Flooring isn't what it used to be. Natural wood flooring, for instance, once was made exclusively of wood - but no longer. In a unique turn that can add uncommon richness to any home, Porcelanosa has designed and manufactured the world's first and only tile that gives the look and beauty of wood flooring - in porcelain.

In refurbishing this 90-square-meter apartment in Barcelona, Porcelanosa designers demonstrated how it's stunning Porcelain Parquet Tile, silk-screened in a very elegant cognac oak, infuses a retro air into today's modern space. The flooring suggests the warmth of parquet but the techno texture is closer to the soft qualities of the Alpine Beige ceramic stone, by Venis, covering the central wall. The stone provides a sensation of height, and serves as a cool complement to the oak-look below.

Porcelanosa is one of Europe's largest manufacturers of fine porcelain tile, bathroom and kitchen furnishings, bathing systems, and accessories. Its distinctive, state-of-the-art products are made from the highest quality materials and are imported directly from the factory in Villarreal, Spain.

Porcelanosa's spectacular collections range from contemporary to traditional and are on display in showrooms across the United States, where you can see breathtaking tile, gorgeous shower-saunas, cutting-edge bathrooms, and integrated kitchen systems with provocative color schemes like one found in the Barcelona apartment.

Just a few years ago, if someone suggested "orange" for a kitchen, they'd probably get looked at sideways. Tastefully subdued colors denoted the modern home. But times and tastes have changed, and the lacquered orange in this refurbished Barcelona kitchen makes for an alive and provocative retro space.

The design is organized around a central work table, which features a glass-ceramic cooking plaque and a sink. This solution of placing an island in the center of the kitchen allows for a continual mural of cabinets interrupted only by the steel oven. In this way, the feeling of order is absolute in this lineal space, which is dominated by the geometry of color.

The palette of colors used by the interior designers includes cognac for the floor and ranges from beige to orange, including white and steel. Porcelanosa designers chose to open the apartment's perspective and inundate the home with a joyful modernity.

A strong suggestion of contrast and a style with retro airs were the rules that guided the design. The lacquered orange covered the furnishings of the kitchen that also features natural woods that complement the silk-screened porcelain flooring. The Porcelanosa lifestyle of elegant sophistication is available to everyone right now. Visit www.porcelanosa-usa.com or call

1-877-porsaus for more information and showroom location nearest you.