Coverings exhibitors always keep a card or two up their sleeves.  And why not!  It wouldn’t be a tiling show if the halls did not throw up a surprise or two.  But, to whet your appetite, Tile Addict offers this selection of stand-out ranges, all recently launched, that you will see at Coverings displayed by member companies of Ceramics of Italy.

LAB 325 from ABK is a collection with an urban and contemporary style that emphasises the aesthetic variability of concrete.  The various solutions present in the collection are inspired both by smoothed plaster surfaces and by the impressions that formwork leaves on concrete, as well as the decorative qualities of cement tiles.

With Appiani’s  Libra, style is in the air, as a concept, even before it is given form.  This is a design that reinterprets a classic to seek out its essence.  Here attention to detail gives rise to a range, in which juxtapositions, contrasts and harmonies are born out of an unusual, almost masked use of irregular geometries.  Modules are randomly combined to create effects of chiaroscuro, light and shadow.  Libra adds a new dimension to surfaces, make them vibrate under the effect of slight shifts.  Colour variables open up a range of possibilities, from the timeless taste of neutral hues to on-trend metallic sheens. Libra offers a new finish with a rough look that feels unexpectedly smooth to the touch.

Palladiana, designed by Studiopepe for Bardelli is a collection of coloured body, rectified monocalibre porcelain tiles, that can be used as both a floor and wall covering.  The textured matt finish is obtained using specific manufacturing techniques and leading-edge glazes, highlighting to the importance of tile’s tectile qualities.  The range is available in four different colours, in size 600 by 600mm and 600 by 1,200mm formats, 10.5mm thick; plus three matching decorated porcelain tiles, in 600 by 1,200mm, that feature surfaces enriched by a fine, contrasting structured cross-hatching.  All the items are produced in six different designs; while the collection is completed with two plain variants in beige (Palladiana 2B) and grey (Palladiana 3B), in a rectified 600 by 600mm format.

With Project Evolution, Caesar’s selection of formats has expanded to include  large slabs in 1,600 by 3,200mm, 1,600 by 1,600mm, 1,200 by 2,400mm, and 1,200 by 1,200mm formats.  These 9mm thick pieces offer great resistance to loads and have a bending strength.  This makes the slabs perfect for both floor and wall installation.  Like Caesar’s other 600mm-based format, Project Evolution slabs reduce cutting and waste.

Ceramics of Italy is the trademark for Italian manufacturers of ceramic tiles, sanitaryware and tableware, that are members of Confindustria Ceramica.  For more information visit www.ceramica.info or follow Ceramics of Italy on Facebook (@CeramicsOfItalyNA) and YouTube (@LaCeramicaItaliana) as well as Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram (@CeramicsOfItaly).

ABK Ceramiche
Appiani
Ceramica Bardelli
Ceramiche Caesar

A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, April 2018.