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This year saw the 40th edition of one of the most successful tradeshows dedicated to ceramics and bathroom furnishings in the world, Cersaie.
Between September 25 and 29, almost a hundred thousand visitors and 633 companies took part in the event, which recorded an 8.8% increase in overall numbers against last year. Over 500 manufacturers and installers showed off their products, with numerous innovations developed in the name of sustainability and design.
Atlas Concorde has dubbed the current – and fundamental – stage in its growth the New Tomorrow, reflecting the firm’s ongoing drive towards the future. It presented numerous new developments at the 40th Cersaie, ranging from the opening of Atlas Concorde Park Studio, a new exhibition space that offers a unique visitor experience, to the opening of a new factory for the production of large porcelain stoneware slabs, its new collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects, and the launch of Velvetech, a surface with an Italian-patented semi-mat finish.
The firm also showcased a whole series of new collections, including Marvel Meraviglia, inspired by Calacatta Meraviglia marble, and Diamond, which grew out of its new collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects. Inspired by onyx, Marvel Onyx features striking shades, while Boost Balance brings a balance of colors to indoor and outdoor spaces. Boost Color, the latest collection from the firm’s collaboration with Piero Lissoni, includes porcelain stoneware and ceramics. Finally, the Italian-patented Velvetech surface draws its inspiration from polished natural stone. It’s available in 47 1/4 x 47 1/4” (120x120 cm) and 23 5/8 x 47 1/4” (60x120 cm) sizes.
Iris Ceramica Group describes its product lines as attractive, emotional, innovative, and architectural. These separate but complementary qualities are expressed via contemporary artworks from around the world. The group took part in the exhibition with its Planet-Friendly Stand, developed in collaboration with Henoto and the result of a challenge to create a temporary circular stand that’s 100% reusable. The key theme was the Art of Being Attractive, which plays on the double meaning of the word attractive. On the one hand, the word is used in its aesthetic sense; on the other, it refers to Attract, a cutting-edge magnetic installation system. This technology comprises a series of magnetic plates that join to create continuous surfaces without the use of glues or supporting structures. The story continues in the showrooms of the Group’s brands, each of which expresses its own artistic identity, with Emotional the distinctive quality of Iris Ceramica and FMG; Innovative, of Ariostea; and Architectural, of Fiandre and Porcelaingres.
A leading manufacturer of porcelain stoneware, Ceramiche Keope presented many new collections at Cersaie40. District has a concrete-effect with a brutalist, industrial charm in which the raw material becomes soft and domestic. Plate, on the other hand, is inspired by metal and based on an interplay of rust, chrome plating, and reflective effects. Designed for both residential and commercial applications, Heritage was inspired by the cliffs of Dorset, where the highly prized Portland stone is quarried. It features four earthy hues – Beige, Ivory, Pearl, and Grey – each of which faithfully reproduces the natural patterns of this limestone. Finally, Journey is a wood-effect series that reproduces the warmth of the natural material, with the grain and knots faithfully reproduced on porcelain stoneware slabs that create a warm, intimate feel.
RAK Ceramics presented a range of integrated ceramic solutions for any application along with bathroom furnishing products that are ideal for creating unique projects. Strongly focused on sustainability, the firm’s manufacturing processes have seen a drop in both electricity and fuel consumption. In addition, its Orbit 3R technology makes it possible to recycle up to 95% of ceramic production waste. At Cersaie, RAK showcased its new 35 3/8 x 70 7/8” (90x180 cm) porcelain stoneware format, along with twenty new collections for floors, walls, countertops, and furniture, offering a complete range of solutions for designers.
Mapei’s catchcry at Cersaie 2023 was sustainability, durability, and quality. The company returned to the event in a booth that showcased innovations in the worlds of installation and construction created using new materials and with respect for both the environment and people. Linea Zero, a range whose carbon dioxide emissions from its manufacture are fully offset, has been expanded with white cement tile adhesives, waterproofing treatments, and maintenance products. UltraCare, a range of products for protecting and caring for surfaces, now also includes UltraCare Rust Remover and UltraCare Stain Remover. Aquaflex S 1K is a ready-to-use silane-based waterproofing product for exteriors and humid environments, while Matt is a new line of opaque sealants for ceramic tiles and sanitary ware.
