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
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