Ten Tile Trends for 2023

Speaker 0 00:00:02 News, features and analysis brought to you by Diary of a Tile Addict. So, hi Joe. I gather you're about to go off to Cevisama, in Spain, in Valencia, and you are hoping to see some significant tile trends there. What makes you think you might see something different there? Speaker 2 00:00:36 Okay, well I think the interesting thing about this time of the year is that there are three tile shows happen, bang one after the other. So we start with Cevisama, then there's a couple of weeks, and then we're off to Brazil for Revestir, then another few weeks, and then it's going to be Coverings in Orlando. And what normally happens, and what I'm expecting to see again this year is that at the end of September, Cersaie, the big Italian event sets out the trends, but also quite a few kites are sent flying there, i.e kind of new designs that people are trialling. They're not actually in production. They wait until they get the feedback from the visitors to Italy. And then with the Spanish show they've refined that down to the ones that they really think have got commercial legs. And so that's where you see the trends at at Cevisama. Speaker 0 00:01:29 And so you've got this list of 10 trends in front of you that you've given me a copy of. They look quite intriguing titles I've gotta ask you; Emerald City Tile Trend? Speaker 2 00:01:44 Okay. Right. This list has been put together by the organizers of Coverings. Basically it is the aggregated views of Confindustria Ceramica from Italy, Ascer from Spain and the North American Tile Council from America. And these trade associations, who've obviously got a tremendous amount of data and expertise to draw on, have come up with 10 trends that they are predicting will be seen at Coverings, but obviously you're just as likely to see them at the other shows as well, or albeit through the slight prism of the particular expertise of the different countries that these exhibitions are held at. So that's where they've come from. As you say, there's some intriguing titles and I think we should just run through them basically. Speaker 0 00:02:35 I'll start with Emerald City. That sounds so good. That sounds so Wizard of Oz. Speaker 2 00:02:40 Okay. Emerald City, I don't quite know where the city bit comes from, but the emerald bit I get. This is basically the trend that's all about green. And if you'd have seen what Tile Addict has said about this last year, green was one of the key highlight colours and we particularly made a point about Sage green tiles there. But in Emerald City, what these three trade associations are bringing together are jade tiles, sage tiles, mint tiles, and aloe, which is probably the, the green color that doesn't really resonate in the uk. But basically they are saying that, and this is green both as plain glazed tiles, but also they're alluding to the use of saturated colors; the big palms, the, Monstera Deliciosa that we've seen all over the place with the tropical foliage. That's been such a theme. But they're also referencing the exotic stones. Speaker 2 00:03:42 And this is another thing we've spoken about quite a lot on Tile Addict like Green Onyx and Patagonia Green Marbles. But within this Emerald City thing, they've thrown in some rather more subtle ones, such as the muted shades of green in small format tiles and what they have called the subtle textures of Moroccan plaster. For me, if you say Moroccan plaster, you're not talking green, but I kind of get what they're talking about. It's that that particular type of green, which maybe is more like a mossy wall than the kind of plaster I would associate with Morocco, Speaker 0 00:04:20 But Moroccan plaster, very much like Venetian plaster, which you have been talking about fairly recently. So you are certainly on the trend here. Okay, well I'll be fair now. I'll let you start because that was number five. So, okay, let's start at number one: Bricks Tile Trend. Speaker 2 00:04:35 Okay, well, bricks, um, this is I think, two trends in one. One is the format of bricks, which has obviously been around for a long time. And the other one is bricks, the texture, the color, the tone, the traditional material. I think what this trend is talking to is really a small format tile that you can stack horizontally or vertical vertically or use in different patterns like chevron's or herringbone. But it is also something that has a great textural surfaces, interesting glaze effects. And it's playing into the sort of artisanal authenticity that is really the dominant trend in tiles today. Speaker 0 00:05:20 But as much about the shape of a brick as an actual color Speaker 2 00:05:25 Or exactly brick, it's both, both things really. Okay. But, it is quite possible to have a brick tile that doesn't look anything like a brick. