Cevisama, the International Ceramic Tile Fair, recently took place at the Feria Valencia center in Spain. The Spanish tile industry continues to be vibrant and sales are on the rise for a third year. Spain has grown its tile exports, further solidifying their leadership position at the forefront of technology and design. As a result, Spain is currently Europe's leading ceramic tile producer and the second largest exporter at worldwide level.
U.S. Exports Increase by 22% in 2013
Spain's ceramic tile sector exports grew by 8%. It is estimated that total sales by the Spanish ceramic tile industry will have hit 2.8 million euros by the end of 2013. Exports to the USA rose by more than 22%.
The following provides a brief overview of some of the key trends and new products featured at Cevisama:
Encaustic and Hydraulic
Classic encaustic ceramic hydraulic cement styles in a wide variety of colors and geometric patterns continue to attract attention. From distressed antique to contemporary colors, the mixed pattern look was everywhere at the fair and was shown on walls, floors and counter surfaces.
Beveled
Beveled tile adds dimension, depth and interest to a subway tile pattern. Tile textures and geometric shapes give designers flexibility to take classic looks and recreate them in new, interesting ways.
Geometric and Fashion Inspired
Geometric shapes such as hexagons and fashion inspired Victorian reliefs or herringbone patterns offer a fresh vantage point - outside the rectangular or square box. Shapes also provide a crafted or artisan feel given the attention to detail in execution. Mix and match patchwork takes this effect even further.
Technology Advances
•New 12mm countertop slab sizes in 5'x10' dimensions were launched by Inalco and Neolith.
•Inalco presented a unique material with the resistance of porcelain tile combined with an innovative translucent quality called Poise. It allows designers to have light show through the surface.
•Touché is another new addition to Inalco's range, standing out in this case for its ultra-white surface, a pioneering achievement in porcelain tile design. This degree of whiteness provides a better background for the creation of classical high-quality marble-effect tiles.
•Relonda introduced a single fire product with reactive metallic glaze. Kefrin is a beautiful and accessible metallic concept.
Oxidized and Fossilized
Spain manufacturers continue to push the envelope on wood looks creating new petrified or fossilized concepts that have a stone-like appearance. Oxidized looks were also prevalent incorporating rust, blue and metallic tones for a contemporary industrial feel.
Global EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations)
The first AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification) Global EPDs were recently awarded to tile companies, making the Spanish tile sector among the first to be awarded type III ecolabels. EPDs form part of a European ecolabelling system for products from the construction sector, aimed at certifying the environmental impact of products during the life cycle and their eco-efficient manufacturing process. The companies that were awarded the certificates were Azuliber, Ceracasa, Iberoalcorense, Peronda, Azulev, Cerámica Ribesalbes, Gayafores, Keraben, Cerámica Latina, Azteca and Novogres, which now join Rosagres, Porcelanosa, Colorker, Vives and Roca. ASCER worked to develop an innovative online tool that allows companies to easily apply to receive EPDs that are accepted in many countries in Europe, Canada and Asia.
Tile of Spain Awards
This year marked the 12th edition of the Tile of Spain Awards. Both the prestige of its successive juries and the quality of the prize-winning projects have made these Awards a reference point on the international architectural circuit.
