Taking place in Valencia, Cevisama is held not far from Castellón, famed for its excellent clay and where many of the porcelain tile factories are traditionally based. Spanish tiles are known for their heritage, but also for their high-performance, quality and sustainability.
The industry continues to grow impressively both at home and abroad – with 75% of sales made abroad – and the UK one of the bigger markets for Spanish tiles. As always there are plenty of trendspotting opportunities:
Deconstructed squares
Playing around with the geometrical possibilities of the square affords a designer unlimited opportunities to create dramatic effects for surfaces. Deconstructed Squares are a dominant design trend. Whether cut-up and rearranged, scratched with fine lines or pressed into moulds to create dynamic 3D forms, the square tile can be reinvented in countless exciting ways.
Buho by Peronda, Harmony Collection
Porcelain tile in a small square format of 22.3cm x 22.3cm in 4 colourways including Décor tiles featuring 10 patterns that experiment with the geometry of the square. www.peronda.com
Tholos by Saloni, Olympos Range
White body ceramic wall tiles that give a soft 3D spin to the form of a square repeated on a rectangular 30cm x 90cm
format. Also available are co-ordinating marble-effect porcelain floor tiles in hues of Perla, Gris or Grafito. www.saloni.com
Groove by Keraben
Rectified white body ceramic Décor tile in 40cm x 120cm format in Snow. www.keraben.com
Stripes Mix by Dune
Stoneware glazed tile range that comes in a variety of effects including wood (Teak shown here), metal and concrete, all playing with the geometry of the square.25x25cm format. www.dune.es
Concrete by Cas Ceramica
Porcelain wall and floor tile in a 20cm x 20cm square format that divides further into four smaller squares with a microrelief pattern. Available in 3 colourways. www.casceramica.com
Manto by Grespania, Lavica Series
Full body porcelain wall tile in 30cm x 30cm format available in 3 finishes. www.grespania.com
Sabin by Pamesa, Eden Series
White body ceramic wall tiles in a 25cm x 25cm format in 7 colours including Ocean (shown here) with a satin finish. www.pamesa.com
White Décor Ramp by Apavisa, Alchemy 7.0 Collection
Porcelain square tile in 59.55cm x 59.55cm format that contrasts hammered and natural finishes with a 3D relief in white, black or blue. www.apavisa.com
TERRAZZO with a twist
Terrazzo isn’t what it was! Giant flecks, unusual colours or geometric patterns that have been over-layered with marble pieces, it has been reinvented in a big way. Numerous brands have created designs that nod at traditional terrazzo, but take a contemporary spin. Another key development is that it’s now possible to have a larger-format version – even a generous 360cm x 120cm slab – as well as a wider variety of unexpected smaller formats. Of course you can still find plenty of heritage-style terrazzo – a look that typically has tiny chips of marble or stone set in a cementitious ground – but look out for innovations…
Sweethome by Azteca
Rectified porcelain tiles for wall and floor in a choice of 4 terrazzo-effect colourways plus a geometric mash-up Susan décor tile. Format 60cm x 60cm. www.azteca.es
Atelier by Grespania,Texture Series
Porcelain décor tile for walls in a 45cm x 120cm format which artfully blends terrazzostyle stone chips into a geometric design. www.grespania.com
Agnes by Dune, Emporio Collection
Wall and floor porcelain tiles in 12 distinctly contemporary designs and a palette of beige and grey that can be randomly mixed. Décor tile in 20cm x 20cm format and a variety of plain formats also available. www.dune.es
F.S. Rialto by Francisco Segarra, Peronda
Porcelain in a 45.2cm x 45.2cm format that’s an innovative and contemporary take on traditional terrazzo with large stone flecks in varying colours. www.peronda.com
Retrostone by Neolith
Large format porcelain with a terrazzo-effect in a silk finish available in 320cm x 150cm, 320cm x 160cm, 150cm x 150cm, 150cm x 75cm and 75cm x 75cm formats and 12mm or 6mm thickness. www.neolith.com
Osaka Multicolor by Vives, Nassau Series
Porcelain tiles in a pastel palette mix a geometric design with subtle stone flecks. Also in a black, white and grey colourway. Format 20cm x 20cm. www.vivesceramica.com
Carefully CONSTRUCTED
Inspiration comes from many places, but a notable source this year is the construction yard or the skills and techniques used by the building trade. Whether it’s shuttered concrete, chipboard, plaster, building blocks or just the pattern made on an exterior wall when façade tiles are removed, décor tiles reminiscent of these materials or processes widely exist, creating surprisingly appealing backdrops for both commercial and residential interiors.