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Then there are three other trends that they've brought together: Cemented Wood Look and Enduring Elegance. Now I would say that these are, yes, they're a trend, but they're also very much the meat and drink for the tile industry. So what we are talking about are cement effect tiles, very good reproductions of marble tiles and very good reproduction of timber tiles, timber effects. And these have been absolutely the sort of the life blood tiles for, well, I should say the last 15 years: in terms of marble way beyond that. What has happened is that digital decoration means they've got more and more sophisticated. And so with the cement ones, you're getting that sort of patination; the aged effect, that industrial chic, all the things that the sort started with a New York loft look and now it's just come into something that can work in gardens as just as well as in an office building. Speaker 2 00:06:39 The same with the Wood Look. We are now talking about, and I'm sorry if I keep banging it on about it, but sinking inks. So you're getting the pattern and the texture in total synchronicity, so you get a very authentic look. And the same thing is happening with Marble, so you can actually see and feel the grain patterns. So I think that's basically what the Trade Association is tlking about here. It's subtle advances in what are very traditional best sellers for the tile sector. Speaker 0 00:07:12 And you put this Cobbled Tile Trend in with that category? Or is that a little bit specialist? Speaker 2 00:07:18 You could do, because here we're talking about terrazzo effects and some of the mosaic effects. I think what they're particularly alluding to here is the kind of tiles that have a very strong historical association. Again, another kind of example of Timeless Design, but where they are taking a material that maybe wouldn't be that practical for modern housing or a modern office building or a modern shop, but they're delivering it in porcelain so it can withstand heavy foot traffic, stiletto heels, wheel traffic, that sort of thing. So again, this is perhaps as much about the practical applications of tiles as it is about the aesthetics. Speaker 0 00:08:02 So the, the Cobblestone would be one that you could actually walk on without breaking an ankle, Speaker 2 00:08:07 Well, I think either breaking ankle or breaking a tile depending on how you walk on it. Yeah. Speaker 0 00:08:12 Okay. Well let's move on then. That takes us down to number six. Enduring Elegance, right? Speaker 2 00:08:18 As I say this is, this is really the one that speaks to the advances in modern marbles. So, you know, I think we've covered that one. Speaker 0 00:08:27 Okay. Mother Nature Inspired Indoor Outdoor Tile Trend, which presumably also to a certain degree you've covered with the greens? Speaker 2 00:08:34 No, I don't think you have the mother nature one. What this is, is really is the latest generation. Where it used to be if you had a 20mm outdoor tile and a matching 9mm indoor tile and we put them side by side, they looked different. And the reason they looked different was the surface texture and the way that they had to be applied meant that they weren't identical. And so you would see the joint between indoor and outdoor living. Well, with the modern day methods, you can actually literally produce a sort of seamless transition from inside to out. And there are different ways of doing it. One of them is the new ultra smooth non-slip surfaces, so you don't get the same texture difference and the light doesn't catch it differently. Then there is also the fact that you can now produce tiles of different thickness on the continuous pressing machine. Speaker 2 00:09:30 So 9mm, 20mm, 30mm, essentially you're producing the same tile, just thicker. So you can get seamless finishes. That being said, you still need all the things you always needed like expansion joints or whatever. But you can hide those quite cleverly if you know what you're doing. But there is absolutely no doubt this is a dominant trend and not just in Tiles. This is a dominant trend in domestic architecture generally. And it's been given a huge kick or an impetus by the coronavirus pandemic because people have been working from home, they've begun to really appreciate being able to work outdoors, eat outdoors, expand their parameters, their living space. Plus, we are seeing a lot more al fresco dining and people making better use of their external spaces in commercial buildings. So this is a trend and it's not gonna be going away anytime soon. I think this one's set to run and run. Speaker 0 00:10:30 Okay. So maybe the, the Sensory Seduction Tile Trend is a little bit more of a new one. Speaker 2 00:10:36 Yeah, I really like the concept of this one, but it's quite an elusive concept to get your head around. Basically what we're talking about here is that some of the very best new, new designs are extremely tactile and the cleverness in the detail has to be felt as well as seen. So again, we are talking to some of these techniques like sinking inks or digital glues so that you can to produce a texture that you can feel as well as you can see. Speaker 0 00:11:12 So have we got a flocked wallpaper tile coming anytime soon? Speaker 2 00:11:16 I suspect it's quite possible <laugh>, but you are certainly seeing some, some other fun tiles. One of the ones you can see now is ones you can lay in a pattern. So yes, you can produce extremely good imitations of woven fabrics that look quite remarkably good. And when you run your hand over them, it's like, wow, that's a tile? You can literally feel the stitching on them. That's amazing. But you can also produce quite rough surface finishes. A lot of things are