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Tile Trends Abroad

Tempo from Natucer

February 4, 2019

Cevisama, the international showcase gathering tile and natural stone sectors, last week hosted more than 94,000 attendees and 793 exhibitors for three days of creative programming in Valencia, Spain. The majority of the exhibitors came from Spain and Italy and showcased the newest innovations and trends in surfaces, which will soon be infiltrating the rest of the market.

Because of advances in technology, more details, textures and unique looks are now possible from these manufacturers. KBB explored the show floor to get the inside scoop on what these experts are doing and how these trends will affect the industry.

Nantes from TAU

Realistic Textures
As technology improves, manufacturers can more closely imitate natural materials in both appearance and now texture – even in the smallest ways. One of these techniques is with sinking ink, a digital printing technique that uses a reactive glaze that can create tangible dips and rises in tile. TAU uses sinking ink in Nantes, a marble-look tile, to imitate the veins in marble. Manufacturers are also using 3D printing technology to create micro-textures, like in Oneker’s Dalia, which utilizes the technique to mimic natural cracks and scratches in stone.

Dalia from Oneker

Layers of Firing
Closely replicating natural materials is only the start for manufacturers like Bestille, which uses three different effects in one piece. In Bestille’s White Flamingo, there is an underlayer of silvery luster ink, a glossy color that establishes the design and metallic touches over the top. Apavisma’s Natura Collection similarly imitates marble on the base layer and overlays it with gold and silver geometric lines.

White Flamingo from Bestille

Natura Collection from Apavisma

Art Deco
The bold architectural style and colors of the 1920s have been subtly appearing in design over the last few years, and Cevisama showed that Art Deco is very much in trend when it comes to tile. Vives’ Tulum series in the Resort Collection offers a play on Art Deco style with its fish scale-inspired shape; the flowing marble tones make it a versatile material with several color palettes.

Tutum from Vives

Handmade Look
The desire for more handcrafted materials was evident at the show, and manufacturers are working to make this rustic look more accessible at lower price points. Tempo from Natucer (top image) uses random digital ink patterns to create what looks like natural variations in a handmade ceramic tile, and Becolor’s Cross from Cevica Decorative Tiles similarly boasts an artisanal and traditional pattern in a blue and white ceramic tile.

                                                Becolor’s Cross from Cevica Decorative Tiles

Metallic Touches
As consumers are becoming more confident in their interior design choices, more mixed metals are coming into play. Saloni takes this a step further with Brilliante, an arrow-shaped tile in varying shapes of bright white and rainbow metallic. Rocersa offers another juxtaposition of different metals in a floral and geometric-patterned tile complete with both gold and silver finishes.

                                                                          Brilliante from Saloni

Metallic Tile from Rocersa