Several thousand contributions were received by the Museum for the 2014 competition. Over 700 projects from more than 48 countries were selected in October by a double jury, which met in New York and Los Angeles and which announced the winners for each category, amongst them Type 32 by Lea Ceramiche, which won the Floor and Wall Covering section.

The idea consists of two overlapping layers. The first is more material-oriented and is made of a silkscreen print playing with the theme of verisimilitude and reproducing an essence. The second, more graphical, consists of a decoration, based on the recurrence of an oblique line with four patterns. Starting from its format, the project represents a novelty. Instead of working with standard dimensions, the new line uses Lea Slimtech staves (20 x 200 cm) made to a new thickness of 5.5 mm.

Type 32 sets off with materials but then moves on to transcend them, transporting them to an abstract level where invention lends additional meaning to the word decorum, rewriting a new language, yet as familiar as the first four letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, beta, gamma and delta.

The inspiration ranges from art to graphics, but the themes of illusion and memory are also present. As in certain dreams, or better still, in certain visions, it becomes something other than itself, reinterpreted as pure image through a contemporary language that transforms the material into a mirage, while the classic ornamental lines become potentially infinite surfaces. A large carpet, basically.

The GOOD DESIGN Award crowns a product by Lea Ceramiche for the second time. City, the project reminiscent of urban maps, also designed by Diego Grandi, received the prestigious award in 2008, and this year it was the turn of Type 32. The award is another recognition that highlights the attention that Lea Ceramiche has always given to designer content, the company's deep knowledge of materials and its constant commitment to technological research and advancement.

Nest Slimtech, the Lea Ceramiche collection designed by HOK Product Design, also won an award -- Interior Design's Annual Best of Year Award 2014 in the category Flooring: Tile and Stone. Celebrating its 9th edition this year, the prize is promoted by the American magazine, Interior Design,and represents one of the world's most prestigious design competitions. Nest won the Best of Year Award 2014 in the tile and stone floorings category in the products section.

Taking inspiration from forms found in the natural world, Nest is made of irregular elements (100 cm edge size) which are combined together to create large hexagonal shapes. An infinite "woven puzzle," which offers a new and unconventional use of ceramics, giving a unique touch and a structural element to surfaces that transform the architectural and domestic landscapes of any city. Nest offers an infinite variety of combinations of shape and color, which become patterns that can be used to express the creativity of any designer.

"Nest is a range of hexagons and triangles, affectionately named Pac Man, which can be used in many aesthetic solutions and allows architects and designers to truly use their imagination," said Susan Grossinger from HOK Product Design.

Nest is produced in ultra-thin laminated porcelain tiles, Slimtech by Lea Ceramiche, available in extra-large sizes up to 3 m x 1 m. These tiles are resistant and long-lasting, despite being 3mm in thickness. This product has revolutionized the ceramics sector in recent years. With its vast dimensions, it has totally transformed the traditional concept of tiling.