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ASA Tiles Rewind|Looking Back on 2021

2022 is here! 2021 was a year full of up and down. We saw the retirement of old things and also witnessed many new starts! Now let us rewind and take a look at some of the 2021 fun facts of tiles!

The Most Popular Choice...

The crown belongs to classic Marble Tiles
In addition, many customers chose to use large-sized tiles, like 1.8m long marble tiles, which was very different from what it was be as most people used to choose only 600mm square marble tiles.

Followed by beloved Timber Tiles
In the past two years, we spent so much more time at home, which led to many people decide to re-renovate their home. With Scandinavian and Japanese style being popular choices, the demand for Timber Tiles increased rapidly.

Interestingly, one of our customers chose to use Sintered Stone with hidden stove in both of his kitchen and study!
That customer first chose to use such design in kitchen. Being a coffee lover, he decided to adopt the design to his study. So he might making hot coffee anytime on his study table.

 
 

The Rising Star....

Other than tiles, high-end, beautiful and functions-packed Sintered Stone was the product with highest enquiry-rate.
But at the same time, it also the product with lowest "Ask/Buy" ratio, since it also has a "high-end" price range.

Terrazzo, the symbol of vintage style, became the interior design hot-pick last year.
It took a long time for terrazzo to make a comeback. Its history can go all the way back to ancient Egypt! The modern terrazzo was originated in 18th Century Italy. At that time, the design used mostly small chips. Now, terrazzo design is packed with layers and colours, and uses chips in different sizes.


 

2022 Outlook...

We, ASA Tiles, are already working on many new projects. We will continue to provide high quality products and services. And we are looking forward to see your incredible design!

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Inspiration

Quartz Stone|Uniquely Yours

From the classic combination of black and gold, to the fossil-like layered surface, ASA Quartz Stone Series reintroduced the charm and depth of natural stone with modern aesthetic and technology.

And this time, its beauty is yours to define.

From the colours on the base, to size and types of chips, or even how the light shines and blooms within the stone, you can create your desired quartz stone to your liking.

Quartz stone’s rich colours and timeless texture make it a fitting choice for different design. Its high hardness also makes it a more versatile materials.

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Inspiration

Lifetastic 層次之美|The Beauty of Layering

The watermelon cake craze has swept across Australia, and the watermelon cakes in Hong Kong must be reminded of Lifetastic, a unique cafe. Recently, the newly opened branch in Tsim Sha Tsui is full of design, which matches well with the fresh and gorgeous watermelon cake. The restaurant was designed by Max Lam Designs and won the "Restaurant and Bars Design Awards" and "UK A&D trophy awards, Hong Kong". The idea of Max Lam Designs comes from the distinct layering and elegant theme of the watermelon cake.

"Grand" is a feeling and a concept. The designer uses multiple layers of noble and elegant colors to match the watermelon cake with distinct layers. The floor is made of marble tiles of different colors to form an arrow-string pattern, which is gorgeous and practical, and has the function of guiding the way visually. The upper layer of the wall body and ceiling color is distinct, and the lighter and darker colors are progressive. The use of tiles of the same color creates an arc-shaped line extending from the wall to the ceiling, which merges into one.

The designer cleverly used geometric elements and metal to guide the way to divide the restaurant seats into several areas to meet the needs of different guests. The sea-blue sofa area allows the family to rest and relax; the "High table" seat is suitable for couples and close friends; the VIP round table area is more private and is the best choice for friends. Different areas are connected with noble and elegant themes. The designer makes good use of various circles and arcs, and the atmosphere feels softer and more comfortable, creating a relaxing space for guests to forget their short-term fatigue.

The center of the restaurant is the food area. The design is mainly gray and white natural marble, seamlessly connecting the wall and the cake display cabinet. Marble along the grain is simple and noble, setting off the colorful watermelon cake with rich layers. The whole design shows different areas in an elegant style, and the layering of watermelon cake is assembled with simple and noble masonry paving.

ASA Tiles adheres to the insistence on quality and is committed to providing designers with materials of different styles to achieve exquisite and magnificent artworks.

