January 28, 2020 (Exmore, Virginia) ….New Ravenna, America’s premier designer and manufacturer of mosaics for both residential and commercial installations, is pleased to introduce The New World collection designed by Sasha Bikoff. The seven handcrafted designs traverse time from 17th century Dutch cartography through elegant antique laces and the classic American aesthetic.
Starting the historical journey with an interpretation of the 17th century map of the world by Joan Bleu, Atlas Maior is a charming rendition of Baroque geography, animated with sea serpents, full masted galleons, and frolicking dolphins. To simulate the aging of a crinkled antique map, New Ravenna’s design team applied a honed finish to the 12 different stones, and selected a darker grout to finish the piece.
Bikoff also looked to the Dutch cartographer to capture in mosaic Bleu’s painting of Ptolemy’s “systems of the world.” Ptolemy’s Cosmos illustrates the universe, using 13 colors of stone, accented with brushed brass. The map progresses from terrestrial to celestial, and concludes in astrological.
Journeying from the old world to new meant identifying the quintessential American textile pattern. According to Bikoff, “Tile is a cultural emblem that represents a country’s aesthetic. There are unlimited beautiful tiles that feel Italian, Delft, Portuguese, Spanish. America’s history is younger and the culture has a more relaxed vibe. I’d like to define that through tile.” The result is the iconic American bandana print in two versions: East Coast and West Coast. Grout lines are equally as important to the design as the paisleys are, mimicking a cloth that has permanent creases from being worn and folded hundreds of times. Bikoff and New Ravenna chose a honed background on the Bandanas to give the allure of softened cotton.
The vintage bandanas are contrasted by three delicate lace designs: Point d’Angleterre Lace, Queen Mary’s Lace, and Swiss Dot Lace. The Laces bring a femininity found in women’s garments and home textiles to the collection. Inspired by the complexity of antique lace, the designs include honed and tumbled stone to create texture, and differing grout colors to highlight the intricate webbing. Bikoff adds, “The lace is a juxtaposition to the bandana prints and offers the same playful idea of turning a textile into a tile mosaic.”
The New World collection can be installed on walls and floors, indoors and out. New Ravenna products are available at New Ravenna showrooms throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, and Dubai. www.newravenna.com
Cover image: Atlas Maior, a hand-nipped stone mosaic, shown in various colors of stone and glazed Basalto
New Ravenna is America’s premier designer and manufacturer of custom stone and glass mosaics for both residential and commercial installations. The handcrafted mosaics are fashioned into decorative borders, murals, fields, and medallions. Mosaic materials are polished, tumbled, honed and cut to create distinctive styles, subtle shade variations and textures. The installations are custom works of art in mosaic tile, which often incorporate the designs of architects, interior designers and their clients.
New Ravenna mosaics are found in homes, restaurants, hotels, casinos, and businesses around the world, and are available for purchase through designer showrooms across the country and internationally.