Wabi Sabi by Grespania
features 3 notably different designs including Concrete, a cement look with subtle spatula effects in a 31.5cm x 100cm format. www.grespania.com
Efeso by Mijares
Rough-edged wall tile resembling an urban building block in 15cm x 30cm and 26.3cm x 47.5cm formats and 9 neutral colourways. www.azulejosmijares.com
Strand by Vives
Porcelain floor and wall tiles in 120cm x 120cm, 59.3cm x 119.3cm and 59.3cm x 59.3cm formats. Natural, with its chipboard-look design, can be mixed with décors including Seriaki (with zigzags) and Nenets (with stripes) in various colours on a chipboard-effect ground. www.vivesceramica.com
Plaster by Roca
Porcelain floor tile in 60cm x 120cm, 80cm x 80cm and 30cm x 60cm formats and 5 colourways including gris (shown), blanco, antracita, arena and taupe. www.roca.es
Formwork by Saloni, Street Art Collection
Rectified porcelain wall tiles, resembling shuttered concrete, in a 45cm x 90cm format and available in 4 colourways including Gris (shown). www.saloni.com
Powder Form by Argenta
Cement-effect porcelain wall tiles in a 45cm x 90cm format and 3 colourways including Concrete, Plumb and Snow. Can be combined with other floor and wall tiles in this series. www.argentaceramica.com
FADED Splendour
For those who love pattern but want something subtle, the trend for the faded or rubbed out décor tile – where a pattern is often interrupted or smudged – is ideal for adding character to a surface whilst avoiding the heavy rustification of distressed finishes we’ve seen in years gone by. Spanish manufacturers are very inventive with this trend, exploring digital printing to the full.
Endure by Aparici
Double-fired ceramic tiles in a 20cm x 20cm format with braille-like designs that disappear into a distressed matt surface in 6 neutral shades www.aparici.com
Fading by Jin Kuramoto, Peronda Harmony Collection
Porcelain tiles in a 20cm x 20cm format with faded overlapping patterns and finishes in 5 colours and 5 decors. Suitable for wall and floor. www.peronda.com
Riga by Realonda
Red body stoneware tiles in a 45cm x 45cm format feature 12 designs in Patchwork (4 patterned pieces per tile) as well as a grey matt tile in the Concrete range. www.realonda.com
A.mano by Apavisa
Porcelain wall and floor tiles with a modern vintage look. In either, 30cm x 30cm, 7.5cm x 30cm and 15cm x 30cm formats, they are available as Décor or plain tiles in white, Rosso, black and grey colourways. www.apavisa.com
F.S. Briati by Francisco Segarra, Peronda
Porcelain tile range that combines faded and worn patterned décor tiles in a 45.2cm x 45.2cm format with tonally variegated plain tiles. www.peronda.com
Cottage by Cevica
Rectified porcelain wall and floor tiles in a 15cm x 15cm format available in beige, earth, red clay, off white, silver and charcoal. www.cevica.es
Modern ENCAUSTIC
A survey of a cross section of stands at Cevisama reveals that the hydraulic cement effect is at its peak of popularity and interestingly we’re seeing lots of modern takes on this, marking a shift away from the heritage feel traditionally associated with this style. Other variations on the encaustic look combine multiple patterns in an unexpected way such as overlaying motifs on wood grain or adopting on-trend colours such as dusky pink, grey, forest green, denim blue. Or instead of a mix of colour, the use of a neutral palette immediately offers a more contemporary spin.
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Sitges by Saloni, Pobles Series
Porcelain tiles for wall and floor in choice of 5 designs including Sitges (s hown) can be combined with plain tiles in beige, blanco, grafito,gris and iris to create a custom look. Format 18.5cm x 18.5cm. www.saloni.com
Stella by Dune, Minimal Chic Collection
Porcelain tiles in a soft pastel palette offered in 12 designs that can be randomly mixed on walls and floors in a 20cm x 20cm format. www.dune.es
Kaleido by Gayafores
Porcelain wall and floor tiles that overlay typical encaustic geometric designs on to a wood-effect ground for an innovative cement and wood mash-up. Available in 2 colourways Mix (shown) and Blue in 3 formats including 16.5cm x 16.5cm, 33.15cm x 33.15cm and 30cm x 30cm. www.gayafores.es
Cayenne by Mayolica Azulejos, Decors Collection
Porcelain floor tiles in a 20cm x 20cm format give a fresh contemporary update on the cement look. www.mayolica.es
Degas by Pamesa, Art Series
Porcelain floor and wall tiles in a 22.3cm x 22.3cm format in a black/white colourway. www.pamesa.com
Factory by Cas Ceramica
Porcelain tile in a 20cm x 20cm format for wall and floor that simplifies the typically bold look of an encaustic mix and offers a palette of Grafito, Gris and Antracita. www.casceramica.com
Retro by Ceracasa, Concept Series
Porcelain cement-effect wall and floor tiles in a modern neutral palette. Format 22.3cm x 22.3cm www.ceracasa.com