ceramic tile

Our friend Kemp Harr from floordaily.net recently interviewed Patti on diverse topics and published the following interview.

So clearly, my deadlines, travel and fatherhood are taking up too much of my time these days- leaving less for blogging about the fun stuff in the industry.

But the long anticipated second installment of this year's Cersaie files is here... FINALLY!

Of course I'll get into everything else happening in the industry eventually too but this installment is all about the manufacturers from Spain exhibiting at the fair. Every manufacturer I focus on in this post have distribution in North America and a focus on our market (despite the poor numbers our building sector is still posting)

Aparici

Expands its mastery of digital glazing this year. With new glazing machines they can achieve finer resolutions and operate from a larger pool of jpegs creating greater variation. In order to decrease production costs and offer a better-priced product to market they are utilizing reactive mineral glazes to add texture to simple flat molded bisque instead of molding texture into the tile itself. In some cases the texture and depth is purely illusionary, so good are the digital reproductions. Also to keep costs down for consumers there is a line of floor and wall tiles produced in red bisque from the renowned local Spanish clay.

Apavisa

Unveils some new weathered metals along with some subtle concrete looks that both have a raw and aged feel to them. The metals are subtle this year, merely hinting at a metallic glint with little or no sheen. The new collection is all about the 3rd dimension with complementary mosaic pieces in overlapping waves or multiple thicknesses to create shadow and depth. The new revolution is their bent or warped pieces. Apavisa is proposing options to bump, warp and twist any of their porcelain material for wall installations to create a whole new category of decorative ceramics.

Ceracasa

Builds on their reputation of innovation by providing objective research with the commissioning of a 1000 square foot dwelling utilizing their revolutionary ECOM4TILE. The study will be monitored year-round to provide empirical data on ECOM4TILE’s ability to regulate indoor temperature. The material has been making waves since it’s unveiling this year at Cevisama and was recently awarded the 2011 innovation award from Architectural Products.

Also improving on their digital capability Ceracasa has implemented a state of the art digital plotter with 6 color-bands capable of astounding variation and resolution on large format tile. Unveiling 3 new lines (weathered metals, concrete and bluestone) of porcelain floor and wall material aimed at the architectural specification market. The integration of new technology and research will keep Ceracasa at the forefront of innovators to watch especially in solutions offered to design specifiers.

Dune

Brings out some larger formats this year playing with some new takes on traditional refinement. Three separate collections offer large formats of classic glamour finishes in a more approachable way for 2011. Gold, silver and turquoise play in graphic reinterpretations of sophisticated damasks and geometrics, which portrays an understated opulence that belies Dune’s deft artistic touch.

The Emphasis series takes mixed medium mosaics to a new level. Mixing metals, stone, glass and ceramics embues a modern twist to classic mosaic patterns creating a whole new look in multiple finishes. The new collections, like a Chanel suit, breathe an undeniable timeless luxury into any space without being pretentious or flashy.

Eureka! Expands Dune’s complementary bathroom fixture program. Classic claw-foot tubs and vessel sinks are the perfect complement to the “new luxury” tile programs presented this year. Like many manufacturers Dune has also created a low-cost for high value collection of styles. These offerings present unparalleled aesthetics in more scaled formats. All of Dune’s 2011 offerings present an amalgamation of past, present and future to create a new definition of exclusive timelessness for all price points.

Gaya Fores

Creates some simple digital solutions in natural materials. Woods, concretes and natural stones all in straightforward mattes with subtle textures provide spaces with an understated neutral canvas. One unique preposition is a plank-style porcelain wood siding tile for residential use. The uncomplicated, intelligent displays propose the clever functionality of their material.

Inalco

Continues doing what they do best this year- Creating impeccable texture in the most architecturally approachable neutral palette. Three new collections arise from their partnership with the Spanish design collective ‘Bunch’. Each series evokes the experience of basalt or lava stone.

They have also proposed a custom, sustainable public art solution for commercial spaces re-creating classic artworks in multiple tiles with their iPlus digital technology. Known for their large formats, Inalco has also developed more innovative furniture solutions such as tables and bookshelves, which provide durable hygienic surfaces without any joints. Two of their new series also feature large-scale water-jet cut “mosaics” for subtle floor and/or wall decorations within the field.

