Ceramic Tiles and Surfaces Latest Trends from “Cersaie” International Fair
On September 26th, I travelled to Bologna in Italy to visit Cersaie The International Fair of Ceramic Tiles and Surfaces. As many other architects, I always wanted to visit this fair, because I think that there is always so much to learn about bathroom design, and ceramic tiles in general. This space is more technical, and it requires additional knowledge than, for example, a living room design. At that time I was working on Axor Bathroom Design Competition, and I decided to head to the fair to source the materials and furnishing. The world of tiles and surfaces evolves at a high speed, and therefore I felt the need to go there to feel and touch the different surfaces and learn all about it directly from the leader suppliers in the industry. You can find out my impressions, and the trends I have spotted in this blog post article!
Recer Stand at Cersaie Fair 2024
First of all, as it was my first time at Cersaie, I was really astonished by the beautifully curated stands of each supplier. You can really appreciate all the planning and preparation ahead of the fair. Each space is crafted to distinguish each supplier from the others. One very impressive stand was Flaminia Ceramiche with their secret garden theme. They literally created a garden, with real grass, and arranged a path where the bathroom furniture would appear like installations in the garden. It was really impressive, and also very fun!
Another fantastic discovery was the stand of La Faenza which was truly elegant. The stand was divided into zones, each of them presenting different moods and styles with a creative and artistic narrative using a combination of their high quality tiles and surfaces. It was as we visitors were transported into a new whole story that we got to observe and touch. It was truly inspiring! Their ceramic tiles offer a combination of effects such as stone, marble, wood, and concrete suitable for outdoor, bathroom, kitchen, restaurants and retail. Worth to check it out… I’m sure you will fall in love too!
After a well deserved break to taste a delicious local piadina, typical Italian street food from Emilia Romagna region, I had the pleasure to visit Tagina’ stand. They had guided tours on each ambience, and I could truly appreciate their continuous dedication to innovation. Between classic pattern tiles, I could find a truly unique one with a distinctive brown and gold colour full of veins. Truly spectacular, I can visually see it in a luxury boutique store.
Finally, it was fascinating to see live the big marble slabs at Nuovo Corso stand. These unique natural stone is so precious, and see all the vain and different colours from so close was an unforgettable experience.
There were also some bathroom furnishing suppliers, and it was nice to see different styles between modern design and more classic forms. One I really like is IDEA Group and their new Via Condotti vanity unity. I truly like the fluted form of this design, and this supplier has been always a guarantee of time lasting quality.
In conclusion I can say that the trends spotted at this edition of Cersaie International Fair of Ceramic Tiles and Surfaces are:
3D tactile tiles are a trend lasting to enhance the tactile sensorial experience,
Botanic and pattern tiles are a must for focal points such as the shower or behind the vanity unity,
Terrazzo and Travertino stone effect are very popular choices,
Vertical oriented colourful tiles with a 70s century feeling have certainly found new interests and space in the industry,
Marble and Onyx stones are still going strong.
It was very inspiring to see live all these beautiful quality materials, and to get to know leading Italian suppliers operating all over the world. I am surely looking forward to be at Cersaie next year! If you are curious to see the materials I used for the bathroom project I was working on at the time, head to Axor Bathroom Design project page here
If you have any questions about ceramic tiles, bathroom design, or my skills as Interior Architect, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Thanks for reading!
