By Sarah Zimmerman
Though leaves will soon begin to expel great hues of orange, yellow and red, “green” is the color to look for this fall when it comes to tile, noted leading manufacturers. With the ever-growing number of eco-conscious consumers, the green movement has no doubt hit every category in the industry, and ceramic—which will concentrate on environmental attributes and responsibility this fall—is no exception. From new advertising campaigns focused on sustainable product traits to educational Web sites explaining what green really means to LEED-compliant collections, mills will be keeping things green well into winter.

However, experts said style and design will also be at the forefront, noting extreme tile sizes, darker colors and rich textures are just a few of fall’s trends coming to market.

Ceramic Tiles of Italy

Looking to Cersaie—Sept. 30 to Oct. 4— Donato Grosser, consultant for Ceramic Tiles of Italy, said sustainability and green building is the biggest story this fall. Therefore, it’s launching a new advertising campaign highlighting the sustainable attributes of Italian tile, including a number of new LEED-compliant collections— Ergon’s Green Tech, Cerim’s 100% Recycled Stone, and Refin’s Eco Leader. “We will also be working on the second edition of S-Tiles, Italian Tiles Towards Sustainability, and will continue hosting seminars on energy-saving systems and eco-friendly products.”

Apart from green design, he listed rich textures, fashionable fauxs, fall foliage, optical illusions, black is back and tech treats— ultra-thin, ultra-large tiles—as this fall’s trend setters.

Dal-Tile

Lori Kirk-Rolley, senior director of marketing for Dal-Tile, said there will be a good mix of old and new this season. “Glass is still very hot, and the rich look of stone has been popular for years and continues to grow— especially when dressed up with glass and metal decorative elements,” she said.

Kirk-Rolley also pointed to modern, rectilinear looks and contemporary graphics, as well as extreme tile sizes—24 x 24 to 1 x 1—as new and growing trends to watch. Dal-Tile’s new products touching on such trends include: Metallica, metal-covered marble tiles; City View, ColorBody Porcelain line extension; Glass Reflections, and Maracas Glass, Glass Tile line extensions, and Diamante, ColorBody Porcelain.

She also said, however, the environment is still the category’s biggest story, and Dal-Tile is focused on education. “As part of our Greenworks initiative, we recently launched an online
resource—www.daltileproducts.com/leed—where anyone can go to find real-time recycled materials content of all of our manufactured products.”

Mannington

Focused on styles that sell, Jim Dougherty, Mannington’s director of ceramic business, pointed to two distinct trends in tile: a focus on natural texture and depth—as in slate looks; and a very clean look—one that’s flatter, squarer and more refined. He also noted colors are more minimalistic, “offering consumers a certain elegance whether rustic or more tailored.”

Dougherty said the big focus this fall is the down market, which Mannington has managed to bypass thus far actually posting gains in porcelain this year. The mill aims to continue as a design leader in the category with new products like Serengeti Slate. “We already have a fabulous response,” he said, “which is no doubt due to its colors, designs and unique sizing options— including large 24 x 24.”

Mohawk Industries

Mohawk also mentioned a variety of tile sizes—specifically larger formats—along with blended visuals, environmentally friendly products and defined graphics as the top four areas of which to take notice. And, in response, the mill has added three looks to its fall collections.

The high-end, sophisticated slate look duplicates natural slate in three sizes featuring modular installation capabilities. It also features TrueEdge rectified edge technology. Second, Mohawk’s natural stone look floor/wall combo features a smooth surface with square edges in three soft colors. Floor tiles come in 13 x 13 and 18 x 18. And, the mill rounds out its product offerings with a rustic glazed porcelain in four earth tones.

Shaw Industries

Jason Kyzer, Shaw’s tile and stone product category manager, said, “Trends are ever changing, and this fall consumers are getting bolder and taking more risk in color choices, texture and size.” Therefore, he noted there is an emergence of dark chocolates, grays and blacks; a call for rich texture or completely smooth tile, and larger sizes in rectangular shapes.

Environmental stewardship was another trend topping Kyzer’s list, and to appease end users and provide responsible products, he said Shaw has introduced Brushstone, which contains 40% recycled material.

“With this introduction, the mill now offers eco-friendly flooring choices in every product category, which is important to us.”

Shaw will be launching additional tile and stone products that contain recycled content in the near future, he added.

Tile of Spain

Two trends to be highlighted by Tile of Spain this fall are Heavenly Metals and Safarience, said an ASCER spokeswoman. “Precious metal styles, colors and materials are showing up all over interior spaces— residential and commercial alike. We have identified this trend rising for a few seasons in ceramic tile and now it is at its height.” She also said African culture and aesthetics have been a big influence this season. “From Dakar to Nairobi, the inspiration is rich in hue, texture and native motifs.”

In accordance with the eco-trend, she noted Tile of Spain “is always ahead of the game when it comes to ceramic and new technology, including taking strides to improve manufacturing processes and incorporate more sustainable responsibility and general eco-friendliness on an already green-branded product—ceramic.”

Vitromex

On the same token, Massimo Ballucchi, director of marketing and product development for Vitromex, said the green movement is definitely hitting the market. “It is a must since all manufacturers need to be responsible for their actions.” He highlighted Vitromex’ published green practices and certification of porcelain as steps toward that goal.

When it comes to trends, Ballucchi sees two clearly being pushed. “First, take products to market that make volume and sell; today’s stone graphics are richer, better synchronized and are an intricate mix of colors and designs.” He said the second trend is simply products that make a company stand out. Some examples he listed are larger format sizes; new shapes, and rich decorative items utilizing glass, stones and metal.

With these in mind, Vitromex will be launching a very targeted product introduction this fall, followed by a much more aggressive one beginning in 2009, Ballucchi explained. Some new products are: Lucca, a modern interpretation of terracotta tile; Trentino, a modern marble floor; Dafni ceramic series, and several additions to already popular lines like Angra and Cotto Antico.