Venlo, a small Dutch town on the river Meuse, is located in a border region, a crossroads between empires and cultures. Throughout its long history it has undergone major transformations and now stands out for its unique blend of past and present, historical buildings and new residences. The town’s transition to modernity and contemporary lifestyles is reflected in the new home we look at in this article, a private villa with exclusive interiors designed by the owners themselves along with a meticulously landscaped exterior that uses some of the finest outdoor ceramic tile collections from Ceramiche Caesar. The large garden is accessed via a wood-frame conservatory with sliding glass windows and features an attractive swimming pool with retractable cover. When looking for ceramic pavers for the pool area decking that would combine aesthetic and functional qualities, the owners opted for 2-cm-thick Aextra20 monolithic porcelain slabs from Caesar due to their anti-slip properties, resistance to frost, wear, loading and thermal shock, durability and ease of installation. Specifically, they selected the Quartz Essence series, pale coloured Rocky version inspired by Alpine quartzite in an original 80×80 cm size. With its veins, colour variations and contrasting matt and reflective effects, the surface has an intricate, highly distinctive look reminiscent of split natural stone. The collection has the versatility needed to extend the contemporary atmosphere of modern homes into outdoor areas, recreating the requisite minimalist look through markedly formal elements that stand apart from run-of-the-mill floor coverings and become furnishing elements in their own right. The Quartz Essence trim pieces used around the pool edge give the finished installation a harmonious look while ensuring stylistic continuity and the highest level of safety. The project’s green credentials, as evidenced by LEED and WELL certifications attesting to its level of sustainability and healthiness, are reflected closely in the characteristics of the tile collection from Caesar. The Rocky version chosen for this project uses 20% pre-consumer recycled material and, like all of the company’s products, complies with the recently published ISO 17889-1 standard specifying the sustainability requirements of ceramic tiles.