Interior Design/Lighting Design: Max Lam Designs

Photographer: Dick Liu

Text: Bill Lam

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Inspiration

Kids Winshare|Reimaging Bookstore

Knowledge and fun are often difficult to coexist, and letting children learn comfortably and independently is often a big problem for parents. The PANORAMA Design Group project "Wenxuan Children's Bookstore" combines knowledge and fun through innovative design, and achieves complementary effects. The design idea comes from the natural and geometric style of Joan Miro, one of the three major Spanish postmodern artists. Studies have pointed out that geometric figures are of great benefit to children's cognition, which can stimulate thinking and arouse curiosity. The designer is well versed in the relationship between environment and knowledge. The whole space is bright and comfortable. The simple circular and curved elements are cleverly used to stimulate children's infinite curiosity and imagination.

The first half of the bookstore is the reading and book collection area. When you walk into the bookstore, you will see the yellow-and-white design of the space. You are surrounded by spiral bookshelves and round pendants, and you feel like you are in a dreamy fairy tale world. A reading environment full of childishness can enhance the atmosphere of learning and attract children's curiosity about knowledge. The designer uses a pure white wall with soft lighting to reflect healthy light suitable for children's reading (appropriate floor and wall can effectively achieve bright and not dazzling lighting effects). The transparent and comfortable reading space provides children with independent space, so that children can have a process of self-searching and explore their own small universe in their reading.


The designer broke through the traditional bookstore model and designed the crystallization of technology and wisdom. The egg-shaped 360-degree multimedia projection room in the second half of the area uses an innovative multimedia projection room to show various movies and scene images throughout the sky. The children are like being on the scene, being in the real environment, which can enhance the children’s curiosity and cognition of things , Arousing their imagination. The design of the 360-degree multimedia projection room can be described as originality, creating an infinite sense of space in a limited place. The boundless panoramic projection inspires unlimited imagination.

The interactive classroom next to the multimedia projection room is different from the traditional classroom layout. The designer removed the traditional teacher's desk and added a round desk. Zero-distance teaching breaks the barrier between teachers and students, allowing children to have more space to develop themselves. Through communication with other children, learning can be combined with entertainment, which can improve children's learning interest and imagination. The entire classroom adopts blue and white tones, with plenty of light, providing a space for children to learn as much as they want. (The use of non-slip flooring can reduce the chance of children being injured during activities, so that parents can be more at ease)

The novel and personal design of "Wenxuan Children's Bookstore" allows knowledge and fun to coexist. The simple circular and curved elements and the selection of appropriate materials can achieve the best design effect. The designer’s brand-new design concept breaks through the concept of traditional bookstores, understands the needs of the new generation of children, and creates a space for them.

ASA Tiles is committed to providing designers with materials of different styles in line with the insistence on quality to achieve masterpieces.

Interior Design: PANORAMA Design Group
Text: Bill Lam

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Inspiration

Life is like seeing for the first time (Part 2)

It was drizzling, and I met him to watch "Aladdin" at the entertainment theater. The cinema has two floors, each with a lobby, connected by a row of magnificent spiral staircases in the middle. Like floating in the air, it not only maintains the flow of space, but also allows light to pass through the opening of the stairs, making the space bright and open. The spiral form has a powerful attraction. When you stand at the midpoint of the spiral, looking up or overlooking, you will see fragments separated between the stairs, like an infinite corridor, which makes it easy to recall the past.

The spiral staircase represents the discussion stage before designing and drafting the draft, gathering and sparking more interesting ideas. The audience can walk from the third floor lobby to the fourth floor from the stairs, walk in the whirlpool, plunge into a deeper imagination, and prepare for entering the movie world. This vortex is made up of multiple materials: black ceilings, hidden lights, copper-colored stainless steel plates and trims, metal plates, white paint, and gold-bronze railings. Both lobbies use black metal painted panels, wood veneers, nickel-plated stainless steel counters, white marble veneer walls and beige leather walls. Use the glossy and matte characteristics of these different materials to create pencil marks with different shades. The catering department on the third floor uses black and white and has straight lines. The counter is composed of white marble, hidden lights and copper mirrored skirting boards. The countertop is made of white steel, dark white wax and stainless steel edges. There is more straight-grained glass beside it, which is bordered by black stainless steel, and irregular rectangles are juxtaposed. The counter is covered with gray tiles and bright round light bulbs, illuminating the strong pencil sketch style.

