Architect and Builder March/April 2016 | Page 75

NEWSWORTHY TECHNOLOGY MEETS STYLE The latest advances in inkjet technology allow for exquisite printing and finishes on tiles to stay on par with the latest style trends. Today, inkjet allowed technology designers to has create visuals never before imagined. Images can be combined, overlaid and altered, opening up a whole new world of design possibilities. Tile designs need to evolve with shifting trends and customer demands. “Our newly acquired inkjet technology allows us to create the latest on-trend tiles,” explains Meghan Kelly, brand manager for Johnson Tiles. ALIVE ARCHITECTURE BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO NANDO’S RESTAURANTS Recently Nando’s decided to rebrand their image as a leading fast food franchise to that of a restaurant destination. This required a rethink of their current front of house décor model and it was decided that in order to change the market perception of the franchise from being exclusively a fast food chain to a destination restaurant, they needed to make each and every one of their franchises unique. To this end, they engaged the services of several interior design and architectural practices to undertake the transformation of the brand into restaurant quality destinations, of which Alive Architecture was one. There was no hard and fast design concept promoted by Nando’s to their design teams, except that they were to utilise South African products and design concepts in bespoke furniture items and exclusively use South African artists. In their drive to incorporate the outline of the brief and keep all costs of their five sites within reasonable cost margins to allow for the franchisees to afford the upgrade as well as make money going forward, Simon Cretney and Pieter-Ernst Maré of Alive Architecture found that there was a wealth of local talent itching to be afforded opportunities to showcase their work. The ‘keep it real’ slogan that is often promoted to the designers by the internal design team within the Nando’s group allowed the practice to try out new talent. The freedom this process afforded, allowed them to come up with new design elements for each and every one of the five sites that the Alive Architects team worked on over the past year. Perhaps most interesting of the sites already completed was the refurbishment of the only fully kosher Nando’s franchise, which, due to the community it caters for, required careful planning to accommodate their requirements. Six further refurbishments are currently underway. www.alive.architecture.co.za Interior Watch Inkjet designs also offer variability. The latest prints combine different types of natural stone such as marble, slate and travertine, offering consumers a variety of designs and veining patterns. In line with the latest trends as seen at Cersaie 2016 (the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings in Bologna, Italy), Johnson Tiles produces various tile sizes, shapes and formats. Gone are the days that you are restricted to the standard square tile body. This year, it is all about incorporating different tile shapes, sizes and textures. From brick and hexagon to geometricdesigns, creating a one colour focal wall by mixing different tile sizes and textures, combining different surface textures such as gloss, matt, lappato and honed or mixing different patterns and print with textures to create a layered look - the options are endless. www.johnsontiles.co.za 73