Blog de céramique, décoration interieur et événements déco - Novoceram

(Français) Tangerine Tango : une saison épicée !

Stephanie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:36:49 +0000

Sorry, this entry is only available in Français.

Novoceram A+ tiles

Stephanie — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:52 +0000

New French packaging regulations require us to give information on all our boxes about levels of volatile substance emissions into indoor air, which have a toxic inhalation risk.

Decree 2011-321 of 23 March 2011 and the decree of 29 April 2011 on labelling of building products or wall or floor coverings and paint and varnishes with regard to their emissions of volatile polluting substances indicate that it is now mandatory for manufacturers to affix a label to the product or its packaging informing the consumer of the possibility of emissions of volatile products.

Low emission products are graded A+; high emission products are graded C.

All Novoceram products are graded A+, the lowest level of emissions in this classification. But in actual fact, our tiles, which contain absolutely no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - the criterion assessed – do not emit anything and exceed even the criteria for the A+ grade.

Indeed, all Novoceram products have been Ecolabel certified since 2009. This European ecological quality mark guarantees to consumers that the product is environmentally friendly throughout its life cycle, from the extraction of the raw materials, through all stages of the production and distribution process, to disposal. To obtain this ecological certification, the tiles must meet and comply with strict rules. For example, it is completely forbidden to use glazes containing pollutants such as lead, cadmium or antimony; this technique allows us to create products that do not release harmful substances during the manufacturing stage but also during daily use by the end user.

The obligation to affix this information and this logo on our packaging is therefore very favourable and positive for Novoceram as the company already has products which are healthy and safe for the environment and human health.

The law is applicable from 1 January 2012 for new, and from September 2013 for old, products but Novoceram has already started to label all its packaging from 1 January 2012. This is why you can find this logo on every pack of Novoceram tiles of all sizes, and on all accessories and decorations. This is another advantage to guarantee to our customers that our products are totally environmentally compatible with nature, but also a guarantee that their health is being protected.

Novoceram at D&Co : behind the scenes of the television programme

Stephanie — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:32:58 +0000

It all began in early January 2012 with a telephone call from the team from “D&CO - Une semaine pour tout changer”, the cult programme presented by Valérie Damidot on the French channel M6 in which a different house is completely made over in each episode and the metamorphosis followed step by step. The presenter had discovered the Novoceram range some time before and let us know that she would like to use 80 m2 of one of our products to renovate the living room and kitchen floors of the home of a large family in La Neuville sur Essonne, Loiret, the subject of one of the next episodes of the programme.

Valérie Damidot and her team of decorators, inspired by the products in the Novoceram Charme line, finally chose the 60×60 cm rectified size Slate colour tiles in the Samsara collection. As proof of their enthusiasm for this product, they decided to extend the same floor to both the main rooms, contrary to the initial plan which was to put a wood parquet floor in the living room.

Filming took place from 8 to 15 February 2012 in unpropitious weather conditions, during the big freeze that covered Europe at that time. The entire D&Co team and the partners therefore equipped themselves to install enormous radiators to heat the inside of the house to allow the work to progress quickly.

They began laying the tiles on Sunday morning in the kitchen; it all went perfectly and quickly thanks to the professionalism of the two tile layers of the D&CO team. In the photos below the previous kitchen floor can be seen and the arrival of the tiles coordinated by the site manager, Gaël (in the orange overall), who monitored the work very carefully.

The kitchen and living room are separated by 3 small steps and Novoceram also provided special tiles for the 30×60 cm steps in the non-slip structured version which, as well as providing extra safety, highlighted the perfect compatibility between the indoor and the outdoor versions, as can be seen in the photo below, taken in the kitchen, which is also on two levels.

Laying the living room tiles, visible in the pictures below, proved more complex because of the amount of cutting to be done to follow the shape of the steps and also because of the very irregular base which required more glue to be used than expected. However, here is the excellent end result obtained on the second day:

The tile layers also had to cope, with the help of the laser level, with huge problems caused by the straightness of the walls of the ancient building!

