Notes from Nonna’s Kitchen

Haven’t we all, at some point, wished for a Nonna? That endlessly endearing Italian grandmother, sleeves rolled up, shaping orecchiette by hand at the kitchen table in her lace-trimmed pinny. Good news: our latest launch from the Studio at Ca’ Pietra captures that very feeling. It’s giving Nonna – in every sense. While we can’t deliver you a Grazia (the name of our Head of Creative’s own beloved Nonna), this is the next best thing. A collection that whisks you away to sun-dappled courtyards and kitchens with cypress trees just beyond the shutters, a tile at a time.

Meet The Tiles

Ten wall tiles. Each one brimming with charm. That’s Nonna’s Kitchen in a nutshell. Let's begin with the florals:

Classica is hand painted in the UK, using a blue and white palette that feels classically Italian. There are three floral motifs, and a fourth design that’s mostly plain with fine foliage in each corner – perfect for mixing and matching. Try them together in a free arrangement or keep things simple with all white, punctuated by a gathered cluster of florals like a piece of wall-mounted art. A look that works beautifully in a rustic kitchen, complete with hanging pots and wooden shelves.

Sorrento is much jazzier, it brings the sunshine. Pick between a soft buttermilk base or a brighter blue-sky background. It’s the kind of tile that sings when used across a whole wall, especially behind vintage pine shelving in a pantry.

Nuvola is light-hearted and full of charm with its two soft pastel colourways, each with a cloudlike base and scattered fruit motifs. It captures that sense of sunrise and sunset over a fruitful harvest. It’s a dreamy way of depicting sunset and sunrise skies and abundant Italian harvests all year round. They're tiles that work perfect behind stoves and on splashbacks.

Finally, there’s Cornelia and Floreale: pure white glazed tiles with fine decorative foliage and gentle accents of colour. Used across a whole kitchen, they sit perfectly alongside painted cabinetry or exposed timber. The result? A subtle nod to la dolce vita.

The Story Behind The Tiles

As one of the first collections created by our Studio, this was always going to be a heartfelt one. We wanted to create something that transported you. Somewhere comforting, somewhere familiar. A collection that fills the kitchen with warmth – even before the cooking starts.

Who better to do that than the Nonna you may have never had – or the one you’re lucky enough to know. There’s something deeply special about the Italian family kitchen. It’s no secret that the Italian home kitchen is a special place. In recent years there’s been much written and brought to television screens via various cooking shows featuring the wisdom and wonder of Italian pasta grannies, hand-making every shape and every sauce you could imagine. The kitchens we see them in are full of stories, tiles that are decorative but not fussy and that sit back against the farmhouse kitchen table and antique cabinetry that have been in the multi-generational family home for decades.

The inspiration was clear: kitchens where tiles are decorative but never fussy. Where aged furniture and well-loved tables set the tone. Homes with stories, passed down with every sauce recipe.

It’s that very scene that we had in mind when designing the collection. You might not have olive branches extending outside your window, but the soul of the Italian kitchen can still be brought into homes far and wide. From country cottages to period townhouses in the city, these are tiles that will live their days richly, encouraging you to bring in fresh cut flowers and fruit from the market in their crumpled brown paper bags, to always keep the fridge full for whoever descends, and to cook fine fare with family and friends. “There’s an old Italian saying A tavola non s’invecchia that translates as: at the table, one does not grow old,” says our head of creative, Grazzie. “The notion of spending hours over proper food and that never ever being wasted is something we really had in mind when designing these tiles."

And while their roots are in the kitchen, these tiles are by no means limited to it. Imagine Classica framing a fireplace, Sorrento or Nuvola bringing joy to a tiled shower enclosure, or Cornelia adding quiet character to a bathroom wall. They move effortlessly through the home.

Discover our full Nonna's Kitchen tile collection: