In addition to museums, squares and tourist sites, there are places that, more than others, represent the essence and embody the spirit of the time in which they were conceived: among these places are bars, historic cafes and restaurants. Between 1907 and 1909, the Austrian architect Adolf Loos designed and built the Kärntner Bar (better known as the American Bar of Vienna). 

In the second book of Filarete's Treatise on Architecture, written in the second half of the 15th century, he introduces a metaphor which is among the most famous in the history of architecture. The architect and theorist wrote that in a project there is a father and a mother, where the paternal figure is represented by the commissioner of the work and the maternal figure by the architect. 

Today, compared to twenty years ago, the spaces in a home are more fluid and they communicate with each other. The food preparation area is often an integral part of the living space; it is no longer enclosed in a separate room. For this reason, more attention is given to the design of kitchen furnishings as elements to be seen and which give value to the home. If we add an increasingly widespread interest in the world of cooking, it is clear that the choice of materials for the kitchen area is not secondary. The materials most used to cover work surfaces- and any islands and peninsulas - are mainly: marble, stone, quartz and porcelain stoneware . In this article we will focus in particular on the latter two.

Natural materials or porcelain stoneware? With regard to cladding for design and architecture, the choice divides the professionals as there is no single answer. Opting for one material or another is not just a matter of taste: the complexity of the projects requires a well-considered choice based on aesthetic-functional needs, the context in which one operates and the client.

"There are as many different and fascinating properties as there are different materials that can be used to construct a building, they will qualify, modify and radically change every architectural form, continuously and naturally." Frank Lloyd Wright

Interculturality of luxury The interpretation of the luxury concept, as well as of the style, takes on different nuances depending on the culture and traditions of the countries referred to: if in Europe, for example, a minimalist aesthetic with rational forms is broadly preferred, in Arab countries, tastes tend towards preciousness and opulence.

According to analysis presented at the last Real Estate & Finance summit, an event organized by the 24Ore Business School and Il Sole 24Ore, there will be increased investment in hotels and European cities in 2019. Considering the current substantial flow of tourists, they are certainly in the spotlight.

Thanks to the most up-to-date industrial processes, it is now possible to give shape to the most varied design ideas . However, we can distinguish between a common floor or wall covering and one that manages to synthesize functionality, comfort and refined aesthetics; just as not all buildings are works of architecture as some are simple building constructions. The objective of this short article is to understand what makes a surface an element of design .

When thinking of traditional materials for architectural cladding, these have highly defined technical and aesthetic qualities closely related to their nature and physical composition: wood is wood, it can neither seem nor have the performance of stone; stone cannot look like steel and so on.