Established as a manufacturer of double-fired ceramics, Ceramica Bardelli has always stood out for the quality of its products. Over the years, the firm has expanded its range by collaborating with well-known designers and artists, including Giò Ponti, Piero Fornasetti, Marcel Wanders, Dimore Studio, Studio Pepe, and Storage Milano.
Its latest tile collection, Caleido, is fully handmade and draws its inspiration from the shapes and colors seen in a kaleidoscope. Gleaming enamel alternates with mat effects, breathing life into an elegant hand-stenciled tile.
The two new collections from this firm were inspired by nature. Windy, designed by Nendo, draws its inspiration from the air and ridge patterns created by the wind. An ingenious combination of designs and textures reproduce the essence of the wind through ripples and swirls, with harmonious and surprising results.
Lofoten, designed by Federica Biasi, expresses the harmony between humans and nature by recalling ancestral places and distant pristine landscapes through a minimalist, timeless design.
This firm produces a huge range of products under the Exagres name. It stands out for its use of extrusion in manufacturing every type of product, all of which have a high technology and design component. With solutions for residential outdoor and indoor areas, swimming pool linings, industrial facilities, and decks, the company has every area of design covered with a range of quality, customizable products.
The oldest ceramic manufacturer in Italy’s Sassuolo district returned to Cersaie with its new Miniature, Scultorea, Vulcanica, and Iridea collections. The booth concept, Feeling at Home, underscored the personality of the products, each of which is available in a selection of sizes, textures, styles, and colors.
The Miniature range has been expanded to include a selection of elegant 2 3/8 x 9 1/2” (6x24 cm) tiles inspired by the antique craft traditions of Italy. Dubbed Scultorea, the tiles explore the aesthetics of marble, from large slabs to the smallest sizes. In Vulcanica, the richness of worked metals combines with soft chromatic transitions to bring rooms to life with iridescent shades. Iridea, on the other hand, transforms cloud-like decorative patterns in pastel tones into fluid color accents that charge surfaces with expressiveness.
SkinClay is a new collection from Matteo Brioni that celebrates the colors of clay, a raw material that’s very much a part of the history of construction but is often overlooked by the industry. Matteo Brioni’s knowledge and expertise have seen the firm selecting the best clays to create fine-grained finishes, such as TerraVista and Liscio Cammeo, as well as coarse-grained ones, such as MultiTerra and Strutturato Panna. Added to these is a range of powder paints based on natural pigments that broaden the firm’s exploration of color.
The I Cementi collection is all about a minimalist aesthetic. Three thicknesses are available, each offering original stylistic synergies through the selection of seven warm, neutral shades. Dorset was inspired by Portland stone and its multiple interpretations. The age-old charm of this limestone is reinterpreted in two complementary versions, Cross and Vein Cut, named after the two ways of cutting stone slabs. The Nuances collection now has three new colors, Giada, Luce, and Rose, offering new design options that multiply the color combinations of the range. With I Travertini, the firms is celebrating the beauty of this material used by architects since ancient times. Finally, RealUp® and StrideUp® are digital technologies that add a three-dimensional texture to the compacted mix, also creating a surface with high slip resistance that’s easy to clean.
Quarella, a leading Italian manufacturer of marble- and quartz-based engineered stone, makes slabs, blocks, and tiles for an international clientele.
The company’s manufacturing approach centers on the reuse of mining waste to ensure that its products are ecologically sustainable. Transformed into granules of various shapes and sizes, the materials are mixed with natural pigments, resins, and, sometimes, raw materials such as sand and glass, to create engineered natural stone-based products that offer exceptional strength and durability. The company offers a wide range of quartz- and marble-based collections, with 13 exclusive finishes also available on request.
VitrA Tiles’ new products for 2024 combine design and innovation. Cemental mixes the texture of concrete with a metallic effect to produce a sophisticated, innovative look. Drawing its inspiration from limestone and Swiss stone, Noble Stone echoes the timeless appeal of natural stone. Meteorite is a reinterpretation of a stone with a primordial appeal, designed to be combined with the other collections to create a versatile, energetic effect. Royalstone has a microgranulated texture, while Flakecement recalls terrazzo in the way it combines bright colors. Woodart matches the textures of walnut and oak on its ceramic surface, while Marmo Nuovo is a large format line with both gloss and mat finishes.
>>> Also discover the new bathroom furnishings showcased at Cersaie40
Individual photo credits are included in each gallery image
