We will wake up to a different world. Once the Covid emergency has passed and the risks have attenuated, we will not quickly go back to the way things were before: a new normality will accompany us for the first few months, until the eagerly-awaited vaccine is developed, and perhaps longer still, because some of our new behaviour will be acquired long-term. We will realise that some changes, which we made due to the emergency situation, have improved our lives, or have made our use of natural resources - along with our role in the eco-system - more sustainable.
We have all recently seen the photos of deserted major city and small town centres now populated with wild animals roaming the streets. We are remembering that we are not alone, and that we need to look after everyone in order to be fine, because we live in a world that is interconnected, and not just virtually. These difficult times will help us rediscover a different sociability.
"People will try to transform their time at home into quality time"
In recent years, we have witnessed a strong drive towards immateriality: sharing has replaced owning goods, and owning in itself has become random, with the invasion of disposable products, designed to satisfy fleeting desires, and user experience has won over the tangibility of things. Being forced to stay at home, during these times, is making us understand the importance of the environment in which we live in its more intimate and domestic dimensions. It’s true, we are all citizens of the world and the ease with which we travel makes us feel cosmopolitan, but let’s not forget that for the majority of us, our place of choice, the one with sentimental value, with our deepest connections, the place where we rest and are nurtured, remains our home.
A new domesticity is therefore taking shape. This already happened during the Nineties, as a reaction to the hedonistic and yuppie Eighties decade, which ended with the Wall Street crash. It happened after the Twin Towers attack, which suddenly revealed our helplessness before a threat whose reach was beyond our imagination. It is happening again right now, what we are obliged to do – #stayhome – will become, in different and more attenuated ways, a choice. Travelling over the next few months will be more risky and more complicated; we will opt for smart working wherever possible; many training and educational activities will be conducted remotely, because people, after an initial phase during which they may feel disorientated, will try to transform their time at home into quality time: to learn new skills, to dive into their passion - whether it be cooking, writing, or perhaps gardening - which had always beenleft behind during hectic ‘normalcy’. Or they may make time for meditation and mindfulness. All these activities need to be carried out in a setting that makes us feel at ease and comfortable.
We will rediscover the importance of taking care of our nest. Not through impulse buying, dictated by fleeting enthusiasm, but through pondered, well thought-out purchases. Purchases that remain, because the home stays put.
The room in which we probably spend the most time at home is the kitchen. The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, where we all end up at the end of a day during which each member of the family was away doing their own thing. If we live alone, the kitchen is the room in which we set up video conferences to have lunch or dinner with distant loved-ones, to feel closer to them. We nurture our passions and we even work in the kitchen (this article was written at the kitchen table).
Caesar has always regarded this space with the utmost attention as, owing to its multifarious functions, it is put to the test every day: by trampling, but also by indoor pollution generated by cooking food and using chemicals. Porcelain tiles for the kitchen are the ideal solution, since they offer versatility, safety and freedom to experiment. Customers can opt for the natural charm provided by the wood, stone and marble effect collections; or experiment with more contemporary and urban moods, thanks to the sophisticated concrete and metal effect collections.
Il grès è un materiale sicuro e sostenibile. Scopri perché!
Join, one of the latest offerings from Caesar presented at Cersaie, combines the modern appeal of concrete with the elegance of resin. The result is a collection of porcelain tiles that teams versatility of use with precious appeal and textured tactility. Join can be used both as floor tiles and wall tiles, indoors as well as outdoors. A fundamental feature given the current circumstances is that it guarantees superior standards of hygiene, is hypo-allergenic and VOC Free, in other words it does not release organic substances into the environment: and we all know how vital air quality is, especially now we are spending most of our time indoors.
Join is just one of the many solutions by Caesar that inaugurate a new domesticity. We expect the months ahead will be challenging, and it is our duty and our right to tackle them as best we can, for the health and well-being of all. Surrounding ourselves with a few top-quality products is proof of more responsible consumption which, we hope, will be one of the changes that is destined to stay. It coincides with our concept of Made in Italy, the way we, as Italians, express ourselves: respect, love for our surroundings and the strength of many hands which, united, know how to create beauty.