Venustas is a tile design project inspired by historical depictions of Venus. The concept of hiding something but also showing it, also known as false modesty, came to life with this tile on a couple of levels. Initially, an acoustic ceiling tile is used to hide the piping and the ductwork above it. However, the tile is made out of a translucent material. Thus, while hiding, the tile also accentuates the cables above by having an abstracted form of piping and ductwork. The hidden geometry of the design supports the concept of hiding but showing.

The conceptual model is a reinvention of the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. It almost looks like it floats in the air because of the acrylic sticks holding lifting it up. Additionally, the choice of material is particularly important. The cast shadow is minimized with the transparency, which highlights the floatiness.

This conceptual model is a reinvention of the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. It almost looks like it floats in the air because of the acrylic sticks holding it up. The cast shadow is minimized with the transparency, which highlights the floatiness. The central mass is a big piece of etched acrylic, so we see a stiff material manipulated to be elastic. The etching represents the Greek key, which is an antique symbol of love, devotion, and infinity. 

Since the abstracted piping is the thickest, it becomes the negative and further draws attention to the concept when it is backlit. The fluidity is also an attribution to the fluidity and the grace of Venus. The tile itself seems arbitrary; however, it creates an off-center square, rectangle, and a plus shape when tiled together in the right configuration. It gives the illusion of being random while creating a geometry.