Event / Published on November 20, 2024
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Cersaie 2024
Cersaie once again met the expectations of the companies that chose to invest in the event. The Italian ceramic industry continues to dominate global markets, driven by its unmatched design value and key attributes such as sustainability and respect for workers’ rights.
The 41st edition, held at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from September 23 to 27, covered 15 fully occupied halls, with a total exhibition area of 145,000 square meters. The event showcased 606 companies, including 332 from the ceramic tile sector, 91 from bathroom furnishings, and 183 from the installation, raw materials, new surfaces, and services sectors. Over five days, Cersaie attracted 95,321 visitors, further emphasizing its international reach, with 230 non-Italian exhibitors (38% of the total) from 25 different countries.
While noting this year’s Keynote Lecture by Riken Yamamoto, the 13th Pritzker Prize laureate, that drew 1,200 participants.
Ceramic surfaces
Ceramic surfaces offer versatile solutions in various colors, finishes, patterns, and sizes for floors, walls, countertops, and vanities. Inspired by materials like marble, as well as classical and abstract designs, they feature geometric, fluted, or textured finishes. Available in glossy or matte, they suit both private and public spaces, such as restaurants and offices. The selection is stream lined into seven stylistic categories.
Fluted
This popular interior design trend appears on materials like wood and ceramic tiles. The fluted geometry, with its sequence of slender ribs, creates a three-dimensional effect and a play of light and shadow, adding personality to any wall. The spacing, color, and surface finish of the ribs can vary from wide gaps to narrower strips.
Colour block
Ribbed surfaces are popular in furniture design, while the “color block” trend dominates fashion, with bold hues on the runway. In ceramics, plain-colored tiles come in a range of vibrant to soft shades, which can be combined to create striking, character-filled walls with a simple yet impactful color contrast.
Decorative
Decorative tiles have evolved from repetitive patterns to offer unlimited compositional freedom. Starting with tiles in various designs and sizes, designers can now create fully customized surfaces in decoration, size, and color.
Marble inspiration
The ceramic tile industry has long drawn inspiration from natural materials, but recent innovations in production have led to significant advancements. New industrial processes now create entire tile series that feature unique variations, avoiding repetition when placed side by side. These tiles come in a range of finishes, including textured, polished marble-effect, and matte stone-like surfaces.
Mini
While large-format thin surfaces result from technological innovation, smaller sizes, like vintage mosaic-inspired tiles and 10×10 cm squares, are gaining popularity for custom projects. These small tiles allow architects and clients to create personalized wall decorations and unique designs.
Matt versus glossy
Glossy and matte surfaces are often available within the same collection or as complementary lines. The finish depends on the design concept: concrete-inspired slabs typically have a matte finish, while marble effects tend to be glossy. In some cases, color interpretation allows the same background to be offered in both finishes.
Material textures
In today’s digital age, there’s a growing desire to reconnect with tactile sensations. While contact with nature is ideal, ceramic surfaces with textured finishes, reliefs, coarse grains, or engraved patterns offer a design solution to bring a natural feel into our homes.
European Tile Competition 2024 Winners
Lea Ceramiche
Noblesse : Captures the purity and allure of the world’s rarest marbles, incorporating their shades, veining, and textures into stoneware for timeless, high-quality design solutions.
Intense : Mimics the aesthetic and material qualities of limestone, with its granular texture and fossil micro-inclusions, creating a tactile, three-dimensional surface.
Cotto d’Este
Arketipo : A new collection that redefines ceramic surfaces, creating original, pure ceramic materials with innovative textures, graphics, and color ranges, moving beyond natural or handcrafted references.
Starlight : Ultra-thin ceramic slabs that replicate the veining and beauty of the world’s finest marbles, available in both smooth matte and exclusive glossy finishes, highlighting the brand’s commitment to innovation.
Re-human
Traditional designs are reborn in a contemporary context, preserving their roots while adding modern touches. Shapes and materials traditionally used in the world of construction are being reimagined.
Image: Wă by Decoratori Bassanes
Lines
Reimagined with a modern twist, these decorative details, with their striking visual appeal, createdynamic volumes and plays of light and shadow with contrasting materials and colors, adding depthand character into a space.
Image: Marmora by Casalgrande Padana
Terrazzo Takeover
Italian manufacturers are reinterpreting this historic material by infusing it with a modern twist, building on the legacy of Venice’s artisans, who have favored it as a flooring surface since the 15th century.
Image: Neoclassica by Cerdomus
