Known for their high quality and technical performance, Spanish tiles draw on a rich heritage of creativity and craftsmanship while remaining at the leading edge of contemporary design. Whether your project is residential or commercial, the latest designs offer a wide choice of colours, shapes, finishes and formats.

PASSIONATE ABOUT PATTERN Pattern is an important interiors story and however it is being interpreted by the Spanish tile industry is often dramatic rather than subtle. The extensive range of products available impresses with the inventiveness of the design and what these surfaces have in common is a confident celebration of decoration for decoration’s sake.

tiles such as Vives Garigliano, Mainzu London, Keros Botanica, Bestile Meraki Rosa and Arcana Stracciatella offer imaginatively patterned designs

 

CRAZY FOR COLOUR One of the most popular characteristics of ceramic as a material is its potential to offer striking colour and to create a particular atmosphere by the placement of colour. Whether it’s a rich saturated hue that suggests the hand of an artisanal studio or a more contemporary matt finish on a large-format slab, Spanish tiles provide something for every artistic vision. And whilst architects historically may have regarded colour as a mainly residential characteristic now they are increasingly utilising it in commercial design. 

  

 

These glazed terracotta tiles are from the Esmaltes series by Ceramica Elias and are available in a variety of colours and sizes

Becolors porcelain floor and wall tiles by Cevica are available as crosses or stars and come in 6 colours and 5 patterns in a 13.6×13.6cm format

Drawing on a rich heritage of craftsmanship, modern Spanish tiles give the illusion of being handmade, but are usually manufactured and benefit from production processes that offer high performance as well as flexibility of use. Design values are still incredibly important with some brands employing

in-house creative teams of significant size and experience. And these designers make the most of the latest digital technology, allowing for the faithful reproduction of all kinds of effects.

WARM AND COSY WITH WOOD-EFFECTS
Wood-effect porcelain is a growth area for architecture and interiors and the Tile of Spain manufacturers at Surface Design Show demonstrate how the diversity of designs for wood-effect tiles has expanded significantly in recent times. Inspiration comes from many sources, but a constant across all brands is how impressive the likeness to the natural material actually is. Whether playing with the traditional designs of marquetry or recreating the rays and knots in old flooring planks, wood porcelain offers the look of warmth of timber, but with the durable and water-resistant features of ceramic.

 

 

Arcana Komi, Tau wood-effects  and Vives Freret are all ranges that appeal strongly to those who love the look of timber

 

CLASSIC MONOCHROME
With every trend there is a counter-trend and whilst devotees of colour and pattern are having a bit of a moment, it has to be said that there has never been so much choice for fans of the monochrome interior. Spanish tile manufacturers expertly reinvent their white products so that they feel completely new with exciting geometric patterns, painterly effects and interesting textures.

 

 

Dune Grid and Keros Botanica represent the wide range of styles available

 

INSIDE OUTSIDE
Tiles have always been used in exterior settings in Spain. Whether for terraces, balconies, patios or building facades, porcelain offers high-tech performance combined with the latest and most alluring finishes. Now there’s a steady increase in demand for ceramic surfaces in the UK as the availability of specialist exterior solutions widens and the popularity of seguing interior to exterior space grows – a concept made easier with the virtues of porcelain.

Suited to interior or exterior application, porcelain tiles benefit from a near-zero absorption rate making them frost-proof and ideal for the UK climate. Used as cladding, tiles sympathetically complement our vernacular style of architecture – for example, brick – while broadening scope for innovation in design.

When it comes to exterior flooring, ceramics offer unrivalled benefits. As an alternative to concrete slabs on patios and terraces, porcelain surfaces enable distinctive design possibilities while solving many functional concerns. For example, there are many more anti-slip tiles on the market, which is an important factor when selecting a flooring surface in a country with wet weather. A further benefit is the availability of the new thicknesses which facilitate the installation of tiles outside where a concrete substructure is not used.

A number of tile brands offer products in complementary colours and sizes for both interior and exterior, making it simple to create a seamless effect from, say, kitchen to patio. Easy to maintain and durable in high-traffic areas, tiles often are the best solution.

 

SilkTech is a slip-resistant technical porcelain floor tile for high-traffic areas with a unique silk-effect finish that can be used inside and out

  Porfido by Small Size is a 20x20cm or 20x30cm high-performance porcelain tile that is frost resistant and anti-slip

 

Saloni and Greco Gres are also exhibiting their high-performance surfaces 

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.