Lenny Kravitz stirs us up and this time it’s not the music. It’s speaker-style tiles!

Lenny Kravitz against a background covered with the tiles he designed

Speakers

Known for his powerful and stimulating music now also known for his design skill. More than just a knack for design, Lenny Kravitz has a hidden talent. A talent that has found an outlet in the form and shape of three-dimensional tiles juxtaposed in diverse ways.  

Yes, I have found out only just now too!
 
The Goccia (italian for "drop") collection designed by Kravitz and created in collaboration with LEA Ceramiche is an expression of his alter artistic ego and not easy to label as pertaining to a particular style. Precisely just like with his music. Whenever you listen to a Lenny Kravitz song you know it's him. His voice is inimitable. Well, I guess most singers have a unique voice but Kravitz is more than that.

I recall a song of his that I guess it’s not that famous. It’s called I built this garden for us. If you haven’t heard it go ahead. This song alone shows how gifted this musician/designer is. You can tell he could do amazing things. That song was ahead of his times with a sound like no other (imho). Enchanting, emotional, powerful and stimulating. 

Lenny Kravitz is that kind of artist that stirs you up. His looks, his music and now his art. His designs have something “musical” about them as you will see if you go and browse through his official website. The Goccia collection is a vivid example. The tiles sort of resemble speakers ! At least that’s what I thought the moment I saw them. Putting them together, you get the feeling of being in a recording studio!

Besides building idealistic gardens and sounds in a real three dimensional world, Kravitz gives us new ways to use three dimensions in design. Stirring us up in any case.

More about LEA Ceramiche and Goccia HERE

A great article about the collection HERE

Lenny Kravitz official website HERE

Image credit LEA Ceramiche

Bisazza NOW at Cersaie - Just posted on Twitter

Here's a quick post to share an image just posted on Twitter by Bisazza from CERSAIE.

Bisazza

Live from #Cersaie 2012in Bologna, Italy. Here's to you "Hana Flower Light" design by Nendo part of the Bisazza Mosaic Collection 2013! Like?

Boring nights looking at the stars or Mosaic made out of various images from the Hubble Space Telescope

It's incredible what a boring night looking at the stars can bring about! This mosaic is a collage of various images that Harvard astronomer Alex Parker collected while gazing at the stars. The image recreates a Van Gogh's famous painting and it's yet another proof of how versatile mosaic art can be. Find out more in this article here posted on 21/09/2012 on Discovery News.

To see more ways to make mosaics using alternative materials check out these posts: Mosaics made with nails, flowers, and faux tiles.

Random mosaic mirror #2

Marble and smalti mosaic mirror made by Vivi and Evi, two girls of an elementary school

You won't believe if I told you this mirror was created by children of Elementary school. I actually got this from their school's website HERE where you will see more of their work. They have an amazing mosaic teacher but, beyond that, the talent of these kids is incredible. The site is in Greek (the school is on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city) but all you need to do is look at the pictures of the mosaics to realise that mosaic art, when possible, is a great way to help children develop their skills of understanding and shaping the world and of being creative while learning to be patient. Really patient.

I adore the combination of blue and brown. Blue is elegant and calm and it goes everywhere. It's the colour of "trust" and often chosen by businesses and corporations. Brown means stability; it connects us with the earth and nature. The two colours together give a message of wholeness with blue being the colour of the sky and brown the colour of the earth.

Mosaic mirrors are popular objects for mosaic decoration. They give a special sparkle. They are easy to make which is one of the reasons why those wanting to begin learning mosaics could start with a small mosaic mirror project.

Rough but irresistible: "Elite Even Crema Grecia" mosaic tiles (by L'Antic Colonnial)

Elite Even Crema Grecia by L'Antic Colonial

These gorgeous mosaic tiles here from L'Antic Colonial have truly impressed me. This is the kind of splashback you would see in those chic hotels or in a beautifully restored house on the Greek islands. This is the kind of wall that wouldn't worry you about cleaning methods and products because it's just too attractive to resist.

This is simplicity at its best. It's TEXTURE, shape and angles making the statement. No design is necessary here. It would be a surplus. The stones are telling the story. A totally CAPTIVATING story.

image credit L'Antic Colonnial

When mosaic meets wellness (Soft Therapy by Friul Mosaic - exhibiting at CERSAIE Bologna 25-29/09/2012)

This is the background image from Friul Mosaic's website.

I was stunned when I came across this video by FRIUL MOSAIC, one of the exhibitors at the CERSAIE this year. The video guides us through a collection launched by the company that takes the concept of nature and lifts it up to a level of luxuriance by blending "wellness" with pebbles and mosaic. Extravagant? No way. The message is clear. The luxury is there. Still, nature reigns. And it's right there to seduce your every part (every finger of your feet basically, but ..you know what I mean right? You want this. I know I want this after a hectic day).

FRIUL MOSAIC takes us to the beach so that we are immersed into NATURE, and experience the healing properties of the pebbles and the stones.

We are reminded we should TAKE CARE of ourselves and in particular the lower limbs that after all take all the weight.

The calm and the beautiful balance you will see in the products of the Soft Therapy Collection will strike you and will fill you with emotions, desires and new dreams.

