Shopping Mania

Modelled on the style of minimalist showcase repositories, the project for the Piazza Italia megastore in Rimini proposes essential lines and surfaces, coloured weaves and ethereal textures with a view to accentuating the interior design. The weaves and colours of a wide range of classic and casual clothing and accessories for men, women and children in the latest trends are enhanced inside the complex by a warm, welcoming mood in which the building’s floors in delicate shades form a backdrop without creating a disorienting effect. The first floor of the Le Befane shopping mall in Rimini is a well lit, welcoming space extending over an area of approximately 2,000 square metres. Within this context the flooring acquires great importance as a horizontal interface between the accessways (the gallery, overlooking the full-height circular atrium) and the retail area itself. The entrance, illuminated by day by the atrium skylights, marks the starting point of the modular porcelain tile composition in an elegant shade of ivory. The diagonal installation of the tiles and the large size used have the effect of amplifying the area. Grottini Shopsystems, entrusted the task of coming up with a turnkey project for all the new sales outlets, chose the Absolute series from Piemmegres. For the task in hand the honed version of the square 60×60 cm tiles was chosen in an elegant shade of ivory with a semi-polished finish to create a subtle alternation of light and shade, lending the areas thus paved a suggestive mood with a touch of glamour. This fully vitrified through-bodied porcelain tile was chosen by the same designers for all the new retail outlets (including those in Milan and Florence) as part of a design strategy aimed at achieving strong brand recognition at a national level. The floor, whose warm shades and textured finish are reminiscent of silk weaves, is clearly of minimalist inspiration, affording outstanding aesthetic potential and the ability to furnish interiors with elegance, making them pleasant, light and modern. At the same time ceramic tiling plays a major technical role in that it provides resistance to wear, a crucial element for any area subject to heavy foot traffic. The tiles are installed side by side using a fine grout in the same shade to achieve a virtually uniform surface, making for a giant carpet effect with seemingly random, non-repetitive graphics. The artificial interior lighting, mainly in the form of spotlights recessed into the suspended ceiling, further enhances the play of light and shadow created by the porcelain tiles. Although the flooring is the same throughout, the megastore is divided up according to different product types and the ivory-coloured ceramic surface works well with the textures and colours of the various materials used for the furnishings: oak for classic womenswear, wenge for menswear, aluminium for the denim department and white ash for the metal structures carrying the latest trendwear. The floor pattern therefore serves to reinforce the idea of a connection and of the unique personality of the entire megastore, improving access and enhancing visual perception.