Literature meets design

A non-conformist concept

ICI's founders called on the architectural firm Studio Briand & Berthereau to design the independent bookshop. The Studio had previously worked successfully with Mosa and asked the Dutch company again for help with this large project, which had a large floor area of 500 square metres. Together, they created an inviting, accessible meeting place with sleek and understated materials.

Herringbone pattern

‘We chose Mosa tile strips because they combine durability and high quality with an aesthetic character. We thought it was the best choice if we wanted to create a welcoming space where many people will meet. Thanks to their unique size, we didn't have to think twice about selecting these tile strips because they enabled us to play around with colour combinations. We wanted to do something out of the ordinary for this project , and these tile strips provided the scope for this. To liven up the floor, the strips are placed in a herringbone pattern. The tile pattern is reminiscent of a parquet floor, but we've also harnessed the rough character of the material to give the illusion of an irregular pattern and add depth to the space,’ explains Arnaud Berthereau.

Playing around with contrasts

The combination of colours and the use of a herringbone pattern on a floor of this size are not common design choices. The designers worked with three colours – concrete grey, terracotta brown, and white – to play around with contrasts. This colourful composition creates an intriguing graphic effect on the floor. The different spaces within the bookshop are marked by three different colours. These colours come together at the meeting points and quieter places, while the floors along the bookcases are contrastively laid in a solid colour, concrete grey.

Eye-catching Terracotta colour

‘Terracotta is the dominant colour on the floor. This choice of colour is no coincidence: it refers to the very recognizable covers of the books in the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade collection,’ says the architect. This colour in the strip size of 10 x 60 centimetres is a unique product for this project (the tile is usually used in the size of 60 x 60 centimetres) so it was a great opportunity for the Studio to use the tiles in this size.

Arnaud Berthereau says there's no doubt he would work with Mosa again: ‘We worked on this project for four months. The tile manufacturer was able to deliver within this short period of time and meet our expectations by ensuring quick response times and taking into account our urgent requirements, the specific tile size, and the enormous size of the order.’