THE TRANSFORMATION OF MOSAIC

When it comes to mosaics, how many different types do you actually know? Maybe the image of a swimming pool paved with many small blue tiles, or walls decorated with countless tiles in the shape of squares will appear before your eyes. But those are just some of the common and basic mosaic styles that we often know. In fact, there are many different creative ways that we have not heard of. Let's explore more about the field of mosaics in this article!

JOINTED BY MASSIMO NADALINI

HAND CUT GLASS MOSAIC

This is a design called Jointed by Massimo Nadalini. This collection represents the Mosaico+ revolution, replacing the repetition of tiles with 5 different ways of dividing them. In the collection, 5x0.055 yd tiles are engraved in 5 different patterns, transforming the surface from simple to more complex. From there, the finished work will change depending on how the tiles are installed in a repetitive or random way. Jointed represents the determination to overcome the stereotype of glass mosaics to find a new path that can meet all the requirements for personalized solutions in many unique ways.

This element is continued with the choice of using mortar with or in contrast with tesserae to add vitality to the material. This results in many designs with infinite combinations, becoming an invaluable tool for designers and architects in highlighting architectural features and interior spaces, or being able to tell a story by borrowing symbols and lines to turn it into a unique work.

Image Copyright: Jointed, Mplusdesign

MIST BY KENSAKI OSHIRO

MOSAIC WITH MATTE FINISH

The laws of perception and visual order are tricked and manipulated by design disruption, which can create a sense of continuity in space.

“Mist” is the name of this collection and was created by Kensaku Oshiro designer. This design aims to explore how mosaics can be perceived in a new way. Because of the different joint sizes, the two orders of elements – horizontal and vertical – are visually superimposed on two different levels, so that the eye can see different levels depending on the angle of view.

Image Copyright: Mist, Mplusdesign

P-SAICO BY MARIALAURA IRVINE

IRREGULAR CERAMIC MOSAIC

We always imagine mosaics as panels joined with joints of the same width, installed in a regular and uniform geometric pattern.

But with P-saico, you will know a completely new concept, breaking the rules that we have known about mosaics. This is a mosaic option with rectangular pieces of the same size, but when the project is completed, it will produce unevenly installed mosaics. This collection of monolithic ceramics called P-saico is an extremely suitable choice for use both outdoors, on walls and indoors.

P-saico was originally inspired by Opus Incertum, which combines the surface and the installation process with its often random nature. The collection consists of four variations in two tones, namely the closest and the furthest tones that blend together to create a vibrant seminato floor. And of course, the choice of the color of the plaster is also an important step, allowing the mosaic to be either prominent or subdued after the finish.

Image Copyright: P-saico, Mplusdesign

PHENOMENON BY TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA

NATURAL ELEMENTS MOSAIC

Phenomenon is a collection by Tokujin Yoshioka, developed from the desire to create a contemporary design with the combination of natural phenomena into the project, to evoke emotions and memories of natural landscapes for anyone who sees it. The collection evokes different shapes in nature such as honeycombs, ice bars, snowflakes, plant cells...

“In collaboration with Mutina, I have pondered on designing tiles which express the textures of material derived from the nature. My intention is not to manipulate the appearance of nature, but to create a design, which stirs one’s heart and imagination and remain deep in one’s memory.” - Tokujin Yoshioka.

Image Copyright: Phenomenon, Mutina

SUMI-E DELTA BY PIERO LISSONI

SUSTAINABLE MOSAIC

Sumi-e Delta, an ecologically sustainable mosaic created by designer Piero Lissoni, is based on the decomposition of the classic square, transforming it into a new geometry. The new shape is created by cutting a small triangle from each square, and depending on how these shapes are arranged, each design will have a different look. It is this random element that makes the overall surface of the design shine.

Furthermore, people often choose the innovative solution Sumi-e Delta for interior and exterior designs, expressing the combination of beauty, flexibility and eco-sustainability.

