09.10.19

Every year the international tile exhibition Cersaie rolls out the latest in tile trends and manufacturing technology, and every year our RICE team is there to get this information first hand! This year’s recently concluded Cersaie, held from 23 to 27 Sept in Bologna, Italy, threw up some fresh and surprising trends. Tiles are asserting their decorative potential in a big way with patterns that command attention; and when one pattern is not enough, choose a patchwork of designs to create even more impact and style! Here are the top five tile collections that made our wish list at Cersaie.

1. Ergon Medley

Terrazzo is back in the spotlight, but this collection of fun retro chic terrazzo-inspired tiles is like no other. Industry heavyweight Ergon has created Medley, a family of stylised terrazzo-inspired tiles combined with the dusky notes of coloured concrete surfaces. The traditional random confetti-like patterns of terrazzo are given new incarnations that have cutting-edge sophistication and creative freshness. Named Classic, Rock, and Pop, the three terrazzo versions each express a playful personality of their own, with a colour palette that includes white, blue, green, pink, dark grey and grey. The tiles are also available in solid colours to balance out the look.

2. Mutina Chymia 

The new Chymia collection by the continuously-innovating Italian tile company Mutina is more art than design. Developed in collaboration with Laboratorio Avallone, a Milan-based studio led by Gennaro Avallone, Chymia consists of a series of 30cm by 30cm tiles which express their individuality by combining graphic design with texture to create patterns of light and shadow on the surface. The 11 textures, layered with graphic designs, form 22 elements available as black and white tiles.

3. Cotto d’Este Vanity 

Statuario marble is known to be one of Italy’s finest, and tiles replicating the white translucence of Statuario marble are not new. However, the presentation of these marble-inspired tiles is taken up a notch with Cotto d’Este’s Vanity Bianco Statuario Chain, a set of five marble-inspired slim tiles, each measuring 120cm by 260cm, which when put side by side forms an impressively dramatic continuous marble pattern. These large but thin ceramic slabs, also known as Kerlite, are reinforced with fibreglass for a light, resistant and versatile product. The Vanity collection is also part of Cotto d’Este’s PROTECT range of tiles with antimicrobial qualities. 

4. Ragno Contrasti 

A collection that is both familiar yet different, the Ragno Contrasti tiles takes nostalgic patterns and updates them in new colour families of white, grey, beige, iron grey, celadon and teal. This porcelain stoneware tile collection is a product of the company’s Stepwise technology, which produces tiles that have a high slip resistance while retaining the smooth feel of tiles with lower slip resistance. These 20cm by 20cm tiles come in 16 different motifs, as well as in solid colours for your experimentation pleasure. 

5. Casalgrande Terrazzo 

Another terrazzo-inspired tile that made an impression is this one from Casalgrande, which doesn’t just have the look of terrazzo, it has the feel of the material as well. Together with its photo-realistic patterns, Terrazzo by Casagrande also has an embossed texture that recreates the physical properties of the natural material, which is composed of marble, glass, granite and quartz chips bound together. The look invokes a sense of nostalgia that is a reminiscent of past historical local houses and buildings.

Find out more about these new tiles coming your way at riceLAB. Make an appointment  by emailing us here or by calling 6692 1199. riceLAB is at 213 Henderson Road 01.03 Singapore 159553. RICE is open from Mondays to Fridays 10am to 7pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 6pm.