Urban Great Anthracite and Sand: new coverings in metropolitan style

Porcelain continues to be the key material in contemporary design for improving and renewing floors in the home in 2018.

In line with the constant process of aesthetic evolution that has been underway for two decades, porcelain continues to surprise us with new research in colours and sizes. 

Perfectly adaptable for a wide range of uses in interior and exterior design, porcelain tiles are now laid in a great variety of contemporary spaces, in the presence of furnishings in traditional, metropolitan, vintage and post-industrial styles.

It most widely acknowledged, distinctive features, superior in performance to all other contemporary covering materials, are resistance to scratching, chemicals and extreme temperatures, as well as its non-slip properties, versatility and long-term inalterability.

 

Innovative new manufacturers of porcelain surfaces include Porcelaingres, established in 2003 in Vetschau, Germany to produce high quality porcelain in one of Europe’s most advanced plants. As an Iris Ceramica Group company, Porcelaingres avails itself of the technical know-how of an Italian world leader in the development of high-tech porcelain, combining Italian know-how with German quality.

Porcelaingres uses natural materials such as clay, quartz and feldspar in its production processes, "offering all the strength, impermeability and aesthetic quality typical of porcelain ".

The combined action of these carefully selected materials is not only high performing but extremely ecological, as the plant’s production processes include recycling of crushed parts and rejected pieces, autonomous production of all the energy required for production, and purification of wastewater.

 

Expanding the range of colours of its many collections, Porcelaingres has recently added the new colours Anthracite and Sand to its Urban Great collection.

Recognised as one of the most important cement-effect collections, Urban Great goes beyond the horizons of classic home floor surfaces with its large slabs only 6 mm thick, reducing the environmental impact of production and transportation of the material.

Anthracite and Sand add to the four classic colours Dove, Grey, Ivory and White, tiles that “can be used to cover surfaces of all kinds and also permit creation of unique customised decorating accessories”. 

Irradiated with a light glaze right through, Anthracite is inspired by the fossil coal that gives it its name, and is the darkest colour in the collection, while the warmer Mediterranean hues of Sand offer a delicate variant somewhere between beige and grey.

Over a sober yet highly expressive basic colour, Urban Great maxi-slabs reveal the innate material qualities and lived-in look of high-tech porcelain, reflecting the best atmospheres of contemporary living styles.

These include the metropolitan look emphasised by the Urban Great collection, characterised by simple spaces and true open spaces, big glass surfaces letting in as much light as possible, and kitchens opening onto the living area.

Furnishings in metropolitan style may include big, comfortable sofas and armchairs, lamps, raised surfaces, shelving and big bookcases, while leaving plenty of room for improvisation and personal creativity, and for the pleasure of making the most of surface coverings.

The delicate hues of white and anthracite, of sand, grey and ivory in the Urban Great collection are perfect for laying as a covering material on both walls and floors, laid side by side or with minimal grouting. 

Also recommended for non-residential projects, Urban Great fully expresses its dramatic nature as the ideal exterior covering, or in commercial and public spaces.