Lea Ceramiche technology and design create a space for refreshment and rest in the fascinating Venaria Reale court.
Project by Diego Grandi

23 April 2008 – For the “L’Oro del Design Italiano” (“Italian Design Gold”), which celebrates the Golden Compass collection that is on design display at the Reggia di Venaria Reale stables and will open to the public on 24 April, Lea Ceramiche has created “Lea Cafe Stone Tracks”, as a clear symbol of Lea’s design and research activities in a place to rest and refresh oneself, created by Diego Grandi.

“Lea Cafe Stone Tracks” establishes the company’s solid presence inside a setting that is fascinating and rich with history, home to one of the most awaited events for the Turin 2008 World Design architectural capital, the exhibition that takes place in the Piedmont capital, named the first world capital of design, and that is supported by Lea Ceramiche in its role as an official sponsor.

The Restoration Centre’s Court, adjacent to the imposing Grand Stables of the Reggia, which has recently been refurbished and is home to the Golden Compass exhibition, represents a timeless place where Lea Ceramiche crosses the route that accompanies visitors, inviting them to stop for a rest among white monoliths that seem to float in space.
“The project”, says Diego Grandi, “is set against the enclosed rhythms of the facades and the austere volumes of the surrounding architecture, offering an escape of segments in white ceramic that emphasize the space and direct the viewer’s gaze. Perspective is lengthened, and perception is dilated.”

The result is “Lea Cafe Stone Tracks”, a place that is able to offer hospitality to the “spectator” who is interested in history and design, offering itself as an interval to the route through the Reggia. A place to stop and enjoy a coffee or a quick meal, among the regal and fascinating atmosphere. A space where Lea Ceramiche does not renounce its expression of new technologies and research, through the use of new materials and innovative prototypes, such as great slabs with minimal thicknesses.
A silkscreen urban map on the ceramic surface symbolically unites the setting with the city, reinforcing its re-found identity and magnificence.

Lea Ceramiche’s design stories are always told with the language that best describes the company, ceramics, yet through installations that over the years have investigated the most complex scenarios – from non-places to common areas and contemporary settings, as well as the themes of the oversized installations and the urban maps.
The strong design content that characterises Lea Ceramiche’s products and its installations is in fact the fil rouge for each new project and in recent years has successfully increased the identity of the company and ceramics as a material, whose wide use and enormous versatility have offered new and never prosaic uses.

The presence of the Lea Ceramiche installation in such a prestigious setting as the Royal Palace of Venaria and the “L’Oro del Design Italiano” exhibition, is an obvious symbol of the company’s participation in the year of design and a tangible point of view for the theme of the project, in support of the international exchange and enrichment for which the company acts as a promoter and sponsor.