Image Copyright: Sumi-e Delta, Nero Sicilia

MOSAIC IN A TROPICAL CLIMATE: WHAT ARCHITECTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY NEED TO KNOW

Choosing mosaic for a project in Vietnam is not the same exercise as specifying it for a project in Milan or Paris. Ho Chi Minh City sits in a tropical monsoon climate: humidity above 75% for most of the year, seasonal flooding risk, intense UV exposure, and a six-month wet season that tests every exterior surface. A collection that performs beautifully in a dry European climate can behave very differently once it is installed on a rooftop pool deck in District 2 or a spa corridor in Thao Dien.

The first variable to check is water absorption. Vitreous glass mosaics, like the pieces in the Mosaico+ collections described above, have near-zero porosity, which makes them a reliable choice for swimming pools, wet rooms, and outdoor water features exposed to constant humidity and chlorinated water. Ceramic and porcelain mosaic, depending on firing temperature, can range from low to moderate absorption, so specification sheets matter more here than in temperate climates, where slight variances rarely cause visible problems.

The second variable is the substrate and the grout. In a climate where thermal expansion and contraction happen daily rather than seasonally, movement joints and flexible adhesives are not a finishing detail, they are what keeps a mosaic surface intact after two or three monsoon seasons. This is one of the reasons N_DI works directly with the technical documentation of each brand it represents rather than relying on generic installation guides: humidity behaves differently in Sassuolo than it does in Thao Dien, and the adhesive system has to be matched to the site, not just the material.

RESIDENTIAL AND HOSPITALITY APPLICATIONS IN HCMC

In the villas and penthouses that make up much of N_DI's residential portfolio in Thao Dien and District 2, mosaic tends to appear in three places: swimming pools and pool surrounds, bathroom feature walls, and outdoor kitchen or bar areas exposed to weather. Each application asks a different question of the material. A pool deck needs slip resistance and UV-stable pigments; glass mosaic with a matte or textured finish, similar to the Mist collection described above, performs well here because it avoids the glare and slipperiness of a high-gloss surface around water.

In hospitality projects, boutique hotels, resort spas, wellness centers, mosaic is often asked to do more: to tell a story, mark a threshold, or create a sense of arrival in a lobby or spa corridor. This is where the more sculptural collections, like Phenomenon or Sumi-e Delta, earn their place. Their irregular, almost organic geometry reads differently under Vietnam's natural light: high-angle tropical sun changes how a textured or faceted surface reflects and shadows throughout the day, an effect far more pronounced here than under northern European light.

WHY IMPORTED ITALIAN MOSAIC STILL MAKES SENSE IN VIETNAM

Vietnam's own tile and mosaic manufacturing has grown considerably in the past decade, and for large-format flooring it is often the right commercial choice. Architectural mosaic is a different category: the designs described in this article are produced in limited runs, engineered by named designers, and manufactured to European standards that specify exact tolerances for tile thickness, joint width, and color consistency across a batch. For a feature wall or a signature pool, that consistency is the difference between a mosaic that looks intentional and one that looks assembled from mismatched leftovers.

N_DI sources these collections directly from the Italian manufacturers within its Advanced Ceramic & Porcelain and Architectural Mosaic catalog, including Mutina, and manages the logistics chain from the Sassuolo technical hub through customs clearance in Vietnam. Because the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) progressively reduces import duties on a wide range of European building materials, landed costs for genuine Italian mosaic have become considerably more competitive over the past few years than many architects assume, a detail worth checking project by project rather than ruling out at the concept stage.

SEEING AND TOUCHING THE MATERIAL BEFORE SPECIFYING

Photographs, including the ones in this article, flatten what mosaic actually is: a three-dimensional, tactile surface where joint width, tesserae thickness, and finish (glossy, matte, textured) change the entire read of a wall or floor. At the N_DI showroom in Thao Dien, architects and designers can see physical samples of the Mosaico+ collections and other mosaic lines in the catalog, compare finishes side by side, and check how a design behaves under different lighting before committing it to a project.

For architects and interior designers working on residential or hospitality projects in Ho Chi Minh City, N_DI's surfaces portfolio brings together architectural mosaic with natural stone, ceramic and porcelain, and continuous surfaces under a single sourcing and logistics relationship: one point of contact for material selection, samples, and delivery to site.

Visit the N_DI showroom in Thao Dien, District 2, to see the full Mosaico+ collection in person, or contact designmaterials@noradesignitaliano.com to request samples for your project.