Decoratori Bassanesi presents Windy by Nendo

The endless blowing of the wind and the ripples, trails and swirls it leaves behind when it passes over water, rice fields and grasslands are the inspiration for Windy, a collection spawned by the inexhaustible creativity of Oki Sato, the founder and Chief Designer of Nendo, a renowned design firm.

This powerful creative inspiration joins forces with the ceramic production technique of Bassano del Grappa, where Decoratori Bassanesi was established in 1988. Unlike other ceramic techniques, which add colours and motifs to a pre-made base using glazes, this method blends the colours directly into the clay and decorates its surface with three-dimensional relief patterns. Although these textured patterns would be covered up by conventional glazing, the Bassano technique makes it possible to create intricate designs, while improving the durability of the finished product.

Windy was made according to this method, using chisels, drills and bits of different shapes and sizes to cut grooves into the smooth surface and explore how subtle differences in the cross-section and depth of the grooves change the perception of light and shade.

The collection was made with 2.6mm grooves, with sharp edges that soften into elegant, flowing curves. An additional sense of depth was achieved by combining two different groove depths – 0.25mm and 0.6mm – and then applying them in four patterns that pan out into straight and curved borders.

The collection consists of four different graphic designs that can be combined with each other and is available in four different colours, with a neutral, minimalist feel. As a through-body product, the collection delivers solid performance and wear resistance in everyday use.

Windy is the latest milestone in a major journey that Decoratori Bassanesi embarked on in 2008, when they started collaborating with established designers such as Paola Navone, Keiji Takeuchi and Sebastian Herkner. This journey entered a new phase in 2020 with the Wabi Sabi  collection designed by Federica Biasi, who became Art Director in the same year, introducing international collaborations first with Norm Architects, an award-winning Scandinavian firm, then with Nendo, the uniquely poetic Japanese firm.

This gave rise to state-of-the-art products that explore the full potential of ceramic coverings. The collection developed with Nendo is also a significant new example of the character that the Art Directors aim to bring to Decoratori Bassanesi and its catalogue: a new image combined with collaborations that showcase the brand’s know-how, its original approach, the refined nature of its surfaces and its prestigious raw materials.