One of the outstanding new ranges at Cersaie 2022 was Canal Grande by Refin, a collection inspired by glamor of Venice and the city’s nautical culture. Canal Grande pays homage to majestic mahogany, the material traditionally used to build vaporetti: the famous Venetian water taxis. Refin’s design team, in collaboration with an historic shipyard in Venice, studied these nautical mahogany boards in great detail to … Continue reading Venetian mahogany vibes
Ceramiche Refin‘s strong response during these times of uncertainty, with attempts at being “virtually nearer” to their customers, means they have been on the ball when it comes to digitally presenting what would otherwise have been their stand at this year’s Coverings. Thankfully Diary of a Tile Addict can also do a little to help, and we have opened up our site to known and … Continue reading Iberian Inspired Limestone
This is a small selection of companies’ offerings that take large formats to the next level and into the ether. Using inspiration from nature in the form of marble and gemstones, digital printing helps to create truly incredible out-of-this-world tiles. Sicis offers both mystic marble and grand-scale gems. The veining in their marble collection comes in five powerful metallic shades, giving the collection its name … Continue reading Playing with Nature
the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition’s Residential award went to Ziger/Snead Architects for the Baltimore Slate House in Baltimore, Maryland; a striking design featured tiles by Imola Ceramica. Continue reading Slate Sophistication
In Italy, where tradition is a cultural hallmark, it is unsurprising that heritage plays a big role in tile design. From patterns inspired by centuries-old, handcrafted techniques such as intarsia, pietra dura and maiolica to styles with deep Italian roots such as terra cotta and terrazzo, brands are reinventing the past in new and interesting ways. Continue reading Top Five Tile Trends
Tile surfaces resembling natural textures have been around for some years now. One influence remains natural fibres, such as seagrass and coir, but the relief surfaces have become subtler, with new decoration techniques giving a false perception of depth of relief: thereby improving the cleanability of the tile’s surface. Timber effects are still surprisingly prominent. The look now is more towards simulating distressed and aged timber floors, and the darker hues of heat-treated woods and exotic rain forest timbers. In terms of format, the trends is away from parquet-effects towards larger planks – just as it is in the actual wood flooring market today. Continue reading Turning Back The Years: Pt 2
Refin’s new Voyager collection of faux tin tiles offers beautifuly aged and patinated finishes in a porcelain tile that closely resembles the beautiful tin ceilings so popular in New York at the turn of the last century. Continue reading Brooklyn Beauty
