GAI International Opens ‘Neolith’ Ceramic Tile Showroom

Aggressive push targeting the high-end residential market draws attention; expanding its reach with high strength and diverse designs

As the use of large-format ceramic tiles in premium home interiors—applied to kitchen cabinetry and sink backsplashes, living room accent walls, entrance vestibules, bathrooms and more—continues to grow, ‘Neolith,’ a ceramic tile brand with worldwide brand recognition, has completed a fresh makeover of its showroom and opened its doors.

Ceramic specialist GAI International Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Bong-jae) has held a renewal opening of its ‘GAI×Neolith’ showroom located on the building-materials street of Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu. GAI International has held an unrivaled position in Korea’s ceramic exterior-cladding installation sector for the past 35 years, and it is now expanding its business beyond exteriors into the home interior market through Neolith. Accordingly, this showroom renewal was realized as a strategic initiative to more actively highlight Neolith’s strengths as an interior material and to present its diverse applications within the home, thereby fully conveying Neolith’s appeal to general consumers as well as to buyers involved in Gangnam-area reconstruction and redevelopment projects who seek premium materials.

The Neolith showroom spans a total of 330.5㎡ (about 100 pyeong) across a basement level, first floor and second floor, projecting Neolith’s bold impression from the very exterior. The façade features a variety of Neolith ceramic louvers in 50·150·300×3600㎜ sizes installed to a height of 5 meters, giving it visibility strong enough to spark curiosity about the showroom even from a distance. Neolith is made from 100% natural raw materials treated under high pressure at temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees, giving it high strength, while its thin 3㎜ and 6㎜ profiles can be applied as premium exterior cladding for high-rise buildings. Easy maintenance, waterproofing capability, and an installation method that requires no joints are among its other advantages.

Entering the first-floor entrance, an island kitchen finished in Neolith takes center stage. As the use of large-format ceramic tiles for kitchen countertops increases and consumer preference for them grows, the island kitchen—which showcases Neolith’s advantages in full—immediately draws visitors’ attention. Not only the countertop but also the doors of the island are finished in Neolith, doubling its sense of luxury. The Neolith-exclusive strength of maintaining high durability even at a 3㎜ thickness is carried over into interior finishing materials as well. Full-scale Neolith products are displayed around the main island kitchen. To the right in particular, products are exhibited in a square-column form so that Neolith’s patterns are revealed in three dimensions. Behind the information desk, a hidden bar concealed by a Neolith door is presented as an example of how the material can be utilized in a kitchen or dressing room.

The showroom’s wall finishes are likewise done in Neolith, allowing visitors to feel its distinction from painted finishes in a real space. Although the product unit price is high, it offers excellent workability and a texture that is softer yet more subtle than a painted finish. In fact, premium homes in the Gangnam area are adopting ceramic tile as a wall finishing material, showing that tile is taking up an ever-greater share within the home.

The basement level is divided into three exhibition zones. The inner zone, visible as one descends the stairs, features kitchen cabinetry suited to studio units or compact homes. With the kitchen countertop, sink backsplash and island top finished in Neolith, this small space is completed as a luxurious kitchen in both color and texture. Next to the kitchen cabinetry is a space presenting a living room accent wall styled in Neolith. Composed of strongly textured ceramic tile, the eye-catching accent wall expresses a sophisticated living room atmosphere. The bathroom space was installed using just seven full slabs, dividing it into a shower area and a toilet area. Its bathroom installation method, which minimizes grout lines, sets it apart from ordinary tile work. In particular, the shower floor uses a single Neolith shower tray with a built-in slope for drainage, maximizing installation efficiency, while the toilet area employs a floor-mounted piping method that is effective against inter-floor noise, embedding the toilet and washbasin plumbing into the wall to realize a modular bathroom different from conventional ones.

The middle zone of the basement level displays bright, stone-textured surfaces and large panels centered on new products. The most striking piece of kitchen cabinetry is a model proposed for mid-to-large premium apartments, finished in Abu Dhabi White—the most preferred product in the Neolith lineup. To the right of the cabinetry is a styled entrance vestibule, demonstrating the diverse applications of Neolith within the home. The right-hand zone of the basement level exhibits design products such as wood and steel-plate looks at full scale, proposing yet another facet of ceramic. Toward the back, two washbasins are installed using metal-textured Neolith, with a Neolith-finished conference table placed in the center to create a meeting-room ambiance.

The newly opened Neolith showroom carries the emotion of a home. Rather than cold tile, at times soft and at times warm atmospheres are realized in ceramic tile, making it a space where one discovers a new side of tile. Rather than a showroom that displays specific products or spaces, it is a space where one can feel the complete emotion of a home, and it is expected to become a must-visit destination for consumers seeking premium home interiors.