New Ravenna’s Heyday Edition for the Kiddo Collection is aptly named.
It was born during the pandemic when creative director Cean Irminger found herself at home with two daughters, ages nine and 12.
For six months in spring and summer of 2020.
“We had to go back to the basics when we were abruptly shut down with the schools,” she says. “We were our daughters’ only companions and we were trying to figure out ways to teach and reconnect with the things I always loved – the things that don’t change.”
Like balloons, comic books, dominoes and fireflies. “They were things I thought I outgrew, but no – I still love them,” she says.
Luckily, they live on a 150-acre working farm planted with corn, and 30 acres of woods. And they took full advantage of it all, by stepping out into the vibrancy of nature. “It was a scary time for the family, but we came together to play with each other and discover the natural world,” she says.
By the fall, her daughters were back in school, and Irminger had the initial design of the new edition well in hand. “There were the fireflies outside and I had to figure out how to translate them into stone, so I used bright pinpoints of light,” she says. “And there were the phases of the moon for a repeating pattern – and the moths on the trees.”
The big idea? Deliver some levity to the world of tile. “Interior design can get very formal and tile can be around for long time,” she says. “So this is a jolt of joy injected into the marketplace – everybody is tired and down, and this is meant to bring in some humor so people don’t take themselves too seriously.”
The new edition arrives with its own color palette: two oranges, two greens, a green-gray, an off-white cream, a light blue and a brown. “They’re new colors and our first collection for glazed basalto – to the get the full spectrum into them,” she says.
All are in stone with a few hints of brass and 24-karat gold laid on top. The basalto serves a specific function. “It’s a colorful glaze with a porous texture to hold onto the glaze, and a way to get gold into the mix,” she says.
As for applications, Heyday is for floors, walls, and ceilings. One pattern of overlapping balloons operates on a grand scale, but most are medium, for use, say, in powder rooms.
And they are definitely a focal point – a pop of a wild pattern for a wall or backsplash – to capture the eye. “They’re maximalist – and not meant to clad an entire house,” she say. “They’re for happy zip here or there.”
Because they’re the Heyday edition for the Kiddo collection, after all.
And a heyday is defined as a time of great success or popularity – which these mosaics are sure to enjoy.
For more, go here.
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