Ceramica ASTRA: The Dawn of Modern Ceramic Design
We’re talking today about a company founded way back in 1959. A passage from a 1982 catalog gives us insight into its impressive growth:
“Having started its activity in 1959 on a production area of just 4,500 square meters, Ceramica ASTRA can today count on a total area very close to 150,000 square meters, 40,000 of which are completely covered. These figures are certainly sufficient to unequivocally indicate the structural weight of ASTRA’s presence on the market, but they are still insufficient to fully convey its technological capability.“
“This task is reserved for the presentation of certain images and the operational processes illustrated in this catalog. The company’s planning, aimed at achieving truly optimal final results, must, above all, be able to operate with rational and precise criteria in the use of its plants and its workforce. By completely automating the process of preparing ceramic mixes, Ceramica ASTRA has managed to eliminate every dispersive and strenuous form of manual labor in that phase, to instead employ it rationally where it is still absolutely indispensable. This has achieved the triple result of reducing production times, keeping management costs within competitive market limits, and significantly improving the working conditions of its employees.“
“Faithful to its ambitious program of continuous upward development, which has characterized its constant commitment since the beginning, Ceramica ASTRA inaugurated a second plant in Castel S.Elia in 1975, equipped with facilities that are undoubtedly among the most modern and functional existing in Italy today. With this, the company is able to plan the distribution of work more rationally than before and thus fully offer all the production guarantees continuously required by the progressive expansion of its sales organization in Italy and abroad.“
“A transport chain that winds for over 3.5 km of working area, thousands of continuously moving trolleys, an electronic program-controlled apparatus for regulating the motor phases of the trolleys, and a single technician in charge of the control panel: these are the essential facts of a system that, better than any meticulous technical description, can synthesize the scope of the technological revolution initiated by Ceramica ASTRA in its new plant, in line with a precise programmatic orientation of continuous dimensional development.”
Another important passage from the catalog highlights the core of its design philosophy:
“The essentiality of the design, thanks to one of the most original personalities of our time in the field of plastic arts, the renowned sculptor Franco Valeri, is the most evident characteristic that Ceramica ASTRA, within a precise creative and productive plan projected into the future, has achieved as its highest technical and stylistic result so far.”
Franco Valeri: Pioneer Designer
Who exactly was Franco Valeri? An article from viterbopost.it offers a glimpse:
“The three-day event in Civita Castellana dedicated to the world of ceramics concluded with a tribute to the recently deceased artist Franco Valeri. ‘Buongiorno Ceramica,’ the name of the event organized by the Municipality, filled the town for five days with events, exhibitions, workshops, and guided factory tours, all to show locals and tourists the wonder that has brought fortune to the town at the foot of Mount Soratte. The grand finale of the event was the evening – ‘1280° centigradi’ – held in the Art Ceram factory showroom in the heart of the town, dedicated to Prof. Valeri, who passed away on May 12th at the age of 83.“
“He was an artisan, sculptor, designer, teacher in various schools, but above all, a master of his art who disseminated Civita Castellana with his works, from the monument to the Fallen near the art institute, to the monument to the Ceramist in Via Mazzini or the one in Via della Liberazione, up to the most recent panel displayed at the entrance of Via del Tiratore. Senator Stefano Collina, president of the Italian Association of Ceramic Cities, the organizing body of the ‘Buongiorno Ceramica’ event, also paid his tribute to Franco Valeri in a letter addressed to the mayor on the occasion of the event.”
Valeri was, in essence, one of the first Italian designers in the sanitary ware field. The majority of the successful ceramic series produced by ASTRA were born from his creative hand. All the sanitary ware series and their matching toilet seats bear his signature style.
83 Series Astra Ceramiche (Design F. Valeri)
With this series, Valeri anticipated by several years the style and large size that other competing ceramic houses would later propose. It featured a very large D-shape with an essential and clean line. Despite its length, with the hinges, the toilet seat measures 48/49 cm long, but was only 35 cm wide to give it a slender look. The toilet seat covers for these Astra sanitary fittings in the official colours can be found in the store Sintesibagno at the following link [ clik HERE ]
Gemma Series Astra Ceramica
Another large, now out-of-production sanitary fixture. Its toilet seat is much wider than the Serie 83 (measuring almost 37 cm) but is also nearly 50 cm long. The distinctive design on the upper part of the toilet bowl made it highly recognizable. It was produced in white, champagne, blue, and pomegranate red. All his toilet seats are available in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ clik HERE ]
Pantheon Series and Versailles Series ASTRA Ceramica
These fall into the category of sanitary ware with unusual shapes and decorative workings on the ceramic body. They evoke an imperial style typical of the atmosphere of ancient Rome and Versailles. The toilet seats for these were also oversized: 39.5 cm wide for Pantheon and 38 cm for Versailles, with a surprising length of 52, 53, or 54 cm (including hinges). The toilet seats for these sanitary ware can be found in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ clik HERE ]
Forma Series Astra Ceramica
Looking at these sanitary fixtures from the 1980s, one is surprised by their modern lines—a style often mistakenly thought to be much more recent. The design was so advanced that, were it not for a ceramic block used to rest the toilet against the wall, it could already be considered a back-to-wall fully shrouded fixture (filo parete). The toilet seat was particularly large, measuring nearly 40 cm wide for a length of 51/52 cm. You can find it in the store Sintesibagno at the following link [ clik HERE ]
We’ve begun to explore some of Ceramica ASTRA’s production and their toilet seats. If you still have doubts about which toilet seat to look for for your toilet, we suggest sending us an email to info@sintesibagno.it or a WhatsApp message to +39 3341288978 with two images of your fixture and a few measurements, and we will be able to help you choose. Here is the video on how to proceed with the toilet seat search:
