Storie: a series of collections that revive traditions through technological innovation

The undisputed queen of interior design decorations and coverings, ceramics belong to both the past but also the present.

The long story of ceramics began with a blend of clay and glass, brought to life by the power of fire and shaped by the expert hands of those who have helped consolidate its long tradition, generation after generation.

Ragno pays homage to this important craft legacy with a series of six new collections in white body and porcelain stoneware that goes by the poetic and evocative name of Storie.

The pages of the catalogue, interesting and rich in references to a far-off and vivid universe, seem to be taken from a book of secret yet never-forgotten recipes, jealously guarded and handed down the generations.

New life is breathed into the oldest handcrafted products which are given a modern makeover in the form of small tiles that reconcile the old with the new and perfectly complement various materials, also of more recent conception, to create unique and personalised interiors.

The specific qualities of the various collections in Storie stand out just like the main characters in a short story, revealing, in addition to a clearly-defined and recognisable aesthetic, the tangible traces of an innovative technological study, carried out step by step in the company with the aim of giving the ceramic and stoneware surfaces different consistencies, colours and textures each time.

The first of these qualities is colour – solid, brilliant, with a glassy patina that shimmers in the light and slightly translucent – which Mélange borrows from the Moroccan ceramic tradition and Look transforms into a versatile and wonderfully imperfect 6x24 cm listel tile.

Next there are the graphical and colour references to precise local traditions, which in past decades were consolidated thanks to the availability of local raw materials and living requirements.

The cement tile effect interpreted by Ragno in Contrasti enriches the tradition by furnishing the regular 20x20 cm size with two fundamental qualities connected with the modern world: StepWise™ technology, which ensures the tiles are incredibly resistant while remaining soft to the touch, and highly fashionable colour variants, Ottanio and Celadon above all.

Finally, traditional 1920s granulated marble tiles, glazed majolica and classic ceramic tiles are the inspiration for three romantic and modern collections developed on a 20x20 cm porcelain stoneware substrate: Abitare, A_Mano and Ottocento.

Mix decors are available for all three in the catalogue and can be applied to wall and floor tiles to form inserts and colourful carpets which evoke the idea of recycling and can be effectively combined with other materials: wood, concrete and stone, to name just a few.

However, the tiles in the Storie collections are not just the product of excellent aesthetic research.

In fact, their technical characteristics are reflective of a production process based on the most modern technologies in the ceramics industry and enable them to be used outside of the residential sphere in settings like hotels and commercial spaces, which are increasingly interested in modern, bold and experimental interior design solutions.