The Sebel on Sydney’s famous Manly Beach has been a byword for elegance and luxury for years. For the refurbishment of this Accor group 4-star hotel, the architects of In Design International chose the Italian style and quality of Ceramiche Piemme tiles.

The Bits&Pieces collection was selected, which was designed by Gordon Guillaumier for the company from Fiorano, in the Modena ceramics district. The hotel’s “business card,” the wall behind the reception desk, is also covered with 30- x 60-cm wall tiles with a three-dimensional pattern of horizontal furrows, “Groove,” that create subtle interplays of light and shade and a general effect of depth.

To help to bring the sunlight into the foyer, the palest finish, “Powder Bone,” which is almost ivory in color, was chosen.

“This is a wonderful accolade for us,” said Ceramiche Piemme COO, Davide Colli. “And the signs are that the Australian market will reward the great effort we are making in terms of technological research, and our relationships with top international design firms.”

“Ceramiche Piemme epitomizes Italian style,” added Penny del Castillo, director of In Design. “The Bits&Pieces collection is perfectly in line with the hotel’s superior quality standard and the client’s specific brief that we should create interiors with high design and experiential value for guests.”

The decorations, furnishings, colors and textures evoke the Manly urban beach, while the modern, spacious studio apartments, luxurious bathrooms, rooms and communal spaces are all conceived for the high-end hotel industry. The mix of light colors provided by the floors and tiles also brings added luminosity into the rooms directly overlooking the sea.