Rotate along the stairs to the lobby on the fourth floor. The color is slightly changed to mainly gold and bronze, gradually leading to the coloring stage after the pencil sketch. The counter on the fourth floor is composed of straight-grained white marble and wooden veneer walls. It contrasts with the curve next to it, which can highlight the free spirit of the sketch. (Choosing high flatness and non-slip tiles helps maintain an elegant posture on the magnificent stairs)

The bathroom also uses pencil sketches as the main tone, and uses various shades of gray to express. Materials include black painted ceilings with hidden lights, stainless steel edging, gray wood veneers, gray-black tiles, white gypsum board ceilings, white glossy glass, gray floor tiles, and so on. Use a variety of similar but different materials, because even as simple as a pencil drawing, complex and tedious skills and materials are required. The lines in the bathroom are sharp and straight, as if after careful calculation, every stroke and every line is extremely accurate.

Ken has always studied wine, and is meticulous in the design of the bar area of the theater. Use lighting brightness, color distribution and other elements to enhance the beauty and mood of the space. There is a lot of knowledge in this.

Finally, I came to the viewing hall, where the colors are finally enriched, deducing the coloring stage of the draft. The seats in the two typical theaters also mix dark blue, dark gray, and brown, but the colors of the walls and carpets are slightly different. The walls of one of the auditoriums are mainly blue with a touch of green and covered with a gray-black carpet; the other is mainly green with a touch of purple and covered with a brown carpet. The walls of all viewing halls have a neat curve, concealed with soft lighting, and are surrounded by dark gray wood veneer plywood. The neat black lacquered ceiling tiles make the decorative curve of the wall more obvious the flow of space.

The straight and curved lines of the entire movie theater stand independently under the spotlight, indicating the freedom and boldness of imagination in the sketches. Because the original intention of creativity starts from expressing ideas bravely.
Drafting, design, sketching, sketching

First draft・finished product, first final・original intention

As a movie lover, some will choose to write film reviews, and some will choose to do film production. Theater interior designers are relatively unpopular. They had never thought about theater projects one after another. Once it was done, it was 6 years old. CM believes that as long as they do not follow the trend, the brand positioning is solid enough, and the quality is maintained, and the original intention is firm, they will definitely be able to break out of their world.

Postscript: I think a carefully designed theater can sublimate the entire experience of watching movies. In August of this year, the Oft Interior team will have another new work released. It is expected that the largest UA cinema in Hong Kong will open in the third quarter of this year at K11 MUSEA in Tsim Sha Tsui. From November 12 to November 17, K11 MUSEA will also hold the Cannes Film Festival Festival de Cannes Film Week, which will screen 6 of the official selections of the Cannes Film Festival in France this May. I really look forward to it!

Written by: Steph. M

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Inspiration

Life is like seeing for the first time (Part 1)

I have lived in Western District since I was young, and I have always envied my classmates who live in Taikoo Shing because there are theaters in my own community! Today, the development of the Internet has changed our entertainment habits. The physical big screen is no longer the only way to enjoy movies. Watch online 24 hours a day on mobile phones, computers, and iPads. But I always think that the original feeling and atmosphere can be found in the theater. The expansive picture and stereo loopback stereo equipment is absolutely unmatched at home. Laughing and crying together is also the place where love sprouts must be checked.

Among them, the Emperor Entertainment Theater in Central is my favorite cinema. Amidst the rush of people going to and from get off work, stepping into the entertainment industry feels like a sense of relief, and it instantly makes people enter the atmosphere of watching movies. This theater is exactly the work of the designer of Oft Interiors.

They imagined that if these years are reproduced in a quick mirror, I believe that there must be many plans and drafts that pass quickly. Numerous changes and amendments, the draft paper, pencils, and erasers scattered on the workbench confirm the foundation of the interior design, which is also the first stage of the film: the sketch. The drafting stage is an indispensable and important stage for any creativity and design. Only with sketches can the imagination be gradually presented. Film workers often prepare Story Boards before shooting, and carefully draw the storyboard, shooting angle, location, and clothing. But who said that the draft can only stay at the first draft stage? The beauty of sketches is easy to be overlooked, but what it expresses is the purest and initial touch.

I am reminded of the sentence in "Mulan Ci Ni Gu Jue Jue Ci Yu You", "If life is only like first seeing", many people would be as good as they were when they first saw it... If only seeing it for the first time, all the good things will not be lost. It was amazing at first sight, goodbye still.

Written by: Steph. M