This summer the renowned manufacturer of hydraulic tiles, cement, and terrazzo, Huguet, has released a series of exciting new collaborations unveiled during the traditional summer festival at its headquarters in Campos, Mallorca. The novelties in the catalog are centered on two collections:
First up, Pentagram, the world’s largest independent design consultancy, has worked with Huguet to create a unique collection of tiles and objects. In a project originally conceived by Astrid Stavro, seven partners of the agency (Jody Hudson-Powell, Sascha Lobe, Giorgia Lupi, Jon Marshall, Luke Powell, Yuri Suzuki and Matt Willey) were invited to create innovative and unexpected objects using the traditional production methods and materials of Huguet. The result is a collection of surprising pieces, among which we can find a tile that smoothly glows in the dark, releasing energy captured during the day, another one that vindicates the degradation of the Mediterranean Posidonia meadows, or one that interprets the sounds of a piece of music that Chopin composed during his stay in Mallorca. This collection was presented for the first time at London Design Week.
The other remarkable collaboration is with the prestigious London architectural firm Sergison Bates, with whom the Hanstile collection has been created: a range of cement tiles offering a flexible and discreet design for floors, walls and even ceilings. The simplicity of its design, the subtlety of its palette and the possibility of creating a virtually infinite series of motifs encapsulate a way of working, which combines Huguet’s traditional manufacturing techniques and Sergison Bates’ discreet approach to decoration.
Opening craftsmanship to the world
From a small factory, in a small village on an island, the firm Huguet has managed to achieve a great milestone: the international projection of a product of high craftsmanship that recovers traditional materials and production, developed under the prism of contemporary design and innovation. Currently, its designs can be seen in projects in cities such as New York, Milan, London, Hong Kong and Seoul.
Huguet’s CEO, Biel Huguet, explained that the new collections are a continuity of the firm’s commitment to design and to update traditional product such as terrazzo and hydraulic tiles. “First we recovered the hydraulic tiles that were no longer manufactured, then we will convert traditional products into contemporary products, now we are at the time to share it with the world,” he says.
To view the full collection of new products, visit Huguet’s website here.
Photography by Andrés Fraga.
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