic glazes.
A decade later, that so minimal, linear and simply elegant decoration is still current in its aesthetics, while today’s manufacturing innovation expands its expressive capacity and functionality. Thus developing its heritage, Refin has revisited the original design, preserved its DNA and applied new technologies to it in terms of production. The result is an expanded, ultra-decorative proposal with remarkable visual impact and, above all, endless potential.
The geometric pattern – a distinctive element as well as a trait d’union between the two lines – is applied to several formats, even large ones, which change their compositional perception from time to time. With the contribution of the variegated color palette that draws from eight hues with which to play in combinations and thus give life to atmospheres of different intensities: Sky and Blue, that is, the two shades of light and dark blue are intense and relaxing; Green is a reminder of nature, while Yellow is an energetic mustard yellow with slight hints of earthy nuances.
And again, Ruby red, the delicacy of powder pink in Pink; up to the classics, Black and White. The technological evolution of the last decade has thus enabled Upside to decline its geometries as a continuous lattice on sizeable formats, such as 30×60 and 60×120, which allow the tiles to be juxtaposed with an uninterrupted laying of the lattice, and thus draw continuous scenographies of wide perspective.
The 30×30 Mosaic, the only format of the original design, is composed of randomly matched 5×5 tiles, into which the grid is then broken down. While with the new Brick 6.3×29 it is possible to move the grid through staggered laying, generating a dynamic effect on the walls. Upside thus represents not only the evolution of a product, but also of Refin’s design and its creative and experimental language.
