Bathco & Hisbalit present their artisan and creative materials to leading interior designers in the sector.

Last week, Cantabrian companies Bathco and Hisbalit organized the workshop “Craftsmanship and Creativity.” Two days of work and experimentation with renowned national interior designers, where they had the opportunity to learn a little more about craftsmanship and creative tiling.

Patricia Bustos, Virginia Nieto, Pepe Leal, Fabian Ñiguez, and Nacho Alegría traveled to Cantabria to learn about the headquarters of both companies, their work methods, and their spaces dedicated to craftsmanship, where it's possible to create completely “tailor-made” products.

On Thursday, June 1st, they visited the Bathco showroom in Santander, where they got an exclusive look at the new products that will be featured in the upcoming catalog of the company specialized in the bathroom sector. One of the day's surprises was found in the firm's R&D area, where they saw prototypes of 3D-printed sinks, ceramic decal printing, and the development of photoluminescent pieces for special projects, as well as murals incorporating video mapping techniques.

Like fish in water within the Atelier

The renowned interior designers experienced the Bathco Atelier creation and experimentation space, where a group of multidisciplinary artists develops ideas and customizes sinks, piece by piece. Each sink serves as a canvas to create different finishes. They also mold the ceramic to add volume and apply decals by hand, thanks to decades of experience.

Patricia Bustos, Virginia Nieto, Pepe Leal, Fabián Ñiguez, and Nacho Alegría were able to fully immerse themselves in the Atelier, learning firsthand the techniques and possibilities that porcelain offers and how to creatively apply them to their projects.

A discovery for professionals. For Fabián Ñíguez, the Bathco Atelier is “the height of customization. It allows customization to the extreme. Something that clients are asking for, as in the end they want something super exclusive.”An idea that the rest of the professionals also share. Pepe Leal assures that his creative mind has soared after visiting Bathco Atelier.“I've seen endless customization possibilities: finishes, shapes, creating volumes, textures”adds Leal.

The Emotion of “Handmade”

On Friday, June 2nd, interior designers visited Hisbalit, the oldest glass mosaic factory in Europe, located in Soto de la Marina. They were impressed by the manual and sustainable nature of the mosaic.

“We never would have imagined it had such a human component. We always thought a robot made the mosaics and designs. We've seen that each piece is unique and depends on the temperature, the amount of natural pigments it receives, the baking, and the people who choose and place each piece. All of this makes the product so appealing because you can sense the human aspect it has.”, explain Pepe Leal and Virginia Nieto. And that's because Hisbalit mosaic is a material with a craftsman's soul that transmits the sensations and experiences of a material worked by hand. In the manufacturing process, the tiles are laid manually. Each piece is touched, felt, resulting in a product that conveys the emotion of the person working on it. Furthermore, the designs are custom-made, as if they were works of art.

Another surprise for the interior designers during their visit to the factory was seeing firsthand Hisbalit’s commitment to the environment—a mosaic made from recycled 100% glass and naturally derived pigments. Fabián Ñiguez, who had already visited the factory a few years ago, was fascinated to discover one of Hisbalit’s latest innovations designed to close the sustainability loop and meet the “zero waste” challenge. Hisbalit has decided to recover the tiles—unsuitable for sale—that are discarded during manufacturing. Now, after a grinding process, they use them to create a new, high-quality, double-recycled glass product that serves as a filter medium for swimming pools.

Mosaic and Play

The company, known for its commitment to color and creativity, invited interior designers to participate in the “Mosaic and Play” workshop, a fun creative challenge where they had the opportunity to play and create fun compositions with sustainable local mosaic. They learned the importance of teamwork at Hisbalit by building a mosaic labyrinth. An escape room where the help of all five was key to achieving the exit. Additionally, they created their own emoji with eco-friendly mosaic. Cheerful proposals to end the day.