Indoor tile PHILANTHIA

floorconcreterectangular

Philanthia is the only, still functioning Art Nouveau flower shop in Europe, decorated with original murals and carved mouldings found along a pedestrian street in central Budapest. The listed building is over 100 years old and the shop is still blooming as it has throughout time. Philanthia, which translates as ‘the love of flowers’, has undergone a complete renovation and extension in 2014. As part of the renovation, KAZA was commissioned to redefine and recreate the floor tiling for the extended shop floor to achieve a homogeneous overall look. KAZA recreated the authentic floor tiling using the original designs and taking into consideration the style and evergreen atmosphere of this gem in the heart of Budapest. The new tile design takes the exact dimensions of the old cement tiles and uses colours derived from the original but in a slightly different arrangement. The installation uses two tiles with different shapes and patterns forming the overall design, both taking inspiration from the original, with added soft texture to the surface. It not only brings extra interest to the floor, but also increases slip resistance in this high traffic area. The colour of the larger format corresponds to that of the old one, while the tone of the small element stems from the colour of the Jugendstil pattern on the original piece. The project took two months to complete from concept to installation. It is an example of how KAZA’s bespoke tile design and manufacturing service can be perfectly utilised for the renovation of listed buildings in order to preserve and at the same time, bring new life to our historic buildings for generations to come.