More than 1,000 exhibitors from 41 countries gathered together in April for Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America. We heard from a number of representatives from the Tile Council of North America, Tile of Spain, Ceramics of Italy, and more—all touting quite impressive crystal ball visions for the industry. We’ve narrowed them down to our top four trending aesthetics that we think will make the most gains this year and next. Let us know what you found to have the most impact by interacting with us on social media using the hashtag #tiletrends!
urban materials
By far the biggest trend involved those sneaky ceramics and porcelains that disguise themselves to be something they’re not—in a good way, of course. You name it: everything from wood to brick and cork made a showing and we loved every minute of it—ceramics that have the strength and function of a stone, with the look and feel of a completely different material.
A favorite was the Navio series from Vitromex. This glazed porcelain mimics aged wood planks and can include decorative graphics of U.S. port stamps laid over textured, warm colorways, which are named after different liquors found in the crates that inspired the line.
pop art
This one just screams joy. We’ve lumped together all the beautiful graphics under this movement, which consists of retro prints and bold, bright cartoon elements.
Street & Smith nailed it with The Graffitists collection, featuring graffiti art printed on tiles manufactured with recycled light bulbs. Cooperativa Ceramica D’Imola’s crayon colored Pop collection offers snippets of comic book-inspired illustrations that add excitement and fun to all interiors. These would add some pop and pow anywhere from the bathroom to the boardroom.
metallics
Booths were blinged out this year. Whether via elegant, refined details or in-your-face glitz and glam, metallics ruled the day at Coverings 2015. And fittingly, Sicis employed a regal 24-carat gold in their Gold collection, comprised of the Italian tile manufacturer’s Wee mosaics.
A good representative on the other side of the spectrum was Petracer’s Rhumbus collection. It offered a subtler sparkle, created through the use of pressed clays. The uniquely shaped tiles are available
in 12 colors inspired by precious gems and metals. Backdrops are available in seven different schemes, including diagonal lines and four rhombus clusters.
smart tiles
From ultra-thin, large format slabs that are still stress resistant, to ceramics with self-cleaning properties, we’re naming this category for its space-age, “smart” characteristics.
The biggest stand-out was ABK Group’s AUTO-LEVELING installation technology where various flexible porcelain panel lines from the company eliminate the need for leveling spacers or joints and glue when used with the new INSTA-TILE dry system. The high plasticity of the panels causes them to automatically level under their own weight when placed. Consider us impressed.
