Top 10 Italian Ceramic Tile Trends from Ceramics of Italy

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Fresh off of Cersaie, Ceramics of Italy has compiled a round-up of the 10 most popular trends observed from the world’s preeminent exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings held recently in Bologna, Italy.

With more than 850 exhibitors and 100,000+ visitors, Ceramics of Italy notes that the mood of the show was very positive and brimming with designer collaborations, craftsmanship and innovation.

Here are the Top 10 tile trends spotted by Ceramics of Italy.

FRAGMENTS

Playing with the idea of modularity, Italian ceramic companies are designing fragmented patterns on square and rectangular tiles to produce large dynamic compositions. By randomly mixing and matching geometric shapes, the tiles pop with vivid, kaleidoscopic effect. Of special note is Flaviker‘s Supreme collection, produced with the new Wall&Porcelain ceramic technology from ABK Group that combines the best qualities of ceramic and porcelain stoneware to create a whole new typology of tile. Additional collections include: Bardelli Tangram, Casa Doce Casa Pietre/3, Ceramica Vogue Shade, Gardenia Orchidea Mood, Marca Corona NewLuxe, Naxos Surface, Ornamenta Frames, Refin Labyrinth, Sant’Agostino DigitalArt, Sicis SICIStone and Tagina Details.

 

HIT THE BRICKS
Each season a shape naturally emerges as a tile industry favorite. Last year was the hexagon; this year is all about brick! From micro to macro, polished to rustic, and designs ranging from faithful interpretations of old brick walls and brick with mortar spills to painted brick and marble and wood designs in a brick format. A few stand-out products include a new miniature brick collection (Micro-Brick) designed by Nendo for Brix, brick tiles that can be custom ordered in 150 colors from Emilceramica (Brick Design), and L-shaped tiles designed to wrap corners such as Del Conca Cantina, Cir Recupera, and Marca Corona BrickLane. Additional collections include: ABK Do-Up, Ceramica Incontro Muretto, Coem Bricklane, Elios The Wall, Isla Pietra Triburtina, Marca Corona Brickstyle, Monocibec Eclipse, Ornamenta Pick ‘n Brick, Rondine Brick Generation and Vallelunga Creo.

 

CHEVRON CHIC

Drawing inspiration from an age-old pattern, designers will love dressing up floors and walls with these eye-catching porcelains. From rustic and painted wood looks to resin, brick and stone, Italian companies are producing chevron and herringbone tiles across all scales to create visually striking patterns that are easy to install. Collections include: 41zero42 Rigo, Atlas Concorde Etic Pro, Coem BrickLane, Fioranese Chevron Chic, Flaviker Place 2B, Italgraniti Spatula, Mirage NooN, Novabell Firestone, Refin Chevron, Rondine Brick Generation, Sant’Agostino Shadewood and Unica Lacche.

 

ALONG THE RIGHT LINES
This year we saw endless variations on the most basic and powerful element of design: the line. Thick and thin, vertical and horizontal, straight and intersecting, flat and three dimensional, linear designs are definitely in vogue with the ability to add depth, movement or focus to a room. Notable designer collections with a linear bent include: Naive, Patrick Norguet’s second tile collection for Lea Ceramiche‘s Slimtech line, reminiscent of carefully drawn pencil lines; Earth, designed by the famous Italian car design firm Pininfarina for Casalgrande Padana; and Rombini, an alphabet of shapes and colors designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Mutina. Additional collections include: 41zero42 Otto, ABK Interno, Ariana Canvas, Cerdomus Verve, Ergon Limestone

 

OBJET D’ART
One trend that’s been embraced by several Italian companies is the transformation of tile into objet d’art. Continuing its Game of Fifteen series dedicated to contemporary artists, Ascot‘s second line features the work of Dutch street artist Boris Tellegen. ABK and Imola were also inspired by street art, offering graffiti-style decors with their Do-Up and Kuni lines, respectively. Settecento also treats several of its tile collections as canvases, from the stencil decors inBistrot to the pop art of Steve Kaufman.

 

SOFT SPOT
There was an overwhelming warmth to the tile introductions this year, lending an undeniable softness to the hard surface. From designs with distressed and tactile effects (sandblasted marble, stripped wood and fabric) to warm shades, watercolor and velvety textures, it was a welcome reprieve from the minimal aesthetic of recent years. One of the most celebrated product launches came from Ornamenta whose porcelain Paper tiles act like a chalkboard thanks to a specially formulated soft glaze finish. Additional collections include: ABK Do-Up, Appiani Allure, Ariana Canvas, Astor Context, Bardelli Colour Tiles, Brennero Terra, Cir New Orleans, Edimax Texture, Fap Roma, Fioranese Painted_Wood, Fondovalle Infinito 2.0, Imola Kiko, Italgraniti Couture, Keope Prime, Novabell Montresor, Ricchetti Soft, Supergres Remake and Verde 1999 Passepartout.

 

GREYSCALE
Despite the color’s recent meteoric rise in popular culture, grey has always been a modern designer’s best friend. And this year an entire spectrum can be found in the latest Italian tile introductions, from cooler slate tones to that perfect portmanteau of grey and beige. With the addition of texture, chromatic variation and overlaid patterns, these tiles prove that you don’t need color to make a statement! Del Conca‘s GA by Giugiaro Architettura, Transition by Mirage and Labyrinth designed by Giulio Iacchetti for Refin are a few prominent collections that exemplify this trend. Additional collections include: 41zero42 Signs, Brix Brush, Caesar Eclipse, Coem Reverso, Cotto d’Este Limestone, Emilceramica Milestone, Italgraniti Spatula, La Fabbrica Fenis, LaFaenza Ego, Novabell District, Provenza Gesso, Settecento Gea, Sintesi Planet and Vallelunga Base.

 

3D WALL

With continuously evolving technologies, Italian companies are able to create ceramic tiles with three dimensional folds, wavy ridges, raised geometry and asymmetrical profiles. Fitting these tiles together creates a three dimensional wall with a seamless sculpted surface that naturally draws the eye. Collections include: Ascot Game of Fifteen Boris Tellegen, Atlas Concorde 3D Wall Design, Cerim Timeless, Coem Reverso, Ergon Limestone, Fap Frame, Mutina Numi, Piemme More, Sicis Meteors and Tagina Details.

 

SUPERSIZE ME

Tiles continue to get bigger every year, bringing a torrent of new design possibilities. Thin, large porcelain slabs – which can be used to cover all manner of surfaces including countertops and furnishings – are now available in sizes up to 5.25′ x 10.5′ from companies like Ava and Floor Gres. Wood-look tiles are being produced in formats as large as 4’x4′ and as long as 8′ (such as Komi from Fondovalle). And porcelain pavers, which were typically 20mm thick, now come in a 30mm thickness (such as Aextra30 by Caesar) for high-traffic outdoor flooring. Additional collections include: Ava Aesthetica and I Marmi, Casamood Neutra 6.0, Flaviker Place 2B, Floor Gres Styletech, Fondovalle Acidic, La Fabbrica Amazon, Leonardo 3Wood and Mirage Na.Me.

LIFE AQUATIC

Conjuring images of Mediterranean life, this marine palette of greens and blues is perfect for a pop of color! From large-format and modern surface effects to more traditional shapes and motifs, these cool colors are bringing a coastal vibe to the interior. Collections include: Atlas Concorde Dwell, Cerasarda Sardinia, Imola Kiko and Shades, Lea Ceramiche Bio Recover, MIPA Puerto Rico and Tagina Details.