The Textures Currently Defining Ceramic Surfaces

Ever evolving are the textures achieved and applied in ceramic tile, and that sentiment this year again proved true.

SIMPLE

Accompanying the popularity of simple, muted colors apparent at this year’s Cersaie was the re-popularization of simple, plain textures such as matte and satin. 

STRING ON STONE

The precision for producing textures near indistinguishable from their natural counterparts continues to evolve as does the industry’s apparent ability to produce and partiality towards tile that blends that natural texture with ones more clearly engineered. An iteration widely showcased at this year’s event is lines over stone, which can appear almost as strings, like in Ceramiche Coem's Tweed Stone collection. The lines etched into the tile’s surface are so thin and precisely lain that it creates an effect similar to that of tweed. 

TEXTILE-INFLUENCED

Just as Coem is not the only manufacturer to produce a string on stone-style texture, it’s also not the only producer of ceramic tile currently drawing inspiration from textiles. This was particularly the case for large slab wallpaper-type tiles, which aimed and in many cases faithfully achieved the effect of felt.

LAYERED

One unique result of textiles’ influence on current ceramic tile design can be seen in ABK’s Poetry House collection, which rather than mimicking the texture of textiles instead features an interpretation of a rug laid out in white glaze atop grey stone. And while the collection reflects the give and take of inspiration from one field of design to another—ABK describes its Poetry House line as “a distillation of the personal history and artistic experience that the designer brings to architectural spaces—it also represents an additional trend in texture application—layering. 

Whether a glossy flower set on satin (Imola) or a black wood print over dark wood texture (ABK), the trend appeared in distinct ways across a variety of collections. 

In recent years, terrazzo designs have favored larger fragments, such as in Fap’s Nativa collection (pictured right) and across multiple of Mirage’s, all showcased this year. However, there is a growing trend to incorporate smaller fragments. It was featured prominently in designs by Florim, Lea Ceramiche, Unicom Starker, and more.