At the 2024 edition of Coverings in Atlanta, GA, Ceramics of Italy manufacturers showcased the ever-evolving advancements in ceramic and porcelain tile from an aesthetic and technological point of view. Pulling insight from the world of design, fashion and film, along with the trend scene on the show floor at Coverings, tile trend expert and artist Cristina Faedi breaks down this season’s top five styles and applications in Italian ceramics that push the material beyond appearance and beyond expectation. From earthy hues like nature-inspired greens and ocean blues to intricate, dimensional veining that mimics onyx and marble, manufacturers played with color, texture and technology to create expressive forms, sophisticated patterns and a myriad of decorative design solutions.

BEYOND REALISM

Nature has always been a key inspiration in design, and Italian manufacturers are continuing to innovate in graphic printing and finishing techniques to artfully reproduce the nuanced look and feel of natural materials in a hyper-realistic way. Marble and stone varieties feature a worn tactile, highly-variegated surface effect with typical irregularities, depicting ceppo di gre stone, sedimentary rock, cement, and slate with an almost crumbling surface appearance. Through-body veining techniques like Fondovalle’s ALL-OVER and ABKSTONE’s FullVein3D allow graphics and texture to expand to the edge and throughout the thickness of the tile. Additionally, innovations in wood continued to be predominant this year, with manufacturers like Serenissima, Supergres, and Cerdisa drawing inspiration from oak, larch, walnut and elm for their new collections. A variety of classic plank and decorative parquet and chevron patterns, suitable for a total room look on floors and walls, feature deep grooves, highly textured surfaces, authentic knots and natural veins to rival the look of the real material.

BEYOND GRANDEUR

As a storied material, tile has long been synonymous with sophistication and elegance. This year, manufacturers continued to push the boundaries of grandeur, showcasing exaggerated veining in vertical, diagonal, horizontal, and bookmatched patterns, like Energie Ker’s Crystal Sea, to bring an essence of bold luxury into a space. Collections including Coem’s Sinai and Provenza’s Varana Stone showcase classic, highly-coveted stone and marble varieties that are intentionally paired with neutral colors like mother-of-pearl, talc, and chalk to create interesting plays on light and add brightness, while featuring intriguing, soft-to-the-touch matte and glossy finishes. Further, exotic and semi-precious gemstones are shown with a captivating combination of greys, golden yellows, rust, green, purple, and burnt browns with strong, detailed veining throughout, like those showcased by Gardenia Orchidea’s La Marmoteca and Ceramica

Sant’Agostino’s Extra. Several manufacturers are even going so far as to weave gold elements into the tiles themselves, like the subtle detailing of Versace Ceramic’s La Greca and Ceramiche Refin’s Cera to the large-scale, grand incorporations like Sicis’s Fantasy. Additionally, ceramic takes on wallpaper were highly prevalent at this year’s show, with Flaviker’s Art Walls and Cotto d’Este’s Wonderwall lines showcasing romantic florals and gold leaf prints, to Armonie’s Glam Art and Naxos’s Mockup displaying dazzling jungle motifs.

BEYOND THE RAINBOW

Color alters the mood of every environment, and this year, Italian manufacturers embraced a rainbow of colors that play with the chromatic nuances of ceramic. Green continued to dominate color palettes, with forest, mint, and sage hues used in a range of stone, onyx, cement, and brick varieties like those from Ergon and Elios Ceramica, alongside leaf and botanical wallpaper looks. A variety of collections, such as Fioranese’s Senza Tempo, also showcase Tuscan-inspired cotto-effects, rich in details and shading, to exude the deep tones of terracotta. On the lighter side, pastels from light yellow, sky blue, and powder pinks were seen in soft cement from Edimax Astor and Mirage to 3D small formats from Tonalite, Ceramica Rondine, and Terratina, which, combined with the different glossy and matte finishes, create fun, memorable surfaces. Additionally, multicolored marble- and onyx-looks in purple, indigo and emerald-colored veins showcased an innovative display of color reminiscent of galaxies, such as in surfaces from Emilgroup’s Level brand.

BEYOND DECORATION

While traditional ceramic decors, like hexagonal formats, remain constant, Italian manufacturers are becoming increasingly imaginative when it comes to form. Contemporary takes on classic shapes with pops of color like CIR Ceramiche’s Italica and Appiani’s Pastelli are popular, while angular, geometrical forms are being mixed with rounded shapes as in ABK’s Sensi Fantasy and Lea Ceramiche’s Intense lines to create a more defined look. Italian manufacturers are creating round decors such as Settecento’s Aguas and Ricchetti’s Fireclay with particular and impressive compositions, while lines play with varied geometries like Mirage’s Nagomi and Century’s Medley to define fuzzy, complex, or very classic patterns in their traditional simplicity. And others, like Ceramiche Caesar, are redefining the rules altogether, by merging a kaleidoscope of geometric shapes and colors to create a truly spectacular arrangement.

BEYOND THE EXPECTED

Thanks to the incredible, high-performance qualities of ceramic and porcelain tile – such as extreme durability, stain- and scratch-resistance and a 50+ year lifespan – the material’s installation potential is continuing to evolve well beyond traditional floor and wall surfacing applications, allowing endless prefabricated possibilities throughout interior spaces, especially in the kitchen and bath. Large slabs like those from Materia, Del Conca, and La Fabbrica’s AVA – ranging from 12 to 20mm – are becoming a popular surfacing option on kitchen counters and table tops in lieu of stone, while in the bath, various Italian manufacturers have begun producing their own lines of bathroom furnishings, like Casalgrande Padana’s Aquatio, Atlas Concorde’s Habitat, and Fondovalle’s Shape lines, which include wall-mounted ceramic washbasins, drawer-vanities, and sinks. Additionally, ceramic tile continues to expand to the outdoors, from the most complex surfaces – such as Cercom’s slim slabs in their Cosmo collection used for ventilated facades and Monocibec’s pool coping materials in their Dicta line – to pavers from Dado Ceramica, Verde 1999, and Pastorelli for indoor-outdoor terraces and patios.

For additional products and inspiration, visit the product gallery on ceramica.info. For information on individual companies across the Italian ceramic sector, visit the Italian Ceramic Finder.