When the water saw, set up outside the site to avoid noise and dust, took its last breath…

….we had to conclude that nothing equals the good old hand cutter!

The idea of the D&CO programme is that everyone can become a DIY expert - even me!

The house was completely redesigned to make best use of all the spaces: the lofts were redesigned to house the two bedrooms for the 4 children of the family, each with its own bathroom. The master bedroom, designed entirely in shades of beige and brown, was supplemented by a 6 m2 wardrobe and an elegant bathroom. A room dedicated to games, music and free time was also created. The kitchen was completely transformed and made much more contemporary with a new anthracite grey colour range, perfectly coordinated with the floor tiles. Outside, instead of the existing beaten earth surface, a wooden terrace was created with a large pergola to enjoy summer evenings in.

The progress of the tile laying and all the work was filmed in its entirety by two cameramen, but only the best moments will be kept during editing, integrated with shots presented by Valérie Damidot.

I can confirm that the promise in the name of the programme (a week to change everything) was kept perfectly! It was a great challenge for all the craftsmen, to the point that some of them even had to work at night - like the superhero tile layers who could still smile in the photo below even after 36 hours of non-stop work!

The family who owned the house was very moved by the generosity of all the partners and the incredible efficiency with which all the work was carried out. The final layout and the extremely careful decoration of the house have completely changed the house’s appearance, making it more comfortable and functional, to the joy of those who will live in it!

The episode of “D&Co - Une Semaine Pour Tout Changer” will be broadcast on WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH at 20.45 on M6. Meanwhile, tell us what you think of it and discover the complete photo album of the shoot on the Novoceram Facebook page!

Ceramic wallpaper

Stephanie — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:59:14 +0000

The latest technological innovations in the ceramic tile production sector make it possible to reproduce totally faithfully the aesthetic appearance and the consistency of stone, wood, leather and many other materials: it is now possible therefore to combine the traditional and well-known advantages of ceramics with innovative and unusual aesthetic effects.

Thus, ceramic wall tiles are coming out of the bathroom and kitchen, where they were traditionally relegated, and entering in their own right rooms once reserved for coverings considered more noble, like wood panelling and wallpaper.

On the other hand, it allows wallpaper, made from valuable white body ceramic, to embellish rooms from which it used to have to be excluded, such as bathrooms and other wet environments such as spas and fitness centres.

So here is a selection of the finest Novoceram ceramic wallpaper.

Flora and fauna: Florilège and Aquarium

Inspired by 17th-century hand-painted Chinese tapestries, the Florilège series is a modular composition of twenty-four 22.5×45 cm tiles forming a 135×180 cm motif that can be repeated infinitely and in which flowers, butterflies and multi-coloured birds alternate on a delicate branch. The mix of extremely fine white ceramic, the light weave which gives an amazing fabric effect, and the brightly-coloured decoration combine to make an area packed full of details and with an unsurpassed scenic effect.

From element to element, the Aquarium insert is a rarefied, transfigured representation of the aquatic environment: two koi carp, defined by various frames of precious metals, appear on the surface of an imaginary expanse of water, where the waves become translucent arabesques. The voluptuousness and preciosity of hand-painted wallpaper enter fearlessly into wet rooms, for a unique sensory experience.

Characters: Trèsjouy

With Novoceram Trèsjouy, the famous Toile de Jouy, a classic decorative motif of 18th-century French tapestry, is given new life in an interpretation which combines the wonderful harmony of the elements that make it up with the luxury of the pure gold with which the entire design is made. Trèsjouy recalls the eternal charm of the characters in these courteous and pastoral scenes on twelve 22.5×45 cm tiles which can be repeated infinitely to decorate the most intimate or the most prestigious rooms with new, refined elegance. For these innovative features and the elegant way it recaptures and enhances the French decorative tradition, Trèsjouy was awarded the Observeur du Design 10 label.

Geometric shapes: Alliance

The Novoceram Art catalogue was enhanced at the last Cersaie 2011 by the Alliance series, a meeting point of decorative themes and traditions seemingly very different from each other. On the one hand, there is the mosaic technique, traditionally applied to stone or glass, but much used in ceramics also.

