At the cutting edge of contemporary design, Spanish tiles are famous for their quality and technical performance and draw on a rich heritage of creativity and craftsmanship. At the 2019 edition of the Surface Design Show, Tile of Spain, the voice of the Spanish tile industry, explores some fresh new ideas and offers architects and designers a sample of the wide variety of shapes, colours, finishes and formats available for both residential and commercial projects.
Addictile’s Loa and Gayafores’ Velvet are ideal for creating a unique design
Geometrics are always popular and Spanish makers excel in offering ingenious concept tiles that can be combined in various ways to create individualistic looks for walls and floors. Whether a strikingly contemporary use of 3D formats or a stylish modern take on the traditional hydraulic tile, Spanish tiles provide something for every artistic vision.
Equipe Cerámicas‘ Magical 3 Tirol is a 3D triangular format whilst Roca’s 20cm x 20cm Havana range pays tribute to traditional encaustic styles
Marble effects can be subtle such as Gayafores’ Velvet or dramatically striated as with Azteca’s Domino
Advances in digital printing are such that marble-effect porcelain formats are so faithful in producing the look of stone that they’ve had a significant impact on the surfaces industry. Styles imitate many of the famous premium marbles, but also provide deliberate exaggerated effects that are ideal when the desired aesthetic is more about making a statement than encapsulating nature.
Vives’ Kokomo tile utilises matt gold shapes whilst Dune’s Oxyde is inspired by oxidised metal
Modern printing techniques also mean that metallic-effects are also wondrous. Manufacturers are being playful with their use of metal, contrasting metallic finishes with other finishes or creating new textures inspired by chemical reactions. On the rise are warm finishes – golds, coppers, rose gold and bronze – which are often being incorporated into a design in a way that is understated, perhaps as an accent or in a soft matt finish.
Ceramica Elias has created multi-functional Design floor tiles and Esmaltes wall tiles in a range of sizes
With the tile industry being focused on the technical performance of tiles and their ability to create impressively large formats or unusual effects, it is inevitable that many producers have also created ranges that look to the past.
Artisanal looking tiles with small formats and rich glazes are being used for everything from exterior cladding to kitchen splashbacks and, if anything, their popularity is growing for both commercial and residential projects.
Joy is a vintage-style wall tile collection by Roca that features gradient colours and polished enamels
Cevica’s Zante wall tile range and Bestile’s Fika floor and wall tile range both offer intense colours
Maximalism in design has been embraced enthusiastically and it’s no wonder it’s also influencing colours and styles produced by Spanish manufacturers. It could be the use of saturated colour (such as emerald or forest green, see above) or the adoption of big bold patterns (as below and over).
Fluor by Keros is a decorative tile collection in a neon colour palette
Harmony’s latest range Slice is a porcelain format with large terrazzo-style flecks
Manufactured in Spain and widely available in the UK, these varied new products embody the spirit of an industry that prides itself on proposing beautiful, meaningful and high-performance solutions to flooring, wall coverings, furnishing and external cladding.
For further information on Tile of Spain: www.tileofspain.com