Crema d’Orcia: challenging the way we see perfection
03.2022
Discover the imperfect perfection of Crema d’Orcia, an elegant, creamy pale stone.
Crema d’Orcia: challenging perfection
Perfection can be daunting and rigid, sometimes too unyielding to give true pleasure, and that is why at Salvatori, we love and embrace imperfect things. Those things that get you talking, encourage interaction and engagement, stimulate curiosity and draw us in, involving us rather than holding us at a distance because they are so faultless that there is nothing to say.
With imperfection, there is something warm and inviting that draws us to it, whereas perfection can be standoffish. With its creamy, soft tones and delicate patterned surface, Crema d’Orcia is anything but cold, and today we celebrate it in all its glorious imperfection as we take a look at just what makes it such a special stone.
A quick look at our Crema d’Orcia textures
Exclusive to Salvatori, Crema d’Orcia is one of our pride and joys. Of course, it must be exceptional, as only a very few stones make it into our core repertoire, from which we create our innovative textures. As we have already said, we are fans of imperfection, and this wonderful limestone is just one example, with its tiny holes that pepper its surface.
While they are imperfections, however, they are not to be considered defects, but instead are testimony to the extraordinary history and natural characteristics that makes each block and slab of stone unique.
The muted delicate beauty of Crema d’Orcia hides a tough personality, however, as it is a hardwearing stone that can withstand wear and tear, and is easy to look after. It is also extremely versatile, lending itself to textures including Lithoverde®, Ishiburo, Cuscini and Infinito, while the Crema d’Orcia Select variant is used for Bamboo, Romboo, Raw and Chevron among others, as its slightly different structure makes it better suited to the cutting techniques that we use on these. Let’s take a brief look at each in turn.
Ishiburo, created in 2014, was designed for us by Kengo Kuma, one of the most renowned names in international contemporary architecture, and he envisaged it originally only in Crema d’Orcia, as he was so enamoured with its warm tones.
Going back another decade, we arrive in 2003, when Alfredo and Gabriele Salvatori invented not only Bamboo, but also the machinery required to create this texture that evokes the simplicity and elegance of the Orient.
Raw, designed by Italian maestro Piero Lissoni, takes inspiration from the effect of hewn wood, reproducing it in stone tiles that play with light and shadow and emphasise the extraordinary properties of this natural material.
Then we have Lithoverde®, a veritable jewel in our crown. The first recycled stone texture in the world, it is 99% composed of offcuts of unwanted but beautiful stone, and has been awarded and recognised internationally for its sustainable credentials.
Another product that gives a stylish new life to what would otherwise be simply thrown away is Romboo, small, diamond-shaped tiles that create a striking three-dimensional effect, particularly when bathed in light.
The innate softness of Crema d’Orcia is emphasised in our Cuscini texture, designed by Ron Gilad as four tiles completed with a stone button to create the idea of an oversize cushion.
Infinitolives up to its name, with tiles cut with such precision that the joint between them is invisible, leaving you with a seemingly infinite surface of clean, parallel lines that add depth and interest to walls.
Crema d’Orcia accessories and furnishings
Crema d’Orcia is suitable for use indoors and outdoors, and is not just limited to our range of textures. Its sheer elegance makes it perfect for accessories and furnishings, from tables to bathtubs, from soap dishes to basins.
It features, for example, in the Anima bathroom collection, designed by Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu, who wanted to apply the sensibility of clay to natural stone. The result is a collection of wonderfully fluid forms that deliver an almost ethereal sensation and an environment that exudes tranquillity.
Winner of the 2020 Elle Decor International Awards, Balnea is a refined and functional collection that plays with clean geometric forms, reflecting designer Elisa Ossino’s wish to create elegance through simplicity, an approach that chimes perfectly with the Salvatori design philosophy.
You can also enjoy the delights of Crema d’Orcia in the Adda collection, which combines natural stone and wood in a stylish contemporary take on design mores of the 1950s and 60s.
These are just a handful of the many products featuring this elegant, understated limestone that epitomises our ideals and approach.
If we’ve tempted you with this appetiser, why not take a look at our website and feast your eyes on more Crema d’Orcia delights? Or, feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to guide you through our products and help you choose that perfect piece of Salvatori design, created from the imperfect.
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