What if the real luxury is what no one else sees?
As a teenager, I was obsessed with the idea of one day owning a mosaic-tiled bathroom from Bisazza. Not to impress anyone. But for the feeling it gave me: stepping into a space that was crafted, timeless, and quietly extraordinary.
Mosaics have been a feature of luxury for over 2,000 years. Roman bathhouses used them as early as 100 BC to signal wealth, taste, and an appreciation for beauty behind closed doors. From Byzantium to Persia, they transformed palaces, temples, and private residences into canvases of colour and meaning.
Fast forward to today, mosaics continue to define luxury spaces — in private villas, grand hotels, and public landmarks that want to communicate lasting value and refined identity.
Modern Mastery: SICIS in Phnom Penh
One of the most striking recent examples comes from SICIS, the Italian design house known for reviving the art of mosaic. Their work on a swimming pool in Phnom Penh’s Olympic Villa looks less like decoration and more like alchemy — a cut jewel submerged in water.
Their motto, “Sic Immensos Clarosque Inceptos Somniavi” — “I too dreamed of great and shining undertakings” — comes alive in this project. Instead of classic tiles, they used Vetrite, large-scale decorative glass slabs created by layering glass with polymer films and metals. Beneath it all, the Neptune system lights the pool from within, turning functional space into emotional architecture.
The effect? An ambient glow that transforms a pool into a story.
Quiet Luxury in Private Spaces
For high-end clients in Asia, this is what quiet luxury often looks like.
Personal. Emotional. Never loud.
Many HNWI and UHNWI clients express their taste in private spaces — home spas, walk-in wardrobes, and bespoke interiors. Not everything is worn on the wrist or parked in a garage. Increasingly, it’s about what creates atmosphere, intimacy, and a sense of personal identity.
The Catch
The desire for something like mosaic may not be obvious. But the emotional reaction it creates? Unmistakable.
The real question for luxury brands:
How often do you ask what your clients want when no one is watching?
Luxury is not always the spectacle in public view. Sometimes, it is the detail that only the owner sees — and feels — every single day.
So where might we see the next great revival of mosaic in Asia?
