Textured tiles of all kinds are cropping up everywhere, expanding on the movement trend from 2018. Whether they are sculpted, moulded, embossed or etched, tactile tiles are going from strength to strength.

Some texturised patterns that appeal to both the hand and the eye don’t necessarily make a statement of the relief. Instead they work to complement design creating a complete look with fine, tangible details. Great examples of this come from Cerasarda’s Abitare La Terra Rodo and Mainzu’s Tessuto and Fabric ranges, as well as their Mattanella Maronello.

Mainzu’s Fabric range consists of five different options; White, Dot, Cross, Saten and Mix which have a variety of subtlety in textural detail. As fabric should be, they look soft to the touch, and despite their neutral palette they can definitely add comfort to an interior. Tessuto follows in a similar vein with textures similar to woven carpet.

Abitare La Terra from Cerasarda offer ‘Rodo’ tiles which feature a large tropical leaf imprint in nine natural, earthy colours. These can be used alongside the plain coloured, yet textured Fondo, or Tracce pieces which feature a smaller flower and long grass design.

The tiles are available in four different sizes; 800x800mm, 400x800mm, 200x800mm, and 400x400mm.

Other companies rely on the textured surfaces to provide the patterns, as shadow and relief create real visual intrigue. One who has a lot to offer this trend is Antigua Cerâmica who has a host of shapes and styles to choose from. However, many companies have tried their hand at texture with great results.

Equipe‘s Magical3 plays with triangles and hexagons to produce a multitude of designs available in twelve colours. Two hexagon styles Umbrella and Oberland work together to create variation in texture as triangular Tirol can be used to create a whole variety of different motifs.

Fuoriformato offers three large format 3D designs which can make a real impact to interior spaces. Each piece stands out as a unique take on texture and when used en-masse are extremely visually pleasing.

Other soft and subtle uses of texture in design come from Dune‘s Mandorla, Novabell‘s Struttura Duna, and various ranges from Keraben. Mandorla’s almond shape can be arranged in a variety of ways to add visual interest in a calming manner.

Struttura Dune creates wonderfully organic shapes, evoking the natural rise and fall of sand dunes. The minimal design work makes natural stone the star and creates a truly chic finish.

Keraben’s simple use of texture shines through in their Superwhite, Mood, and Millenium ranges. All white (except Millenium which also offers Flow in black), the focus of each collection is the effect of various patterns on the surface. The effects are quite stunning, and the all white patterned tiles are extremely elegant.

The effect of other textured surfaces such as soft-padded walls and woven fences are also recreated by the creatives at tile companies, most notably by Antigua Cerâmica whose texture work deserves an article of its own.

Antigua Cerâmica also recreates the look of bamboo in both green and yellow to create a fun 3D tile perfect for bathrooms, skirting, and Tiki bars. Bambu is available as singles (20x145mm), triples (50x145mm) and corner pieces. The bamboo look also comes in a larger format (110x110mm & 40x300mm).

Other collections include: Stone Talk by Ergon, Libra by Appiani, Sospiri by Vallelunga, Metaline by Italgraniti, Arkshade by Atlas Concorde, Verve by Novabell, Chamarel by Vives as well as many collections from Realonda including Alhambra, Boston, Bling, Chevron, Coria, Diamond Waves, Eiffel, Dubai and Lidia.

As with the colour trend, texture is coming in all kinds. Whether it is utilised on a large scale, or for finer details, it can be worked into any environment to transform a space into a marvel for the senses.

A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, February 2019.