Winckelmans Showroom and Factory Tour 2022 - Lille, France

Unica’s devotion to quality, authenticity and timeless design can be evidenced through the long-term relationship held over generations between Winckelmans and Unica .

Winckelmans are a fifth-generation family-owned business, lovingly crafted in France since 1894. Their tiles are manufactured from natural materials, are full-body, fully vitrified and unglazed, with 32 colours in the collection.

After years between visits, 2022 saw the anticipated tour of the Winckelmans production facility in Lille, northern France. This educational visit saw learnings about traditional ceramic production techniques, used nowhere else in the world in recent times, combined with new age thinking and design ideas.

Winckelmans is one of the only, if not the only, traditional porcelain tile producers whose vast product offering may be used to create traditional Victorian and old world tessellated patterns and colour combinations alongside the ability to modernise spaces through monochromatic mosaic spreads.

It is a rare opportunity to witness a traditional porcelain tile producer who hand pours raw materials into a hand formed mould (built in-house) before a hand level is pulled to engage the 1,000+ tonne press, then witness unfired raw porcelain biscuits in their purest form, prior to firing.

The factory visit shows how important hand craft is in mounting mosaics, checking special pieces after press for deformities and breaking down extruded raw materials to mix multiple colours to produce unique formations in tiles, meaning each piece is different to the next.

If leaving your unique mark on your unique project is desired, Winckelmans hand crafted unglazed porcelain is for you.

To learn more, please visit our unique showroom in Petrie Terrace.