Set in stone

RELATED ARTICLES: The changing face of wallpaper | Redefining office tower design | Design-build contracts

Italian mosaics specialist, Sicis is using its new Dubai showroom to highlight the inherent versatility of its chosen material.

The eye-catching Audrey, a stiletto-shaped bathtub clad in mosaics, takes centre stage in the new showroom – and acts as a striking example of the multi-faceted nature of mosaics. “This shows you how crazy we can get with our materials,” said Tareq AbuRoza, managing director, Sicis Middle East and Gulf. “The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do with mosaics.”

Where mosaics have traditionally been confined to swimming pools and fountains, they are now making their way on to a wide array of products and surfaces, from walls, floors and ceilings, to sanitaryware, mirrors, light fixtures, headboards and handles.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

Sicis has been active in this part of the world for some 15 years and operated a showroom in Dubai Media City for six years before moving to its present location on the corner of Umm Al Sheif and Jumeirah Beach Road.

“We’ve always wanted a showroom like this, but the locations were not available. We always pick premium locations for all our showrooms worldwide. Our showroom in Milan is down the road from Armani Casa, for example.

“In Dubai, it is more difficult. It is not like saying I want to be on Via Montenapoleone in Milan. There is no equivalent here. Either you have to go to Sheikh Zayed Road or you have to be in a mall, and we didn’t want to do either.

“Our core business is projects but lately we’ve been receiving a lot of walk-in clients. Most of them are looking for unique materials, for something different. We’ve had a really good response so far,” AbuRoza continued.

Sicis products are manufactured in Ravenna, Italy, by skilled artisans, AbuRoza explained. “Nothing is touched here. Everything comes from Italy, ready to be installed on site. We consider this as artwork. It is not just mosaics, it is not just cladding, it is not just a floor tile. It is art, created by real artists.”

These artists work with a range of materials, from glass and marble to gold, silver and other precious metals. From collections inspired by the orient to reproductions of famous pictures of Marilyn Monroe, Sicis is constantly coming up with creative new products, AbuRoza highlighted. “We tend to develop new products very fast. Every few months you get a new collection or an expansion of existing collections – there is always something new going on.”

The company is also able to produce a wide array of fully-customised products, AbuRoza added. “Nothing is set in stone!”
One of Sicis’ greatest strengths is its turnaround time, AbuRoza noted. “We can start delivery within one week. Our maximum lead time for delivery in Dubai is eight weeks. We are the fastest in the industry. That’s why we get the toughest projects and have the most demanding clients.”

Sicis products can currently be found in some of the region’s most iconic projects, from Burj Al Arab, Atlantis on The Palm Jumeirah and Emirates Palace to Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.