A cocktail bar in the heart of Milan has undergone a striking refit during
the city’s design week.
SiMa Townhouse, located at Corso di Porta Vigentina, 12, is now adorned with ceramic mosaic murals on all three floors. Designed by Massimiliano Locatelli and manufactured by Vietnamese artisans, the murals present a sort of inverted picture of the region.
On the ground floor is a vast sky with the drinks menu written across its cloud and azure expanse. Continuing onto the middle floor, there is a mural representing that inimitable home of Italian opera, Teatro Alla Scala, and reaching the top floor, we paradoxically hit the ground with a colourful scene from a local farm.
Ceramic tile murals are an increasingly popular feature in public buildings. The durability of the materials means that installations retain their colour and vigour over a long period, and are easy to clean and maintain.
Locatelli had been working on a property in Vietnam when he encountered a local tradition of ceramic mosaic manufacture, using methods handed down through families whose forbears had worked for the Nguyen emperors. The individually cut tiles were assembled in Vietnam to form the three completed murals. These were then transported whole to Italy, where they could easily be installed on the bar’s three levels.
At Digital Ceramic Custom Tiles, we create stunning ceramic tile murals using our advanced tile printing techniques. We work closely with designers to help them make their vision a reality.