41zero42 exhibition space

Project: Stand
Event: Cersaie
Location: Bologna

For the Cersaie exhibition, Barberini created a booth designed to translate the identity and values of two brands into a spatial experience that intertwines aesthetics, innovation, and environmental responsability.

The project was conceived as an immersive environment, where every element – from the ceramic surfaces to the construction materials – contributes to telling a story of sustainable design. The ceramic tiles come from facilities that comply with the highest ecological standards, the wood is entirely sourced from production scraps, and the furnishings and lighting fixtures are fully demountable and ready for reuse. Water-based paints and optimized logistics further reflect a design process attentive to environmental impact.

The visitor's journey unfolds through two interconnected volumes. The first, slender and enveloping, embraces an inner courtyard: from the outside, it reveals a carved-out core where the ceramic material takes center stage. Each perspective has been carefully designed to enhance the product and guide the gaze, while the service areas remain discreetly integrated.

A narrow fissure in the dark monolith leads to a second, more introspective environment – poetic and hermetic – where reflections and diffused lighting create a suspended, almost liquid atmosphere. At its heart, a walkway lined with empty chairs evokes missed conversations and potential encounters, turning the booth into an open narrative of emotions rather than a mere display. 

The overall setting recalls the vibrant atmosphere of an oriental courtyard, reinterpreted with subtle irony and lightness. The second volume, dedicated to the other brand, introduces a vivid and glam chromatic shift, creating a dynamic contrast. 

The result is an installation that transcends traditional exhibition rules, offering a new design language for the ceramic industry – where product becomes storytelling, and architecture turns into experience.