 nsalata, rigatoni, cappuccino — and tile. That’s what Ceramic Tiles of Italy, an association of Italian ceramic tile manufacturers, served up at the 2002 Coverings Show. “It’s an Italian sense of the important things. Food and coffee and conversation,” says designer Mitchell Mauk of Mauk Design. |
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| The tile association wanted a focal point that reinforces what Italian tile makers have to offer. So the designer transformed the association’s 70-by-80-foot exhibit space into an exclusive restaurant and meeting place for Italian exhibitors at the show. Catered by local Italian chefs, the restaurant plays up Italian culture. “It’s a place to eat,” says Mauk. “So we kept it simple.” So simple, in fact, that the entire exhibit is made of just two materials: tile and plastic. The walls are made of a translucent, corrugated greenhouse plastic, a neutral material to showcase the tiles. “Most of the products are really small,” one judge comments. “These walls make the exhibit and the tile seem more prominent than they really are.” Inside the exhibit is a wide expanse of tile — all in white. “We used matte white, cream white, patterns, gloss,” Mauk expounds, “something like the variety of textures in a wedding dress.” Scattered across the tile are tables and chairs, a serving station, a coffee bar, and a conference room. The design’s restraint amplifies the decadence of the Italian food served inside. What could be more dramatic than marinara on stark white tile?  |
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| Island – Less Than $150/sq. ft. Ceramic Tiles of Italy Mauk Design, San Francisco, 415-896-0499, www.maukdesign.com Casetti srl, Bologna, Italy, 39-0542-668-511, www.casetti.com Coverings Show 2002 $120,000 70 by 80 feet $21 |
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The exhibit serves as a meeting place for Tile Association members and their clients, complete with an Italian cafe. The curved wall segments of the booth divide up the space with fluid waves of corrugated plastic. Nestled in each curve, along the perimeter of the exhibit, are what designer Mitchell Mauk calls spin tubes: tiles stacked on end, rotating on metal shafts inside Plexiglas tubes. |
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