The forty-first edition of Cersaie, held in Bologna and now coming to a close, is the reference point for the world of ceramics and surfaces for architecture. This year, the fair's key players offered a particularly innovative and complex vision of contemporary design, where material research, technological evolution, and increased attention to sustainability intertwine in collections that aim to open a significant dialogue with the definition of various types of spaces. Several trends and themes have emerged, outlining the future of the sector, such as material experimentation, surface three-dimensionality, the return of small formats, craftsmanship, and a commitment to sustainable solutions. A focal point of the fair is material research, which, in the case of Cotto d'Este, takes on an almost philosophical dimension with the Arketipo collection. Far from imitating natural or handcrafted materials like stones, cements, and resins, Arketipo explores ceramics "in purity," presenting an innovative material that draws from new graphic and chromatic inspirations, detached from tradition.
Five ways to innovate ceramics from Cersaie 2024
Material research, three-dimensionality, technological innovation, sustainability, and craftsmanship: the new ceramic proposals.
Image courtesy of Alice Ceramica.
Image courtesy of Arbi.
Image courtesy of Ardeco.
Image courtesy of Atlas Concorde.
Image courtesy of Azzurra Ceramica.
Image courtesy of Casalgrande Padana.
Image courtesy of Ceramica Dolomite.
Image courtesy of Ceramica Sant'Agostino.
Image courtesy of Ceramiche Refin.
Image courtesy of Cordivari.
Image courtesy of Cotto d’Este.
Image courtesy of Decoratori Bassanesi.
Image courtesy of Flaminia.
Image courtesy of Iris Ceramica Group.
Image courtesy of Ceramica Keope.
Image courtesy of Kerasan.
Image courtesy of Ceramiche Marca Corona.
Image courtesy of Rak Ceramics.
Image courtesy of Sicis.
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- Lucia Brandoli
- 27 September 2024
Another central theme of Cersaie 2024 is three-dimensionality, which expands the expressive potential of ceramics. Marca Corona introduced the Arialuce collection, which revolutionizes the concept of cladding with extruded terracotta volumes, creating plays of solids and voids that allow light and air to filter through. The Curve, Pertuse, and Asole shapes offer varying degrees of visual filtering, creating surfaces that go beyond two-dimensionality, entering the realm of architecture with a strong aesthetic and functional impact. Arialuce, born from the collaboration between Marca Corona and the S.Anselmo kiln, is a virtuous example of how traditional craftsmanship can dialogue with contemporary design needs. Decoratori Bassanesi also explores three-dimensionality with the Wă collection, inspired by Chinese tiles. Designed by Federica Biasi, the collection reproduces the visual and tactile movement of stacked terracotta tiles, reinterpreting traditional Chinese decoration with a modern vision that combines functionality and aesthetics. On the material front, Atlas Concorde presents Boost Expression, a collection that celebrates the tactile strength of materials. Designed by Elisa Ossino, the series explores the relationship between light, shape, and matter, with surfaces evoking three-dimensional textures through geometric patterns. Tonal variations and light contrasts emphasize material depth, transforming ceramic surfaces into architectural elements that interact with the surrounding space. As mentioned, technological innovation also had a prominent space at this year's Cersaie, particularly catching attention with the backlighting of ceramic surfaces. In this regard, Iris Ceramica Group's Moonlight System stands at the forefront, thanks to the combination of thin LED panels and 6 mm thick ceramics, highlighting every graphic detail of the surfaces and creating a scenographic effect that transforms walls into luminous works of art.
Another trend, which has been reaffirmed and continues to evolve with increasingly appreciated results, is the use of ceramic wood with prominent grains and defects, reproducing the natural material in all its authenticity. Atlas Concorde and Keope have explored this direction, emphasizing the beauty of wood's imperfections. Surfaces that faithfully replicate wood grains and knots give spaces a warmer and more welcoming character while maintaining the resistance and durability of ceramics. The compositional discourse around formats is also noteworthy. While large ceramic slabs are currently in vogue, small formats are actually making a grand comeback, as demonstrated by Ceramiche Refin's Upside collection. Inspired by a project by Massimiliano Adami, this collection revives a checkered geometric pattern originally derived from the structure on the back of tiles. Upside offers small formats as a tool for creativity, enhancing the decorative grid with a new color palette and adapting it to the needs of contemporary design. Using smaller tiles allows for the creation of unique compositions, resulting in dynamic spaces of various sizes.
