Innovation and tradition, technology and craftsmanship, classic and contemporary decorations: each edition of Cersaie corresponds to new expressions of creativity on ceramic surfaces. A sign of the vitality of the sector on international markets

With over 95 thousand visitors in the five days of the fair, the 41st edition of Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, closed on September 27.

Of the 606 exhibiting companies, 230 came from abroad (25 countries represented), confirming the international connotation of the event.

Read INTERNI's Cersaie 2024 special here

"Even in an international context characterized by highly critical situations, Cersaie's great capacity to attract has allowed exhibiting companies to make the most of the investments made: the quality of the visitors we met in Bologna such as distributors, architects, real estate operators - declared Augusto Ciarrocchi, President of Confindustria Ceramica - was well perceived by our companies in their stands.

Italian ceramics continue to be a leader on world markets thanks to the absolute value of their design and distinctive characteristics such as sustainability and respect for people's rights".

The textures, reflections, and transparencies of ceramics create plays of light, shadow, and surfaces with multiple effects.

Color

The color palette composed of 56 shades, including 4 metallic nuances, to which Oak wood is added – allows the Master collection by Arbi Arredobagno to create customized configurations, thanks to the combinations of color, finishes, textures.

The Elie Saab collection produced and distributed by RAK Ceramics is composed of countertop and freestanding washbasins made in six color shades that match the taps in the new gunmetal finish and the new slabs of the Calacatta Viola collection and the Amazzonite collection, which reflects the depth of the green stone typical of the feldspar deposits of the Peruvian jungle.

The new Shaker collection by Odo Fioravanti for Ardeco – winner of one of the ADI Ceramic&Bathroom Design Awards curated by ADI Emilia-Romagna - is inspired by the essentiality of the religious sect from which it takes its name.

It is based on two T-profiles in galvanized metal to which the various elements are fixed, including sinks, containers, mirrors, lighting and accessories and offers various possibilities for customization and functionality.

Craftsmanship, three-dimensionality, texture

The new line of coverings and decorations with a strong three-dimensional impact Boost Expression by Elisa Ossino for Atlas Concorde is characterized by a strong focus on the material quality of the surfaces. The geometric and dynamic motifs establish a continuous dialogue between materials and spaces, light and shapes.

The Kimono collection by Federica Biasi for Decoratori Bassanesi is inspired, in its installation proposals, by the composition of traditional Japanese clothing and takes up some elements from the company's historical archives.

The project, in fact, recovers some of the processes such as double-firing and enamels, with their material and shiny texture with brilliant reflections, updated with contemporary processes.

The material collection, with strong and vibrant shades, is offered in 8 colors, two finishes - smooth or Millerighe - and 2 different sizes - 5x15 and 15x15.

Reverse is the collection designed by Cristina PettenuzzoOTTO studio for Opificio Ceramico where the colored stucco, normally functional for laying, becomes an integral part of the decorative project, through a “reverse” point of view.

If Tiki recalls the fringes of exotic roofs and the skirts of Polynesian dancers, Zoo is a mosaic of irregular tiles, while the Hoop pattern recalls a handful of travel coins thrown into a fountain and the irregular edges of Trim, filling with color, give life to an unusual decorative motif.

Bold textures and natural, opaque pastel colours for Homey Paper Clay, the new ceramic collection designed by Paola Paronetto for Ceramice Piemme which brings the focus back to the craftsmanship and tradition of artistic ceramics.

Tradition revisited

The SensiTerre project by Matteo Thun for Florim reinterprets the world of clays by blending artisan tradition with technological innovation.

The natural color range and the material surface reproduce the different textures of clays in the colors Cotone, Sabbia, Rosato, Mattone, Amaranto and Carbone. Key elements of the collection are the modularity and multiple configurations of small and large sizes.

Inspired by the work of ancient artisan workshops, where natural powders were compacted in long, narrow molds, similar in size to the longarine used in the construction industry, Longarine by Marca Corona is an entire program dedicated to the 7.5x60 cm format.

The project enhances the versatility of design, installation and combinations of the elongated brick whose texture can be uniform, with matching joints, or more decorative, with contrast joints even in different colors.

The shapes of ceramics

The experimental project Taki by Nendo for Flaminia - a metaphor for a waterfall - is composed of three ceramic elements of different sizes, held together by a steel structure and arranged with a slight offset.

Also by Nendo is the Box washbasin which, inspired by the experience of unboxing, is characterized by thin thicknesses and clean lines extending beyond the shape of the box.

Industrial style for the The New Yorker washbasin by Alessandro Paolelli for Kerasan available in free standing and semi free standing versions.

It is a cylinder (Ø 40 cm) that opens at the top, enlarging the basin by 5 cm compared to the overall size of the base. The sanitary ceramic can be combined with matt black or chrome tubular structures; the accessories are available in 4 color variants.

Human engineering

Hypertouch is the intelligent ceramic slab from Iris Ceramica Group that, thanks to a hidden technology, reacts to contact with the hand by activating an integrated system of home automation sensors for switching on and off lighting, audio-video, window and door frames, and temperature control systems, eliminating unsightly external plates and switches.

Accessories

Life Caring Design is an approach that takes into account evolving needs, ensuring safety and practicality in any motor or cognitive condition. The flat section Omnia handles by Ponte Giulio designed in collaboration with Daniele Trebbi are available in eight different lengths, have a load capacity of up to 150 kg and can be accessorized with storage shelves, shelves of various sizes, removable containers, towel hooks and coat hangers.

Onda by Simone Micheli for Progetto Group is a line of accessories in white RAL 9016 painted brass complete with solid surface containers, designed for interior design projects in the residential and contract sectors, with a particular focus on the hotel sector.

The stone effect

RAK Ceramics invests in the concept of Mix and Match, abandoning traditional uniformity to explore creative combinations of materials, colors and textures with an approach that is based on the creation of different combinations of collections.

Grey Antique is an agglomerate of marble and stone, a finished slab from which the individual natural elements have been “extracted” and the Moon Stone, Grey Stone and Crystal White collections have been created.

The concrete effect

Industrial inspiration for the irregular texture of Grayn, Refin Ceramiche, which alternates uniform areas with others moved by small grains and light ripples.

Among the new collections in concrete-effect porcelain stoneware, Novart by Ceramica Sant’Agostino combines concrete-effect porcelain stoneware with mosaic.

The next edition of Cersaie will be held in Bologna from 22 to 26 September 2025.