Description
The Iris Ceramica Group showroom in London is a laboratory where people meet, interact, get inspired, learn, and nourish their creativity. Area-17 designed the interiors as if they were real-life environments, where the emotional and expressive potential of ceramics translates into furniture and solutions actively engaging visitors in the product’s storytelling. Distancing itself from a traditional way of exhibiting, the showroom revolves around a loose idea of connection, fully embracing the tentacular, dynamic vibe of the Old Street area.
The showroom occupies three floors of a former factory building. On the ground floor, one breaths in the typical atmosphere of a boutique hotel’s lounge, relaxed yet exclusive. Informal seating around the bar area foster the interaction among people. Floor-to-ceiling windows fluidify the boundary between interiors and exteriors, projecting the Iris Ceramica Group space out, right at the hearth of the neighborhood. Wide ceramic slabs define surfaces and focal architectural elements, outlining the directions towards the other floors.
The basement introduces visitors to a more intimate dimension. It welcomes them into a sophisticated spa, whose edges take the shapes of niches styled as private bathroom areas. Ceramic tile claddings are perfects backgrounds to custom-made pieces of furniture, set in a greatly evocative environment. Moving upstairs to the second floor, there is a last diverse mood, where the Diesel Living collection and materials of industrial flair harmonize with the original architectural structure. This is a business-oriented space: flexible environments meant for co-working easily become either an event area or a conference room, demonstrating once again that working, meeting, and doing business are just different sides of the same lifestyle.