50 2019 | TRENDS in our industry and will continue to grow with the beautiful replica- tions of various stones. They also offer marble looks with the ease of maintenance consumers, design- ers and architects strive for. Daltile’s Panoramic Porcelain collection (pic- tured) is an example that offers stun- ning visuals and seamless design with no boundaries. Marble looks With the continued evolution of ink jet, we continue to see marble looks as one of the most sought-after visu- als with ceramic tile. As stated earlier, the ease of maintaining a beautiful marble is now achievable and will only continue to evolve. Encaustic looks While this has been viewed as a niche product, you will see a wide range of variations at Coverings, like Daltile’s Quartetto (pictured), which features a handmade-look encaustic tile in an 8” x 8” porcelain. It offers eight selections of decorative patterns in both warm and cool palettes, giving you a wide range of design freedom. Fabric looks Fabrics are continuing to come into the mix as manufacturers find the balance of what both the residential and commercial client is looking for. Cement looks Cement looks – also known as the industrial look – are still a large part of our industry’s sales, and man- ufacturers will showcase the next generation of these. While a large portion of the sales has been com- mercial, we see consumers seeking the more modern or contemporary look that the cement look caters to. Furthermore, ceramic tile’s perfor- mance and maintenance is far supe- rior to stained concrete. Metallic looks The new iteration of metallics fea- tures a more muted appearance that lends itself to a wider range of appli- cations. MSI’s Oxide (pictured) is a good example that offers three col- ors each with a unique distressed metallic-look finish for lasting visual impact. This appeals to both the edgy industrial look and one that’s more conventional. Wall tiles While floor tiles are increasingly used on walls, many distributors have increased their selection of wall tile beyond the traditional subway tile into larger rectangular sizes and even 12” x 24”. Traditionally we have seen the neutral colors dominate this cat- egory; however, as more manufactur- ers enter this arena, we will see more design aspects like MSI’s Urbano col- lection (pictured) that features a con- temporary detail in six colors as well as 3D patterns to allow a more chic look. Daltile’s Color Wheel wall pro- gram is a stunning collection of col- ors and formats in a program that is straightforward, easy to understand and easy to work with. This is key as we continue to increase our share of wall applications. Also, Daltile’s Geometric Fusion (pictured) offers nine patterns designed to be installed randomly, which creates an intentional decon- structed geometric aesthetic. Each tile features a decorative blend of metallic, matte and glossy finishes enhanced by EverLux™ Sync technol- ogy, which utilizes dry glazes with digital synchronization and creates a high-definition realism that is new to the tile industry. TILE TRENDS (continued)