Trends | Unique Statement Tiles

Self-expression has leapt, rather than crept, into world awareness. And, honestly, isn’t that what it’s all about today? Showing up and flying our authentic flags. Being more ourselves. Letting it all hang out. As always, the design world mirrors cultural shifts, both great and small. In the 2024 Design Trends List, we’re noting innovative and imaginative design elements that have been expressly created to reflect personal artistry and expression. Among this marvellous chaos of creativity, we spotted Unique Tiles. Statement Makers. Surface coverings that simply can’t help but take the spotlight.

Melanie Ewing, CEO of Chapters Design and our all-time favourite trend spotter and interior design maven, says we can expect oversized, large-scale tiles with a high tactile quality, alongside unique, handmade décor tiles. She’s also seeing the rapid emergence of dramatic patterns and new compositions. Expect the unexpected, she says: all adding a sense of grandeur and fascinating personality to spaces. All this artistry, of course, has been made possible by some pretty astonishing technology, underpinned by sustainable cred. And before these porcelain paragons burst onto the world scene, they made their debut at Cersaie in 2023.

Cersaie. The cauldron of trends. The incomparable Cersaie event is always the place to discover the tile world’s best in class. It’s a place of firsts, where the great tile names unveil their frontrunners. In 2023, we saw the emergence of surfaces that dazzled us. Surface elevation with raised geometric patterns and textures. Intricate detailing. The illusion of added depth with extraordinary glazes. Pioneering 4D printing technology which is enabling the flourishing of the ultimate surface effects. Tile formats have morphed from L and XL into the realms of megalithic and monolithic. Mighty slabs.

Marbles and other stone looks are now more magnificent than ever, with extreme visual effects amplified across larger sizes. Colour, with ever more expressive tones, often in eye-opening combinations. Tiles that feel like fabric. Others that present as wallpaper. Heat sensitive tiles that change colour. Irridescence. Ombré. Pearlescence. Metallics, from the gleaming to the strangely petrol-shimmery to the crackled and the tarnished. Optical illusions with geometric shapes.

Unique Statement-Making Supersize Tiles.

The trend of large format tiles continues to grow, with sizes becoming ever more grandiose. These large tiles offer a sleek, seamless look that is perfect for modern aesthetics. The reduced grout lines not only contribute to a clean visual but also mean less maintenance. Large format tiles are particularly popular in open spaces, helping to enhance the sense of size and openness in a room. But we encourage you to use large tiles in a small space, too, to maximise the area. Now, that’s how you make a statement.

Once upon a time, ‘large format’ was the descriptor given to a 600 x 600 tile. Then the descriptor embraced a 750 x 750 format. Not so long ago, technology jumped several steps ahead and opened the door for a new generation of tile formats we called XL: 1200 x 1200 and up. And then, before we could say “Supersize my tile”, the slab was born. These are absolute whoppers, with off-the-charts sizes of up to 1.6 x 3.2 (currently the world’s largest manmade tile.) Wow factor guaranteed. Italtile can take you to the limit with our huge 1200 x 1800 Impulse Ice  and our simply colossal 1200 x 2400 Madagascar Blue. High gloss porcelain masterpieces offering grandiose drama.

So many benefits: Easier to clean. Sophisticated, sleek and elegant, delivering a large and uninterrupted expanse of tile with very few grout lines which is aesthetically pleasing. Bigger surface, bigger graphics: The most traditional materials, like stone and cement, find a completely new interpretation in the larger formats, with an infinite range of aesthetic possibilities. The dramatic veining of marble, or the playful stipple and fleck of terrazzo, for instance, becomes a larger choreography of swirling dance moves across the surface.

NB: We do encourage you to protect your quite considerable investment in future-facing surface materials, in order to ensure they stand the test of time and hold their value for decades. These porcelain giants require special handling with at least two sets of highly trained and professional hands per slab, as well as specialist, purpose-made adhesives. Please ask us about our Professional Transport Service and our Professional Installation Teams.

Unique Statement-Making Patterns. Wallpaper print vibes are having a marvellous moment, thanks to the advances in digital printing technology. Evolutionary stuff. Hyper-realistic prints that mimic natural and man-made materials, from wood to fabric. High-def details and an ever-growing variety of designs. These standout statement-makers are all about the show and will help you create head-turning accent walls and show-stopping splashbacks. If you’re looking for a little biophilic bling, check out our simply delicious new nature-inspired Wallpaper Recycled Glass Mosaics.

Then, of course, depending upon your appetite for festivity, you can go full forest with Sable Jardin 02, or gently nostalgic vintage meadow with Sunwood Jardin 08, from our exclusive Wallpaper Print Tiles by the imaginative and innovative Ceramica Sant’Agostino. Either way, you’re looking at proper statement-making territory. Take a look at how House Robinson elevated a patio wall and gave it standout status.

Unique Statement-Making 3D Textures & Mixed Finishes are getting our hearts racing this year, with incredible finishes adding touchability and light play to interiors, bringing floors and walls to life. We’re enjoying all the ridges, ripples and waves of our bang-on-trend, limited edition Embossed Tiles. An artisanal, handmade aesthetic. Then, there are our fascinating little Micro Nimbus Enviro-Glass Spheres which combine matt and gloss with touchy-feely bubble texture. So much loveliness. For a really good understanding of the remarkable liquid depth and deliciousness created by lush glaze, take a look at the House Renzi residential project, where our Vogue Esmeralda Subways, dripping with verdant colour and generous glazing, give accent walls standout status.

We’ve only scratched the surface of our on-trend statement makers. So take this as your invitation to visit a showroom or browse online, to find your joy in the realms of high design, innovation, originality and imagination. Exclusive tiles that will brazenly and fearlessly transform your surfaces into focal points of artistry and expression.

Make a statement in 2024. And live beautifully. Ciao.