Hicksville, N.Y.—As the first half of the year came to an end, the flooring industry continued to see the hard surface segment, particularly the ceramic tile category, gain in popularity while utilizing technology and “new look” designs. With retailers seeking to add different offerings to their product mix, designers and architects using more contemporary yet natural looks in their projects and consumers discovering new and interesting ways to display ceramic tile in their homes, manufacturers are making sure all interested in the category have as many options available to them as possible. “As evidenced by the recent shows at Cevisama in Valencia, Spain, and Coverings in Orlando, Fla., the trends for this year reflect an urban, more contemporary look,” said Tile of Spain’s In ma Roca. “There are no drastic changes in color schemes, textures or designs, just a more unified version of the various trends of recent years. The design of the collections has become more minimalist; decorative tiles and inserts are flatter and thinner with a lot of elongated rectangular formats.”

“As far as trends go,” said Mike Baker of Crossville Porcelain Stone/USA, “we continue to see interest in some of our stone products. There is also a lot of enthusiasm for the expansion of our Empire line, which is a more elegant series and has been Crossville’s most successful product to date. We’ve also added many new mosaics—some basketweave and brickwork—people seem very interested in those and our distributors can hardly wait to get their hands on them. We are also seeing a lot of interest in accents, and the ability to customize with borders, medallions and mosaics. “We’ve seen a lot of interest in mixing hardwood floors with tile too,” he continued, “as well as in our stainless steel products, for which we will be the exclusive distributor in the United States. Everyone who has seen it thinks it’s a very cool product. And, while glass tile has been around for a while, we are working with some companies which are doing some brand new things in the way they produce it, and we are getting a lot of interest in that, as well.”

Roca reiterated Baker’s sentiments, noting how the use of metal and glass tiles continue to grow. “Encouraged by the popularity in stainless steel appliances in kitchens, the diverse use of metal tile is still expanding. Thus, steel and other metals continue to provide strong competition with glass, as accents. Whether in puddles of metal flooring in the relief area, full metal finishes, or a combination of stained glass and metal accents, metal is being utilized across the board. “New pattern combinations focus on mosaic tile,” she added, “with an explosion of sizes. Interesting combinations are appearing which combine mosaic formats with other modular-sized tiles—used as accent banding, insert decor elements and perimeter borders for large format field tile. This expanded role has increased the presence of mosaic in many tile programs. More sizes, patterns and mounting styles have also expanded mosaic’s usefulness, making it especially effective for cladding most architectural shapes.

“Color trends are monochromatic,” explained Roca, “highlighted more by texture than by colorful designs. Black and white reign supreme, in every conceivable form, with a supporting cast of taupe, brown and other neutral shades. Taken as a whole, it’s a refreshing and elegantly subdued mix. Textures continue to draw from natural inspirations, adding new Asian influences. New fabric textures include satin brocade finishes, woven leather and tweeds. “Also, retro small tiles and mosaics are stronger,” she added. “Icy glass and metal accents glisten in many collections and the rusticated textures are softer. The general attitude is a more urban, contemporary one.”

Christine Abbate of Ceramic Tiles of Italy, noted how several companies exhibiting at Coverings focused on the appeal of iridescent, light-reflecting surfaces. Cotto Veneto’s Echi D’Oriente and Luci D’Oriente collections combined “shiny rectangular ceramic tiles, conveyed a look of delicate color under transparent glass, with small square inserts of glass tiles through which is seen painterly patterns of pigment. Light-reflecting, pearlized color stood out in Sicis’ Basic, a far-from-basic mosaic inlay of mother-of-pearl and ceramic tile. “Textured tiles continue to exert great influence on current design trends,” she added. “Ceramiche di Provenza brought a naturalistic yet artful look to its Avallone line from the workshop of Gennaro Avallone, a renowned designer and craftsman whose stuccowork techniques give a new level of interest to textural tile. Neutral and intense shades of white and black act as a counterpoint to the relief patterns: stylized floral motifs, Moorish-influenced patterns, and repeated geometric shapes and tribal signs.

 “Marazzi’s I Sigilli line contrasted warm white and chocolate brown, with a textured surface resembling weathered brickwork and sculptural cast concrete,” explained Abbate. “Drawing on a variety of influences, Italian tile design consistently pushes the envelope,” she continued. “Ceramica Lea’s Progetto 14 Lounge series managed to look simultaneously retro and forward, with subway tiles mix ing with abstract bas-relief designs to create a fresh and exciting new look.” Roca also noted the popularity of subway tile. “Elongated accent strips, always a popular decorative shape, are now proving to be the new tile shape. Whereas, in the past, half modules were used for rectangular shaped tile, the success of the subway tile layout has caused manufacturers to take it a step further, narrowing the width for a new, elongated rectangle that is available in a wide variety of sizes. “The combination of deeper neutrals, metal and icy glass accents is a huge factor in the new, contemporary urban spirit,” she explained.

“Textures are shifting gradually toward modern and away from rustic. The slates of 2003 are decidedly softer and refined, often bordering on delicate. Other stone tiles, inspired by marble and limestone, have lost their antiqued pitted structure and irregular wavy edges and gained deeper colorations. Even classic marble is toned down.” “We’ve had a very solid first half of the year,” said Baker. “The demand seems to be pretty solid. Part of that is due to the nation’s housing environment, while some of it is momentum we, as a company, have built up over previous years. We’re on the verge of introducing several ‘home run’ products we showed at Surfaces and Coverings. Once these products get launched, we believe it will give us a turbo charge for the rest of the year.” “All in all, it’s shaping up to be a year of subtle changes, many of which will be embraced as the new standards,” concluded Roca. “It promises to be an exciting second half and Spain continues to be a driving force, bringing hundreds of new models and a breath of fresh air to the tile industry for 2003.”