Stone-Ideas.com 
The tile concept devised by the Sicilian company Lithea and the designer Egidio Panzera is truly innovative: The new collection comprises six elements with very different decorative surfaces, yet all of them somehow complement each other, not least because they are all made of Billiemi gray marble. However, continuous lines or cohesive structures do not automatically emerge after installation.
Instead, customers and interior designers are encouraged to play with the individual elements and create their own unique designs.
This goes so far that the pattern arrangement includes individual tiles with cutouts into which the corners of other tiles are inserted. Everything else around them is then cut to fit, either on-site or during the planning phase on the computer.
This is an option that is only possible with natural stone. With ceramic, there would be a risk of unpredictable damage to the glazed surfaces.
The collection is called “Motus Animi,“ which translates roughly as “Emotional States of the Soul.“ It refers to six emotions: amore (love), rabbia (anger), paura (fear), passione (passion), malinconia (melancholy), and felicità (happiness).
Perhaps the viewer unconsciously recognizes the relationship between these states in the patterned surfaces and therefore perceives the whole as a unified whole.
We asked Patrizia Furnari, Sales & Procurement Manager at the company, whether the new collection could perhaps be understood as a kind of mosaic set with six elements, from which everyone can create their own pattern. And more: “Is it correct to say, that Lithea doesn’t see its role as a headmaster who dictates what and how to play, but rather as that of an older family member who has brought a toy for the younger ones to explore their ideas?”
“That’s it,” was her reply via email. “Motus Animi can be completely customized to the customer’s wishes. And if a customer wants, we can implement their suggestion directly.”
Options for variation are built in: For felicità, colored inlays can be used; nature contributes a kind of random element, since Billiemi marble naturally contains small, colorful mineral flecks.
Lithea is a company based in the municipality of Patti in the Messina metropolitan area of Sicily. It describes itself on its website:“Lithea was founded in 2008 by Patrizia Furnari and Fabio Fazio in collaboration with members of the family business. The aim is to transfer their passion and ancient knowledge of stone processing into an innovative production concept using modern technologies. Lithea creates wall and floor coverings, accessories, and furniture for indoor and outdoor spaces. In doing so, it reinvents the appearance of stone, which has infinite variations and is undoubtedly one of the contemporary materials.”
Egidio Panzera, architect and designer, considers design the narration of an idea that stems from constantly seeking limits, whether related to a space, an object or a thought. This narration involves research, creativity and design. It reveals emotions, beauty and functionality. In every project the initial idea must be recognizable. Egidio Panzera has 12 design patents. His studio studio collaborates with prestigious companies worldwide.
Photos: Nino Bartuccio
