74 2019 | TRENDS INTERNATIONAL TRENDS FROM ITALY Systems For years, Italian tile manufacturers have been expand- ing the definition of a product, offering specifiers a whole suite of surfacing tools around a single idea or design. At first, it was a range of colors, finishes, and sizes as well as complementing decors and trims. Now, with continued investment in production equipment, many companies are expanding their range of thicknesses – and thus applications – with tiles ranging from 3-30mm including a new 12mm thick porcelain tile specifically designed for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, tables and outdoor kitchens. Shown (clockwise from top left): Emilgroup Level; Atlas Concorde Atlas Plan; Ariana Bath Design; FLORIM Stone; and La Fabbrica, Ca’ Foscari. Tile Play From three-dimensional tiles that look like giant Lego bricks (Marca Corona’s Bold) to popular cartoons illustrated on ceramic (Del Conca’s Felix the Cat), when projects call for playfulness, Italian tile answers in full. Companies are continuously experimenting with color, size and patterns to create one-of-a-kind surfacing for architects and designers. They also offer tailor made solutions like Ornamenta’s ability to print large porce- lain slabs in any Pantone color. Shown (clockwise from top left): Caesar Core; Del Conca Felix the Cat; Leonardo Ashima; Marca Corona Bold . Lunar Marble Moving beyond common varieties of stone like Carrara, Statuario, and Travertine, Italian tile produc- ers are scouting quarries throughout the world to find obscure marble, full of color and character. Additionally, they are digitally manipulating the look of natural stone to create something that is literally out-of-this-world. For Sicis’ ever-evolving Vetrite collection, the enchant- ing magic of 13 gemstones is captured and amplified in The magnificent seven top tile trends from Italy Over 100,000 designers, installers, and buyers travel to the Cersaie show in Bologna, Italy each September to learn about cutting-edge products and technologies in the tile industry. Following are seven of the biggest tile trends as seen in the hundreds of new collections from Ceramics of Italy member manufacturers at the 36th edition of Cersaie – and many of which you’ll see at Coverings in Orlando. The next edition of Cersaie is scheduled for September 23-27, 2019 in Bologna, Italy. Systems Tile Play