WATCH the video on their site: FRIUL MOSAIC. Amazing! Meraviglioso!

image credit Friul Mosaic

Invitation to a ...Tuscan Dance (Baldwin and Barbieri at CERSAIE Bologna September 2012)

I mentioned the CERSAIE event previously on this blog when I wrote about the participation of SICIS, the mosaic art factory. What I still haven't mentioned on MOSAICOLOGY, however - and I am glad to get the chance to do it just now - is the truly gifted American mosaic artist Sara Baldwin who's going to be in Bologna with Giovanni Barbieri, Italy's maesto of material and form.

Find out more about their joint work and view the invitation to the event, where they will be introducing a new collection that blends Tuscan terracotta and Murano glass, here.

PS: I might be able to help if you need an English or Greek INTERPRETER in BOLOGNA during the Cersaie event. Email me so I can get in touch with you.

Rustic shower with mosaic tiles and stacked stale

Asian Bathroom design by San Francisco Interior Designer Jan Gunn Interior Architecture and Design

Everything about this shower is irresistible starting from the choice of colours then the rustic look, the minimalistic approach, the shell curtains and last but not least the stacked slate. Since details truly count, look at the soap bars. In hues of brown just like the tiles! The warmth and the balance in this bathroom is perfect. At least, to my view...

image credit houzz.com

Random mosaic mirror #1

I love this mirror here because it has balance yet it's a "questionable balance" because of the circles that come to interfere with the lines. That's extraordinary. What I also find intriguing is how the effect achieved here was based on the use of only two colours. And indeed "plain" ones. Very interesting minimalist look!

Mosaic mirrors are popular objects for mosaic decoration. They give a special sparkle. They are easy to make which is one of the reasons why those wanting to begin learning mosaics could start with a small mosaic mirror project.

5 Mosaic Tile Looks that Will Enhance the Natural Beauty of Your Home - GUEST POST

Written by Jane Fitzgerald who writes for Glass Tile Warehouse
 

Tile surfaces add a texture and a permanence that other surfaces simply cannot achieve, but it’s important to find a color and pattern than match the space. These five applications select mosaic tiles that make good use of light and texture to create looks that are balanced, vibrant and timeless.

Mixed Blue Sheen

More than one decent bathroom has been ruined by the misapplication of blue tiles to a large wall. But the mixture of this blue and turquoise mosaic shimmers in the strong light of this bathroom’s big window. The large dark vanity also helps to balance the glimmer of the mosaic shimmer, grounding it with hard lines and a dark wood finish. When you work with such vibrant mosaic patterns, it’s important not to make the rest of the space too busy, and this space strikes a good balance.

Blue Glass Tile Table

It’s always nice to see tile surfaces show up where you don’t expect them. This steel table frames the electric blue of the glass tiles beautifully, and the choice of green accessories helps pull off a complementary color balance that could easily have wound up looking dated. Here, it simply looks expertly arranged. Without the accessories, the mosaic pattern might look bare and unfinished, which just shows you that a mosaic pattern alone may not complete a space.

Rough Stone Veneer

 

Too often, the neutral tones of stone mosaics like this are relegated to the background with a centerpiece mirror. Here, the mirror is excluded above the vanity and the rough, chunky stone surface takes center stage. The single-handle antique brass faucet emerges from the mosaic almost as if it’s been there for a century. If not for the small contemporary size of the tiles, you could swear they were aged as well. The modernity of the design is subtle, allowing the texture of the rough-cut tile to dominate the space.

Wavy Glass Mosaic

A good way to shake up traditional expectations is to play with lines, and this installation definitely does that. The sharpness of the vertical lines is cutely disrupted by the wavy horizontal curves. The curves are echoed in the glass candlesticks and the paisley curves of the wall tile. All of it scatters light, mixing transparency and opacity. Whether natural or artificial light, it all looks clean in the slightly dirty-white tiles.

Wood on Grayscale

In a time when bold colors are in vogue, it’s nice to see an understated grayscale tile in play. A rich wood grain will warm up the coolness of the gray, while the boxy mosaic structure mixes with the organic chaos of the tile mixture. The straight lines of the contemporary cabinetry play off the pixilated gray tiles in a way that more traditional cabinets would not.

Image credits:

·         Stone tile: besthousedesign.com

·         Wavy-glass-tiles interiordesign-newyork.com

·         Blue glass tile tishflooring.com

·         Blue-tile-table usarchitecture.com

·         Grayscale-tile atlantalegacyhomes.blogspot.com

 

 

You know how much I love the change

Dear friends,

How's your summer? Hope you are all cool, happy and creative.

I am dropping a few words to say a few important stuff about the blog.

1. Mosaicology has a new look - I know, again - but this time it's perfect. I absolutely love it!!!! Please let me know what you think.

2. There's a GUEST POST coming up very soon which I am sure you will find very beautiful, informative and above all INSPIRING! (Thank you Jane).

3. No more Mosaicology shop. I can't keep up with it at the moment. I am going to let it aside for a while, see how things work for me and hopefully I will either go back to it or I will be doing something else that I will have the time for.

That's it for now! See you soon.

MGDP

SICIS The Art Mosaic Factory at CERSAIE Bologna 25-29 Sept.2012 (anyone interested for an interpreter, let me know)

photo credit Stefano Corso

This is one of the photos from ''Tra Architettura a Design 2012'', an event that took place in Rome last June where SICIS The Art Mosaic Factory demonstrated how classy and striking mosaic can be as a feature in interior design. You can see the rest of the photos right here.

Bologna in September will be the place to be if you are in love with mosaic and Sicis. Find out more about the CERSAIE event by visiting the SICIS website.

Spread the word: Want to attend the event and speak no italian? Email me. I can help!