Architect Sandro Rosolen of Italian architectural firm Graphstudio Atelier di Progettazione chose the porcelain surfaces by Refin for the project of the new Bauli motorway catering area. The traveler is surprised by the interior language in which surfaces with a classic taste help create an oasis of refined hospitality. 

The project has been one of the winners in the international competition Refin Project Contest 2020, conceived to reward the best architecture and interior design projects made with Refin tiles.

A motorway catering area, built in the mid-1960s and managed by the Bauli family, has been given a new lease of life thanks to a renovation project that extends the interiors, making them bright and relaxing. From the original plan, an extension has been added that envelops the historic building with a technological structure in glass and steel, in dialogue with the speed and modernity of the context.

The design codes favor classic shapes and airy volumes, which qualify a proposal of a high standard: natural light guides the paths and dominates all the rooms enhanced by surfaces inspired by important natural marbles. The Prestigio collection thus accompanies the style of the interiors thanks to the technical performance of the stoneware, which made it possible to choose such a precious finish even for a high traffic situation.

The bar and restaurant with the large central winter garden are characterized by the chequered floor in which white and grey of Calacatta and Impero variants alternate, with a scenographic impact that conveys the sensation of extending the spaces even further. The elegant atmosphere continues in the double-height space that connects the basement flanked by a vertical garden, up to the toilets completely made of Prestigio Calacatta.

Prestigio Collection - Stone materials are back in the spotlight once again in the Prestigio porcelain tiles collection: top-class natural marble from the most renowned quarries in Italy and Europe whose typical nuances of color and original veining patterns – sometimes delicate, others more marked – is enhanced by the beautifully polished finish. The collection is thus the expression of classic style given an elegant modern twist thanks also to the large sizes.

The Bolero Restaurant, Rheingold Bushwick, EMA Office, the INTREND Store, and the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport are also winners in the Refin Project Contest 2020.

Architect Sandro Rosolen - “I carried out and gained my first work experience in Argentina; I then moved to Italy where I graduated in architecture with honors at IUAV. With some fellow students, I founded the Graphstudio "Atelier di Progettazione" with the idea of giving a design response to all what has to do with the world of interior design. In tune with the evolution of my experiences, the firm evolved with the aim of assisting clients with global services, offering them a project approach that takes into account sustainability, profitability, and the careful development of interventions. I have taken created design projects in the world of Ho.re.ca for hotels, bars, and restaurants, as well as a number of travel retail outlets. My relationship with national and international customers has allowed me to develop my projects in airports and shopping malls in various Italian regions as well as in important European cities.”

Ceramiche Refin - Active on international markets since 1962, Refin designs and makes porcelain stoneware entirely in Italy, through a management system based on quality research, technical innovation, and respect for the environment.  From this corporate vision comes a wide variety of floor and wall coverings able to integrate with the many styles of contemporary architecture in commercial and public projects as well as in the residential sector.