On the other hand, there is a creation which imitates the consistency of wood in a design which superimposes on a background of traditional Byzantine lozenges a three-dimensional effect ring design which seems to belong to another dimension. Alliance is a composition of twelve 45×45 cm tiles in which the mosaic tesserae are simply pre-cut, making them considerably easier to lay.

As well as the examples above, we recommend you read our article “Choosing bathroom tiles”

Curiously, wallpaper manufacturers are, on the other hand, playing with reproducing tiles, grout joints included, with an interesting trompe-l’oeil effect. For example, here are the creations of the designer Louise Body with her collections of “Paper Tiles”

However, these curious and sometimes charming examples do not give any real practical advantage.

(Français) Des carreaux pour les Restos du Coeur

Stephanie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:35:05 +0000

The Etoile de l’Observeur du Design 2012 for Novoceram Indoor

Stephanie — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:46:52 +0000

A second award forNovoceram Indoor!

After the Label, Novoceram Indoor has obtained… the Etoile de l’Observeur du Design12, the top prize awarded by the panel of judges in France’s most prestigious design competition organised by the APCI (Agence pour la Promotion et la Création Industrielle).

Last July we announced on our blog that the Novoceram Indoor system for laying floating floors indoors had won the Observeur du Design12 label, together with the Novoceram Outdoor system enabling outdoor paving to be renewed easily and rapidly without glue or grout. For us, the award ceremony at the Cité des Sciences in Paris on Tuesday 8 November 2011 was a moment of great joy and amazement. Novoceram Indoor was awarded the prestigious Etoile, having passed a rigid selection process among several hundreds of candidate products.

The story of Novoceram Indoor began in June 2010 during Designer’s Days in Paris when it was displayed for the first time in the mysterious maison de Mister X, an imaginary character with a constantly changing personality and appearance, just like the décor of his home. During the five days when the Temporary Story was open, visitors were able to see demonstrations of the tiling being removed and replaced, enabling them to appreciate the system’s simplicity of use.

During the winter of 2012, the two systems will be displayed in the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie at Paris where some 200,000 visitors are expected. During the 18 following months, the exhibition will become ambassador for French design abroad, touring various countries throughout the world. Yet another recognition for Novoceram which recently won the Cersaie Award 2011.

And the winner is… Action Contre la Faim!

Stephanie — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:57:38 +0000

All good things have to come to an end sooner or later! Friday 30 September marked the end of a fabulous adventure, The Passion Project, which took place first on Novoceram’s Facebook page, then on the Novoceram stand at Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings in Bologna from 20 to 24 September 2011. This application which started out life as a fun on-line initiative reminiscent of the themes and atmospheres of 1970s spy films, turned out to be an extraordinary opportunity for exchanging encouragement and sharing moments of joy, bringing together more than 2250 people, all animated by the spirit of a passion, no matter for what, with a single objective… awarding victory to a good cause in favour of children or the underprivileged. Each player attributed the points accumulated to one of the 3 Passion Leaders who acted as ambassadors for the charity they represented.

At the end of the four months of friendly competition, the counters were stopped at midnight on Friday 30 September 2011. The verdict has been pronounced. The association with the most points is… Action Contre la Faim, with 146 800 points, ahead of Toutes à l’Ecole with 115 700 points and finally the Fondation Anouk with 64 200 points. Novoceram is delighted to donate the prize of €5 000 to Action Contre la Faim. Vincent, the Passion Leader of Blog Esprit Design who supported this association said he was “happy to have enabled ACF to win”.

The Action Contre la Faim association was set up in 1979 to combat hunger in the world by providing populations in difficulty with the means to become self-sufficient in managing water and food resources. For more information, see this article on our blog which presents the winning association in more detail.

Novoceram takes the opportunity to thank all the fans and others who contributed to making this operation a success, both on and off line!

Photographs of the stand which won the best design prize at the 2011 Cersaie Awards

Stephanie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:58:20 +0000

The Passion Project operation which began life on Novoceram’s Facebook page took concrete form in a 220 m² stand inaugurated on Tuesday 20 September 2011 at Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings in Bologna.

From the outside, the stand resembled an imposing modern building, reminiscent of a headquarters for secret agents, organised into three large areas, each dedicated to a new collection.

Inside, visitors found the faces of the Passion Agents, the Novoceram fans taking part in the on-line game, scrolling across giant video walls at the back of the stand.

The entire surface of a mirror more than 3 m high was also dedicated to the Passion Agents to thank them for their participation and support.

To echo the on-line operation which recreates the atmosphere of a special mission for secret agents, the stand was in the style of famous spy films of the 1970s.

The large central corridor enabled visitors to move freely through the three main sections of the stand presenting the latest news from the company and the 3 Passion Leaders.

The application launched last June on Novoceram’s Facebook page was also present on the stand thanks to three touch screens connected to Novoceram’s on-line channels - youtube.com, flickr, twitter and of course, www.novoceram.fr. Visitors could therefore become Novoceram fans to play and vote for one of the three no-profit organisations.

The stand won the Cersaie Award 2011, standing out among the more than 1000 exhibitors for its design, innovation and image communication. The winner’s rosette was hung from one of the outside walls. To find out more about the award, read the blog article on the Cersaie Awards ceremony.

On the floors, the patterns marked out by the tiles defined the various areas and highlighted the sizes and finishes of the new collections: Noa the surprising ceramic parquet and Vals, inspired by Vals stone.

Bathed in light, the immense dividing walls presented the new Icône collection in which the most modern of technologies re-invents ancient French stone. Behind the reception, visitors could admire the new Madras wall tiles interpreting the magic of Indian stone. Novoceram Outdoor plus, the new raised laying system, was presented at the entrance, alongside Alliance, the latest gem in the Novoceram Art line.

The general effect of the stand was a mélange of great modernity (thanks to the numerous screens) and simplicity, with an echo of 1970’s style coming from the range of bright colours.

Novoceram’s The Passion Project stand wins recognition at the Cersaie Awards 2011

Stephanie — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:09:13 +0000

Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, ended on Saturday 24 September with attribution of the prestigious Cersaie Awards, the trophy rewarding the Best Stand from among more than 1000 international exhibitors.

The panel of judges consisting of Silvia Robertazzi, editor of Casaviva, Aldo Colonetti, editor of Ottagono and architect Franco Origoni selected the stands which stood out for innovation, design, image and communication. In the category “Ceramic Tiles”, The Passion Project stand designed by Francesco Catalano for Novoceram won the award for the “best display design”, together with the Mutina stand designed by Patricia Urquiola in collaboration with the company’s Marketing Department and the Serenissima stand designed by Mario Righi.

The prize award ceremony took place on the evening of Wednesday 21 September in a loft in the heart of Bologna in collaboration with Confindustria Ceramica, the Association representing Italian ceramics manufacturers, which in turn gave an award to the European distributors standing out for their relationship with Italian industry.

New in 2011: Icône

Novoceram — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:51:32 +0000

Perhaps of all materials, stone is the best able to absorb and give back the full value of time. Time continuously leaves its mark on stone, changing its colour, surface and texture, capturing the true heart of the material there day after day.

Icone is the synthesis of research which explored dozens of types of stone to select the four which best expressed both the legacy of time and the fascination and elegance of a contemporary floor.

The result is a product with great personality but totally free from rustic connotations, a subtle balance of nuances, marks and colours, not just an imitation of stone, but an archetype of this timeless material.

Subtle shaded colours, a surface soft to the touch but gratifying to the hand with slight undulations and small marks, a variegated pattern going well beyond the individual tile - an Icone floor is enough to characterise a style of living and philosophy of life, without limiting subsequent choices of décor.

Icone is available in Ivoire, Sable, Gris and Bleu colours and in 45×45 cm, 30×60 cm and 60×60 cm sizes.