An innovative mindset has powered the evolution of Sicis – from a company known for its exclusive mosaics to an extension into multiple furnishings and accessories lines that embody its sophisticated aesthetic.
Like many successful brands, Sicis’ expansion into diverse categories began with its reputation for one specialty. In this case, it was elegant mosaics, or more specifically, its “tessera,” which is the small block of glass used to construct a mosaic. “We started in a very micro way. Our DNA is the tessera, which launched everything else we do,” says Amy Tanenbaum, president of Sicis North America. “We’re working from the heartbeat out, which has allowed us to approach every other new category of business with our signature attention to detail.”
Expanding horizons through innovation
While bespoke mosaic art is Sicis’ core business, that expertise has allowed it to create an empire that brings its quality to other household lines, including furniture, rugs and lighting, among others. Its vivid colors are its calling card, Tanenbaum says. “Today we have 1,000 colors of glass, but by tomorrow we’ll probably have 1,200. We’re constantly challenging ourselves and thereby challenging everyone else.”
The desire to highlight these artistic mosaics spawned Sicis’ diversification into complementary categories. The company began making lavish coffee table books that showcased its mosaics, staging the sets with furniture to add scale and context. Soon after the book’s publication, Tanenbaum says they were besieged by requests from clients, designers and developers asking where they could source the decor featured in the photo shoots.
That gave them the impetus to branch out into new categories that would allow the company to expand its clientele while retaining its high standards of artistic elegance. “We began with furniture, and then extended from there,” Tanenbaum explains. “Once you have furniture in the room, you have to light it so we added lighting, then you need floors and doors and the hardware to close them and so on. Everything has been generated from the mosaic.”
Today that means Sicis clients can choose sofas accented by glass-filled legs; lighting systems featuring colors between the spheres; or vases with hand-inlaid micromosaics, to name a few of its luxury pieces. “We now embrace a 360-degree mentality,” Tanenbaum says.
Sicis Transforms Central Park Tower With Its Vision
Tanenbaum considers the marquee property of Central Park Tower as one of Sicis’ “crowning glories,” given that they were enmeshed in every aspect of the project for seven years. The developer had first tapped the company based on its reputation for specialty finishes. In fact, Sicis is regularly commissioned to create dazzling mosaics for pools in prestige buildings. That was the first step in its involvement with Central Park Tower: with a pool design so intricate and opulent only Sicis could create it.
A Sicis design reflects the caliber of luxury these discerning residents expect, but the firm goes beyond that. One of Tanenbaum’s specialties is fostering working relationships with representatives at the Department of Health (DOH), which allows Sicis to adhere to the DOH’s strict guidelines, yet stretch boundaries to achieve the desired look. It’s a devotion to customer service and dedication to aesthetic standards unrivaled by any supplier.
“I negotiate chip by chip, color by color, to stay within the DOH’s criteria while still elevating the design,” Tanenbaum says, noting that she personally went to the Department of Health offices 18 times for that one project. “I literally went with chips in my pocket, laid mock-ups on the floor and replaced pieces one by one until they approved the pattern, the colors and the layout. No place else in New York City will ever get a pool like that approved, I guarantee it.”
After that success, Sicis was commissioned to create mosaic murals in the Tower’s amenity spaces. And that, in turn, led to a cascade of projects: Sicis was invited to integrate its newly launched collection of large-format glass slabs into cladding for all the primary bathrooms; fashion glass sinks for all the powder rooms; and design mosaics for a statement wall in each unit’s tertiary and quaternary baths.
Once the developer became acquainted with its lines of fabrics and furnishings, Sicis was invited to create a model apartment. Eager to begin, the company immediately commissioned its Italian team, who flew over…and was subsequently thwarted by OSHA requirements. Undaunted, they completed the course and passed the test required to receive their OSHA certification, then set to work to transform the space into a crown jewel.
“Our team was so impressive that every worker in that building walked through the apartment to see the amazing work we completed, never compromising our quality even though our timeline was tight,” Tanenbaum says. They outfitted the model space from top to bottom, including furniture, fabric, lighting, millwork and rugs, plus all the accessories down to linens, decorative objects and books, along with paintings commissioned by an accomplished artist.
The result was so spectacular that the buyers haven’t touched one item or made one change, in contrast to many other model apartments by top designers that were immediately redone.
Sustainability is deeply rooted in its heritage
Sicis is an Italian company, and as Tanenbaum points out, the Italian culture is sustainable by nature. “The mentality of Italians is that you buy fresh bread to eat one day, toast it the next and then turn it into bread crumbs to garnish a pasta or soup. You don’t need to tell our artisans how to be more ecological – it’s their way of life.”
That ethos is foundational to Sicis’ design process. In order to maintain the integrity of its product, the company produces all its own glass in-house from raw material, rather than using recycled glass, but the rest of the production cycle is built on recycling. “We have to guarantee the tonalities that customers see in the sample book, which can’t be done with recycled glass,” Tanenbaum points out. However, the leftover glass production is then melted and reused again or repurposed into other artistic uses.
It’s just one of the special touches that sets Sicis apart in its quest to bring beauty to the buildings and spaces prized by the sophisticated consumer.
Would you like to find out more about how Sicis’ elegance can transform your next project? We invite you to their website to see the artistry on display.