Mosaic Factory and Zyva Studio’s new furniture collection is inspired by cartoons
The Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection is an ode to cartoons and the 1980s, its terrazzo tiles’ confetti-like detail nodding to the Memphis design movement
Centuries-old tile-manufacturing is kept alive today at Mosaic Factory’s vast plants near Tangier, where armies of highly skilled craftspeople fabricate its zellige, terracotta and terrazzo tiles. Founded in 2002, the company has not only tapped into this resource but collaborates with contemporary designers, some of whom relish channelling its traditional, hand-crafted aesthetic.
Dubai-based architecture and interior design practice Verhaal has recently collaborated with the firm to create its ‘Jawhara’ collection of zellige tiles, whose delicate, linear motifs are painstakingly hand-chiselled, a uniquely Moroccan technique. Mosaic Factory’s zellige tiles are made of unrefined clay sourced near Fez, cut into a selection of simple shapes, sun-dried, fired and glazed in one of 88 colours.
Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection
By contrast, French architectural designer Anthony Authié, founder of Paris-based Zyva Studio, has exploited the punchy patterns of terrazzo to dream up the comparatively artificial-looking, ultra-pop Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection. Authié, who spent much of his youth in Biarritz, enjoying the freewheeling life of a surf dude, dyes his hair neo-punk fluoro green, while creating commensurately flamboyant interiors and products.
The new collection – a chair, a table, a stool, a coffee table and lamp – will be unveiled at Maison & Objet in January 2025. Mosaic Factory presented the chair alone this month at Dubai fair Downtown Design as well as the ‘Jawhara’ tiles.
Mosaic Factory’s terrazzo tiles and slabs are available in myriad designs. In some, the marble chips are randomly embedded in their cement or granito base, recalling confetti on a pavement or tutti-frutti ice cream. Authié chose a specific terrazzo called M10, whose crowded, busy mass of relatively small chips resembles white noise flickering on TV screens.
The collection’s intersecting terrazzo slabs and metal components inevitably recall Memphis furniture, which was often fashioned from plastic laminates jazzed up with graphic terrazzo patterns. Authié says he was inspired by 'cartoons from the 1990s and 2000s', although when asked for examples he cites older classics, from Looney Tunes duo Road Runner and Wile E Coyote, popular from the 1950s, to 1980s animated TV series Inspector Gadget.
The pieces come in six colour combinations, including black and white terrazzo teamed with apple green metal and a more offbeat pairing of ochre and bubblegum pink. 'Some combinations are more accessible, while others are more punk for those who like adventure,' he says. 'I use contrasting colours that identify elements and their functions in my designs.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The brightly hued aluminium rods strengthening the chair’s legs draw attention to and celebrate their functionality. All metal parts are fixed to the furniture by chemical and mechanical means, says Authié: 'Holes are first milled into the terrazzo slabs. Threads are inserted through the holes and an adhesive resin is used to strengthen the joints between the terrazzo and powder-coated metal elements when the latter are bolted on.'
The biggest challenge for Zyva Studio was ensuring the furniture is fully functional and stable, says Authié. 'Terrazzo is a massive, very heavy material requiring significant support. So it was important that all elements were as light as possible. We started out using 30mm-thick terrazzo but reduced this to 20mm-thick slabs. We used lightweight aluminium for all the metal elements.'
Says Mosaic Factory’s creative director Louisa Alice, 'Our decision to take on Zyva Studio’s proposal was partly driven by an innovative, ultra high-performance mineral binder we’ve developed, used to make the terrazzo, which makes it stronger. The binder has opened up new possibilities, allowing us to create furniture and other objects made of terrazzo.'
Authié sometimes incorporates boldly patterned terrazzo into his characteristically out-there, colour-saturated interiors, and this collection echoes his non-conformist approach to design. The influence that the imaginative, surreal world of cartoons has on him can’t be understated.
'Cartoons have had a strong impact on my imagination because they twist reality, taking us into a world where everything is exaggerated,' he says. 'I welcome this kind of augmentation of our world and daily lives because it allows for so much creative freedom.'
zyvastudio.com mosaicfactory.com
-
A celestial New York exhibition showcases Roman and Williams’ mastery of lighting
Lauded design studio Roman and Williams is exhibiting 100 variations of its lighting ‘family tree’ inside a historic Tribeca space
By Dan Howarth Published
-
‘He immortalised the birth of the supermodel’: inside Dior’s career-spanning retrospective of photographer Peter Lindbergh
Olivier Flaviano, curator and head of Paris’ La Galerie Dior, talks us through a new Peter Lindbergh retrospective, which celebrates the seminal German photographer’s longtime relationship with the French house
By Jack Moss Published
-
Take a bite: Laila Gohar and The Luxury Collection’s ‘Cakes & Candles’ are a sweet treat for the senses
Laila Gohar’s six cake-inspired candles draw on The Luxury Collection’s hotels around the world – where guests can enjoy matching edible confections
By Tianna Williams Published
-
First look: ‘Christofle, A Brilliant Story’ is a glittering celebration of silver across two centuries
A landmark Christofle exhibition opens today at Paris’ Musées Des Arts Décoratifs and is the first monographic show dedicated to French silverware house
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
A new exhibition looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)
‘We Will Survive' at Mudac in Lausanne, introduces us to the ‘prepper movement’, and demonstrates that we are a resilient species. Or we are doing our utmost to be as prepared as is humanly possible for disasters of all scales
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Politics, oil crises and abortion rights infiltrate the optimistic 1970s interiors of Villa Benkemoun
For the 50th anniversary of Villa Benkemoun in Arles, a new exhibition critically explores the year of 1974 through contemporary and historic artworks that antagonise the optimism of its design
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Marion Vignal on curating sensation-oriented experiences in 20th century French interiors at Maison Bernard
Marion Vignal's non-profit Genius Loci seeks to discover new insights and reflections on heritage through artistic site specific experiences
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Ora ïto expresses his design language in an artistic alphabet he calls Grammatology
Abstraction and functionalism inform two exhibitions from the maverick multidisciplinary French designer Ora ïto at St-Paul de Vence and Marseille
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Design Parade is the South of France's annual design extravaganza
If you're heading to the South of France this summer, don't miss Design Parade Hyeres & Toulon 2024, the annual creative extravaganza spotlighting emerging talent in historical locations
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
As Ligne Roset’s ‘Togo’ sofa turns 50, tour the home that inspired the design
To celebrate 50 years of the ‘Togo’ sofa, we join the Ligne Roset CEOs to explore their family home, a place of vibrant creativity and design
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Inside Notre-Dame: Guillaume Bardet's furniture for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris
For the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2024, French designer Guillaume Bardet created a series of liturgical objects
By Rosa Bertoli Published