It looks like and feels like natural stone – yet it is, to quote Kanye’s popular song, “harder, better, faster, stronger…” Through the use of modern day technology, Ceramiche Coem recreates the beauty of natural stone in a strong, modular and compact porcelain stoneware product with superior technical qualities. “Stone is designed, shaped, and reformulated to go beyond its origins and become something new, a contemporary material that fits with cutting-edge design and today’s new lifestyle demands.”

“A Natural Beauty.” Designed by architect Giacomo Sanna for Ceramiche Coem.

Ceramiche Coem specializes in the manufacture and distribution of ceramic floor and wall tiles. Their porcelain stoneware is made of a mixture of pure, natural materials with “every last inch” being handled and produced in their Roteglia factory, “from warehousing raw materials to atomizing, sintering (firing at extremely high temperatures) to meticulous electronic selection and the use of digital technology, which Ceramiche Coem has adopted for years…” The company looks to nature for inspiration, rediscovering the value of simplicity and of “beautiful things that last.”

“A Natural Beauty.” Designed by Giacomo Sanna for Ceramiche Coem.

“A Natural Beauty.” Designed by Giacomo Sanna for Ceramiche Coem.

Basaltina, ceramic title. Manufactured by Ceramic Coem.

At the Milan Triennale in 2009, an installation designed by architect Giacomo Sanna for Ceramiche Coem was on display during the exhibition “A Natural Beauty,” with Vittorio Minervini and Alessandra Scardaoni. In keeping with Ceramiche Coem’s nature-driven design philosophy, Sanna’s man-made modules reproduced the look of a natural stratification process beginning millions of years ago – drawing on the theme of a “natural cave or “nature path” typical of traditional romantic gardens in Italy.

Ceramiche Coem manufacturers a wide range of ceramic tiles. Basaltina, a hard stone with smooth streaking and uniform soft gray hues, was introduced in 2008. It absorbs light, creating “suffused warmth.” “Traces of branches, flowers, drops of rain left on the rock” mark its surface, introducing elements of nature within a contemporary and modern aesthetic. It is available in three shades of gray in various finishes for both interior and exterior applications. Labradorite is a semi-precious stone with a distinctive iridescent effect. With “glitter” on one side, “glass and silver” on the other – the user can choose which side faces up, even as it is being installed.