Craftsmanship also emerges as one of the qualities that continues to characterize many Italian proposals, and Alice Ceramica offers a significant testimony with the Idilla collection. Inspired by the historical roots of Italian ceramics, Idilla blends past and present, offering sanitary fixtures and washbasins that combine fluid lines and monolithic shapes with refined details. The collection, designed by Manuel Di Giacobbe, reflects the artisanal mastery of Civita Castellana, reinterpreting ceramic tradition with a contemporary language. The use of beveled edges and soft forms creates elegant and functional products, where every detail contributes to enhancing the quality of the ceramic material. Finally, attention to sustainability could not be overlooked, a theme that is increasingly central in the world of ceramics and architecture, now regarded as an imperative. The companies present at Cersaie 2024 have demonstrated a growing commitment to using recyclable materials, low environmental impact production processes, circular economy principles, and solutions that reduce waste. The adoption of innovative technologies, such as the energy-efficient backlighting by Iris Ceramica, is just one example of many initiatives aimed at making the sector more sustainable.
This year’s edition of Cersaie demonstrates how the ceramic industry is experiencing a period of great ferment, with proposals exploring new aesthetic and functional possibilities. Material research, three-dimensionality, the return of small formats, craftsmanship, and sustainability are the main trends reshaping the world of surfaces for architecture and design. The collections presented tell a story of innovation and tradition, where ceramics are not just a material but a medium to transform space and create new sensory and emotional experiences. Browse the gallery to see the most interesting examples we’ve selected.
Idilla, a collection of washbasins, sanitary fixtures, ceramic structures, and mirrors designed by Manuel Di Giacobbe, is inspired by the region of Civita Castellana and the evocative ruins of the Roman amphitheater of Ocriculum, creating a fusion of ancient and contemporary. With thick beveled edges on the inside, solid volumes, refined details, and fluid lines, it offers a new perspective on ceramics.
Levante features sliding doors with 6 mm glass and a Soft-close system that ensures a slow and silent closing motion. Additionally, the doors are easily detachable, making cleaning simpler. The slim profiles, only 30 mm thick, and the corner detail of the crossbar joint ensure an optimal connection, achieving a refined effect of lightness and elegance. Another key feature is the advanced sliding system, which integrates small-sized bearings for more precise door adjustment, correcting any misalignment during installation.
The new Shaker bathroom system designed by Odo Fioravanti for Ardeco is based on two T-shaped galvanized metal profiles to which various elements are attached, including washbasins, storage units, mirrors, lighting, and accessories. The minimalist design offers endless possibilities for customization and functionality.
Boost Expression is the new collection that fits into Atlas Concorde’s project dedicated to surfaces inspired by neutral tones and an essential style that draws from natural elements. Created in collaboration with Elisa Ossino, an architect and designer with a deep knowledge of natural materials and a strong focus on the material quality of surfaces, the collection emphasizes textures and tonal variations with a striking three-dimensional impact. The geometric and dynamic patterns of the collection create contrasts and light vibrations.
Cleer, a furniture collection designed by Diego Grandi, takes inspiration from a term in Milanese slang meaning “shutter” or “rolling door.” Cleer is a freestanding cabinet with rounded forms, featuring a central shutter composed of colored vertical aluminum slats that provide lightness and rhythm, evoking the natural gesture of opening (the slats slide horizontally).
This new porcelain stoneware collection offers a modern reinterpretation of concrete: austere, essential, and chic, with clouded effects in neutral tones and subtle accents of color. Concept is a flexible and versatile collection that draws inspiration from the elegance of urban aesthetics.
The sanitary fixtures from the Limited Edition collection, designed by Nilo Gioacchini, stand out for their color gradient that gently fades from top to bottom. The color palette, featuring shades of blue, is inspired by the retro tones of the 1960s and 1970s, ranging from pastel hues to more intense tones.
Among new concrete-effect collections, NOVART offers a blend of rationalist aesthetic imagery and mosaic fragmentation, creating a completely unique and original effect.
With Upside, Refin has reinterpreted the original project by Massimiliano Adami, offering a range of surfaces made possible by new production technologies. The defining element of the collection is the checkered geometric pattern, originally derived from the structure on the back of the tiles and now created through a network of embossed lines that intersect to recreate the same motif. The distinctive sign compared to the original project is represented by the continuous grid offered in a larger format, which evolves Adami's mosaic, expanding and enhancing the geometry.