Magna

Magna is making high fashion accessible to the growing market of price-conscious consumers today. Employing cutting edge glazes paired with non-rectified locally sourced clay bodies, the tiles look like a million bucks without costing it. Creating multiple scored mosaic lines evoking stone, ceramic or glass, Magna is providing both material and installation savings to the client.

Natucer

The iconic Spanish extrusion factory has been a reliable innovator for years and 2011 is no exception. Natucer chooses to continuously search for new looks, functions and ideas for their age-old production process. The Life-Arq collection’s modular siding and steel framed screening options have created a new area for ceramic specification beyond traditional floor and wall installations. This year’s addition of ‘Cube’ to their repertoire brings a more austere geometric version to the line of screen material.

This year Natucer has also pioneered a technique to bring the power of digital ink-jet glazing to the world of extruded ceramics with ‘Ink-Klinker’. The high moisture content of the unfired extruded bisque has, in the past, kept extruded ceramics from taking advantage of this new technology.

Also, keeping with the trend of creative low-cost material Natucer has re-introduced 2 modular geometric series that re-interpret classic tile patterns like fish scale into modern compositions. These programs have been updated with new colors and glazes from an existing line ensuring costs can be kept lower while delivering a beautiful of-the-moment look.

Pamesa

Pamesa continues to expand their digital technology division. Creating realistic stone looks and wood grains for both residential and commercial projects. The subtle textures and perfect color combinations combine for an approachable collection that appeals to a wide customer base. Many stone and painted wood programs harness digital glaze technology to offer a multitude of chair-rails, wainscoting panels and various other trim options. Digitally produced trims have graphic design or classic photography inset within the field proposing ceramics as a permanent artistic cladding medium for many styles of design.

Peronda

With deep roots in fashion and modern art, Peronda is uniquely setup to be an industry trendsetter. The wildly successful ‘Museum’ collection of high polished iconic marbles gets an update with new relief decor pieces and a new size 44x120mm, the largest to date for the company. Innovative resin & porcelain modular décors in metallic finishes round out their glamour collections with a feel of 70’s costume jewelry. These 3-D materials are glitzy without looking fussy and can be paired with much of Peronda’s collection to add a “wow” focal point in any composition.

The wood series “Timber” creates one of the best representations of distressed or reclaimed planks on the market this year. This scratched, weathered and salt-stained series appears as if it was re-cycled from shipping palettes; a feeling enhanced by the ‘handle with care’ and “fragile” décors available.

Porcelanosa

This industry leader once again had one of the busiest booths at the show and after seeing their new collection there was no question as to why. Even as a late adopter of digital glazing, Porcelanosa’s offerings were some of the best at the show. Subtle weathered textures combine with impeccable stone and wood representations to create a nuanced feel. Masters of textured wall tile, Porcelanosa also showcased beautiful white on white textures evoking re-mixes of classic patterns and natural phenomena to add sophistication and interest without adding color to a space.

Roca

The sanitary wear giant is also an innovation contender in the ceramics world this year. In a year somewhat light on revolutionary products, Roca came out with 18 novelty collections including multiple low-cost options. ‘Pietra Nero’ a technical through-body material is available in four finishes including a décor. The double pressed method of dry glaze imbedded in the body creates the most realistic black galaxy granite in porcelain seen to date.

High contrast was another prime focus for Roca with the Calypso series. The high gloss black & white collection presents an edited, everlasting face to interiors without feeling aloof or austere. Multiple decors and trim pieces have the feel of classic couture design that will never go out of style.

Keeping with the trend of approachable luxury Roca is offering many of their sophisticated wall tile collections in a new smaller size of 25x70mm. They are also providing a red-bodied floor tile option in many non-rectified tile programs, once again providing top-quality aesthetics at diverse price points.

In a new venture last year Roca partnered with Armani to create an exclusive collection of tile featuring Armani’s sartorial palette, patterns and textures. Available with corresponding bathroom furniture and sanitary wear, this new collection epitomizes the understated luxury of today’s elite.

