Showcasing the most in-demand and fashionable tile designs from the global tile market, Coverings has released its trendsetting tile styles for 2024.  

These top 10 trends were identified by Coverings’ three leading sponsors and international tile associations – Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, the Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain (ASCER)/Tile of Spain and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). 

The ten tile trends of 2024 are summarized in alphabetical order: 

Architectonic

The Architectonic trend. Manufacturer: Atlas Concorde. Product: Marvel Meraviglia Diamond decor by Zaha Hadid.

It is no surprise that architecture is a muse for tile manufacturers. Ceramic brands are inspired by historic buildings and architectural details, from stained glass to Byzantine cut mosaics. Others are partnering with industry designer heavyweights to put their own creative stamps on the classic material. 

Beyond Realism

The Beyond Realism trend. Manufacturer: Ceramica Da Vinci. Product: Cacto.

When texture, sheen and reflectivity with colour can be digitally manipulated, it is not only possible to recreate anything through ceramics – it is also easy. Modern tile production is at a stage where artistic expression knows no bounds, even when taking on a natural reproduction.  

The layers of detail that are possible with printing techniques and the ability to create fine variances in decorative adornments allow a ceramicist to play with the characteristics of different substances or introduce other elements of interest in tiles. 

 Contempo Concrete

The Contempo Concrete trend. Manufacturer: Stonepeak Ceramics. Product: Klastos, Dark Grey.

Beautifully brutalist and understatedly elegant, these creative concrete looks embody modernity, sophistication and the bustling tapestry of urban living. Designers’ fresh interpretations of modern cement in porcelain format complement the raw beauty of contemporary architecture.  

Exquisitely coloured and perfectly sized aggregates give these designs a handcrafted concrete look and feel. 

 Organic Grandeur

The Organic Grandeur trend. Manufacturer: Grupo Lamosa. Product: Patagonia.

Effects of light and reflectivity are enhanced when reproduced by innovative glazing technology. The luminous finishes give the beauty and depth of marble, with the durability of porcelain. Inspiration from rare natural materials delivers colour ranges wider than these of natural stone. 

 Porcelain Panels Panache

The availability of production-ready versions of full-body porcelain panels is being embraced by the world. This achievement fulfils a longstanding request from fabricators and specifiers since the mainstream adoption and installation of large-format tiles.  

Manufacturers are turning up the volume on this trend with the look, style and allure of natural stone, mimicking the world’s rarest marble and showcasing brightly coloured amalgamations and luminous veins.  

A cost-effective and versatile choice for exceptional architecture and design applications, these full-body tiles offer the remarkable qualities of heat, stain and scratch resistance, while being sustainable and free from toxic chemicals.

Seeking Balance 

When balance and complementary interactions are fleeting, tile makers look at the birthplace of yin-yang and wabi-sabi for inspiration. While you see ample textile designs translated into ceramic renditions, there is one standout repeated by many this year, “stick mosaics”. 

Manufacturers are offering their take on this classic Japanese porcelain style, enhancing new lines with gracefully flowing pottery glazes. The appeal of fragmented pieces lies in the delicate interplay between precise straight lines and a gracefully undulating imperfect charm of the coatings.

Set in Stone

Masterpieces of nature, such as limestone, bluestone and slate, are represented with such precision and include characteristics such as veining, coal lines and visible fossils.  

 Drawing inspiration from the magnificent beauty of the earth’s ancient geological past, the visual richness of their textures, nuances and details is paired with the practicality of ceramic. 

 Tactile Renaissance

Tile manufacturers are wholeheartedly embracing the infusion of rich textures throughout new ceramic collections. As architects and designers explore a growing interest in outfitting built environments in raw and rugged materials, the incorporation of tangible surfaces enables one to interact with and navigate a space. Tiles impressed with deep grooves, subtle fluting, billowing curves and scored strokes are meant to be experienced both visually and physically. 

 The Third Dimension

New collections feature a plethora of third dimension (3D) tiles from fluted and protruding surfaces to reliefs with explosive patterns. As manufacturers work towards producing tiles that look and feel like natural stone, marble prints are now paired with low-relief veining for an incredibly realistic appearance. Ceramic tile companies are looking at 3D as the next frontier of design. 

Trompe L’oeil

From misty forests to overlapping sheets of corrugated metal, tile manufacturers are producing a range of mind-blowing optical illusion effects on porcelain.  

Given the technical benefits of porcelain, designers can use these digitally printed tiles to their advantage, creating a shower that appears to be enclosed by billowy drapes or the floors of a spa covered in grooved wood-look planks. 

The top 10 ceramic tile trends, and many others, will be on display throughout Coverings 2024, taking place on 22-25 April 2024 at the Georgia World Congress Centre in Atlanta. 

Celebrating the timeless role ceramic tile plays in architecture, design and installation around the world, Coverings has released its top 10 wall tile trends for 2024. 

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to:

www.coverings.com for the information in this editorial.