Martine Murat: The Artist Who Awakened the Cement Tile
The history of Maison Carocim is inextricably linked to that of Martine Murat. While Christian Bertheas was the founder and technical visionary, Martine Murat was the artistic soul who accompanied him and revived the prestige of the cement tile at a time when it had fallen into oblivion. Joining the company in 1990, this accomplished artist, from the vibrant world of arts and entertainment, breathed new life into the collections of the past. A painter, interior designer, and artistic director of Carocim for over 20 years, she laid the foundations for the style that has earned us international renown today.
From Fine Arts to Marble Dust
Martine Murat's career is that of a globetrotting aesthete. Trained in the academic excellence of the Beaux-Arts, she honed her eye and palette by practicing her talents as an interior designer in Paris and New York. From these experiences, she retained a taste for eclecticism, the blending of styles, and a certain visual boldness. When she joined the Carocim adventure as a co-founder, she saw cement tiles not as a mere building material, but as a blank canvas. Her training as a painter allowed her to perceive color not as a surface, but as a living substance. She instinctively understood how marble dust and pigments could resonate together to create designs of unprecedented depth.
The Bestiary and Nature as Sources of Inspiration
Martine Murat was one of the first to introduce figurative and narrative elements into the world of mosaic tiles. Initially inspired by the animal kingdom, she created a fantastical bestiary that became her signature. Her designs are not mere drawings; they tell stories. A lizard scurrying across the floor, a dragonfly alighting, a stylized guard dog... Under her brushstrokes, the floor comes alive. She modernized classic floral motifs by giving them a contemporary scale and color palette, creating a bridge between 19th-century tradition and modern interiors.
The Avant-Garde of Patchwork
But Martine Murat's greatest legacy undoubtedly lies in her uninhibited approach to assemblage. A visionary, she pioneered the patchwork of cement tiles. Where tradition dictated the repetition of a single motif to create a uniform rug, Martine Murat dared to mix and match. She encouraged breaking the rules, combining geometric patterns with florals, and pairing contrasting colors. This approach, considered audacious at the time, has now become a staple of interior design. She liberated the cement tile from its classical constraints, transforming it into a tool for personal and joyful expression.
A Timeless Style
Even today, Martine Murat's creations form the foundation of the Carocim collections. Her designs have aged remarkably well. They embody the timeless elegance that characterizes our Maison. Choosing a piece by Martine Murat means bringing a piece of design history into your home, a creation by an artist who dedicated twenty years of her life to elevating materials for the sheer pleasure of the eye.