Designed by Monica Alegiani and Vanessa Massacci, this series of high-performance vertical radiators for both heating and cooling is intended to provide comfort, elegance, and efficiency in all seasons and every room of the house—not just the bathroom—thanks to innovative air-handling solutions, advanced electronics, and the use of brushless DC inverter motors, the Run Vertical radiator is particularly designed to function effectively with heat pump systems.
The Arketipo collection aims to transcend the traditional association of ceramics with other materials, instead developing an aesthetic of purity. The collection is characterized by grains, flakes, and sands whose density, size, and color define the movement and create two distinct graphic versions. The first version, available in 14mm thickness and a 20mm outdoor variant, is more uneven and expressive. The second, in thin Kerlite slabs, is more uniform and maximizes the emphasis on color. Five shades are available, ranging from neutral tones closer to gray to warmer hues inspired by earthy reds and light browns. These shades are distinguished by a variegated appearance, with a pronounced graphic movement that gives the collection a particular expressive strength.
The Wă wall covering collection, designed by Federica Biasi, is inspired by the roof tiles of pagodas and the typical architecture of rural Chinese villages. In these constructions, the irregular tiles, handcrafted from terracotta, are layered and stacked on top of each other in an interlocking system inherited from ancient traditional building techniques. Wă is a collection with a regular aesthetic, offered in four color shades, ranging from hazelnut to caramel. Like a mosaic, each individual element is repeated in a 9.5 x 18.5 cm format, creating the full-body porcelain stoneware covering.
Taki, designed by Studio Nendo, consists of three ceramic elements of different sizes, held together by a steel structure and arranged with a slight offset, resembling the terraces of a small waterfall. “Taki, as a visual metaphor, evokes the movement and expression of water seen in nature, where it is collected in a pond or lake, flows, and is channeled again,” said designer Oki Sato from Studio Nendo.
Moonlight is the backlighting system for the ceramic surfaces of Iris Ceramica Group brands. This innovative system allows 6mm thick ceramic surfaces to be paired with high-efficiency, slim light panels. Every detail of the ceramic’s design is enhanced by the light, creating a highly captivating effect. The backlit surfaces can be made with or without an aluminum frame, offering the option to display both single slabs and continuous slabs without interruptions. The panel sizes can be customized up to a maximum format of 150x300 cm. The LEDs are positioned around the perimeter of the panel, ensuring an even distribution of light across the entire surface.
The Lavica antracite porcelain stoneware series is inspired by Sicilian lava stone. The surfaces evoke the textures of volcanic rocks, with each element aiming to pay homage to the ancient world. Lavica expresses the texture of lava stone, bringing the memory of a captivating element and territory into contemporary homes and spaces. The color palette consists of three dark shades: Grey, Anthracite, and Black.
The New Yorker, designed by Alessandro Paolelli, features a set of industrial-style elements that highlight the ceramic washbasin in both freestanding and semi-freestanding versions. It consists of a cylinder (Ø 40 cm) that widens at the top, expanding the basin by 5 cm compared to the base. The toilet is also available with a high tank, designed for interiors with a vintage or industrial design aesthetic.
Arialuce is the first collection of latticework by Ceramiche Marca Corona, in collaboration with S.Anselmo kiln. The series features extruded terracotta volumes, shaped into three forms—Curve, Pertuse, and Asole—available in Natural, Ivory, and Glazed White finishes. The design of the three elements offers various patterns and levels of visual filtering. By combining solid and open spaces, Arialuce creates lattice structures for both indoor and outdoor use, generating permeable volumes.
The Elie Saab collection, produced and distributed by RAK Ceramics, includes countertop and freestanding washbasins in six beautiful color shades that pair perfectly with the gunmetal-finish faucets and the new slabs from the Calacatta Viola and Amazzonite collections. The latter, named after the Amazon River, reflects the depth of green stone typical of the feldspar deposits in the Peruvian rainforest.
The Elysian collection consists of furniture with integrated backlighting, characterized by ease of installation thanks to advanced technical solutions. Each element is designed to enhance Vetrite, Sicis' laminated glass panel, which with its opalescent finishes and soft lighting effects, transforms each piece into a unique design object.