like in a split stone effect, which just wouldn't have been possible a few years ago because you couldn't print on three dimensional surfaces, but you can now do that digitally. You couldn't do it with a silk screen, but you can do it with a digital link jet. So that's really good and I think we will see more of it. That said, it's expensive some of this technology, so it hasn't been widely adopted as yet. And it won't be widely adopted until everyone's convinced there's a real market for it. But there will always be a few pioneering companies that will push the boat out. Speaker 0 00:12:32 But it might be a while before we're hearing about thread count on tiles? Speaker 2 00:12:36 I suspect it will be. And it has to be said that some of the early experiments in fabric effect tiles were some of the most hideous things I have ever seen. <laugh>. I do remember one particular 'green carpet', from a tile company that will remain nameless, which was jaw droppingly, horrible <laugh>. But that was several years ago and that was actually pre, the current generation thing. So I don't think it's going to be for a long while. Speaker 0 00:13:06 Although number nine is the Seventies Tile Trend, so who knows? Speaker 2 00:13:09 Oh, well, yes. Now the seventies, there's an interesting decade for design because it's such a decade defined by dichotomies. So this tile trends celebrates both the spectacular, the sort of glam rock element of the seventies, flashy prints, metallic accessories, but it also is a period when a lot of people were looking towards the more natural. And so the kind of things that we are seeing now are materials that are recalling sailing lifestyles, stripes, wavy patterns, wood paneling, the tones, pop art, groovy man. And it's coming back. So Austin Powers but with a bit of taste. Speaker 0 00:14:02 Taste and Love and Peace. Undulated Tile Trend. What does that mean? Speaker 2 00:14:06 Right. Okay. I have to say that of all the 10 trends, this is the one that is the most nebulous. Speaker 0 00:14:18 Well, are they're just trying to get 10? Speaker 2 00:14:20 Quite possibly, because basically I don't think you can say a tile which had got an undulating surface is really a trend because they've been around forever. Admittedly, some of the earlier ones were produced by accident rather than by design. But there there is a slight return. I have seen this with super thick, ultra glossy glazes. And I I used to really like those. They were a thing for a while where they'd apply it really thick and it would kind of run off the tile as it was fired and, and give you a look like a kind of glazed cake as much as a tile. And if you put that onto a bumpy biscuit, it does look very attractive. But I think what they are really talking about here is the tile that that is made in an enormous factory that actually looks like it was made by an artisan in a small craft workshop. And that is kind of where everyone is trying to get to. They want that artisanal look, but they want to be able to produce it and make a good living. Speaker 0 You know they'll just perfect it and then everyone will want perfectly manufactured goods Again. Speaker 2 00:15:29 Well that's the way it goes. I mean, if history tells you anything, it's that it repeats itself. I've been writing about this industry for a long time, and I am now starting to see the, the same trends coming around for the second time or the third time. And that's because there is probably a 10, 15 years cycle. Some things never come back, but other things actually hang around much longer than anybody predicted. I mean, I can remember when everybody said wood look tile was just going to be a passing trend. Nobody was going to buy them. And then Murazzi came out with Treverk and it was a bestseller. And now, you know, people can't conceive of not having a large range of wood effect tiles. And now I think whatever we're searching in the next trend that is going to be the 'must have'. Well, I'm off to Valencia so we'll see. Speaker 0 00:16:28 The proof will be in the pudding really, both at Valencia, then at Revestir and then at Coverings. So you'll be telling us all about those when you come back. Speaker 2 00:16:41 Well, the one I know we are going to see more of is the sinking inks and three-dimensional pattern in tune with the visuals, because I'm already being sent advanced notices of the latest things some of the top factories are showing and they are all showing this. So that is definitely going to be a hot thing at Valencia. But that is the large format slab tile manufacturers, what's gonna be happening in the smaller format company companies of this world is anybody's guess. But I'm really looking forward to seeing what factories are doing. Speaker 0 00:17:24 Cool. Well, we'll look forward to seeing you when you come back. Speaker 2 00:17:26 Watch this space Bon - well listen to this space Speaker 0 00:17:29 <laugh>. Thanks Joe. You've been listening to Tile Cast produced by Diary of a Tile Addict. To ensure you don't miss any future episodes, don't forget to follow us. You can also find show notes and receive updates on news feeds articles, podcasts, and videos direct to your inbox by subscribing to the DiaryofaTileAddict.com website. Get the inside track at Diary of a Tile Addict.