Rosa Gres

The Spanish commercial pool tile giant creates waves again this year. In an effort to propose new solutions for their target market they have introduced a beautifully refined solid color porcelain line to compliment their pool-tile collections. Like all of their current programs, the material is produced in one size, 48x48” which creates un-matched color consistency in their multiple-sized collections replete with unique technical trim pieces.  With one size of production Rosa Gres can easily guarantee dye-lot consistency for projects as each smaller size and trim piece required can be cut down from the larger format. It also lowers productions costs making them one of the most competitive suppliers for this market with the higher cost field tile being more than balanced by the substantially lower cost trims. Some of the innovative solutions proposed this year are multiple infinity-pool options and large formats for pool walls and bottoms all with corresponding porcelain coves and grates from the same material.

Saloni

The entire booth this year showcased ceramics with empty frames hanging on the walls, reinforcing the message that modern ceramics are not just a functional cladding material but artwork. With a strong project-based collection Saloni once again has many wall tile programs with simple textured décors at square meter pricing to keep project costs low and aesthetics high.

A master of multiple layered glazes, Saloni has once again created some of the most complex geometries, textiles and floral patterned tiles for sophisticated decoration. Even though Saloni makes some of the most realistic reproductions of natural material they seem to relish making tile programs that are so uniquely ceramic that they are purely a celebration of the material. 

Vives

Has put forth a strong environmental commitment this year with their ‘Feeling Eco’ Program. By certifying and quantifying all their environmental initiatives throughout their manufacturing process, Vives has become a leader in ceramic tile’s environmental story. As members of both the Spanish and US Green Building councils they are aggressively working to elevate ceramics as the green material choice for technical cladding materials. Aesthetics have not been sacrificed with these initiatives. In fact, Vives had two of the most beautiful wood parquet programs at the show this year showcasing unique colors and textures.

Rounding out their 2011-2012 novelties are stone and concrete inspired programs in modular formats equally suited for commercial and residential use. With their strong environmental message and beautiful aesthetics Vives has become a ceramic house to watch this year and will continue to grow even in this less than bullish market.

As always you will have to wait until after Coverings for our full 2012 trends synopsis but I will have some more tidbits from the floors of Cersaie still to come.   

I know, I know... you are all salivating for more info from Cersaie 2011. It's still coming, I promise.

You will, I'm sure, forgive my delay in favor of this amazing Tile of Spain installation which debuted in Milan, Italy at the MADE Expo in October this year.

The inspiration for this exhibit was for it to physically project some of the prime foci of the ceramic tile sector in Spain to people moving through the space. In their own words, Here's how Tile of Spain describes the space:

“Fluidity: Ceramics, a material for the city of the future”
    "Today's global society requires a greater continuity between the public and     private, between indoor and outdoor spaces, from which new synergies arise, and lead to more dynamic urban spaces with a better relationship between cities and their inhabitants. Fluidity uses the characteristics of ceramics to respond to these needs, creating urban elements characterized by a double skin, in other words with an outer side, composed of elements that decontaminate the air, and an inner side consisting of extruded ceramic tubes. The floor is flexible, forming waves that move in synergy with the various layers of the skin. Walls, ceilings and floors interact with each other".
    “The public space of the future is varied, composed of elements which             interact with one another through the use of diverse materials and various building systems, leading to design projects with versatile functions".

Green Geometries Laboratory co-founder, José Ramón Tramoyeres was the architect-curator for this exhibit.

He and his firm are the same people responsible for last year's exhibit 'Vectorice' that debuted at the Bejing Architecture Biennial. The 'Vectorice' installation was the centerpiece of Cevisama 2011's Trans Hitos exhibit which can be seen in an older blog post HERE 

The ceramics and mechanical installation systems were supplied by ASCER member manufacturers; Ceramica Mayor's- Tempio, Ceracasa Ceramica, Decorativa, Natucer and Tau Ceramica to collaboratively create a custom organic space that interacts with users and the surrounding environment in a beneficial way.

This one installation exhibits many of the strengths of the tile sector in Spain- first and foremost of which is unbridled creativity and the drive for rapid & intelligent innovations. Never liking to say no to a client; each of these factories, like most ASCER manufacturers, frequently work with architects on a project by project basis to collaborate on custom solutions.

The unique space employs ventilated facades with a unique glaze & surface texture that neutralizes NOx in the atmosphere (BionicTile); a raised flexible flooring installation (Tau's S3 Systems) & columnar extruded tile interior/exterior walls that even transition to benches (co-operative effort by Natucer's Life-Arq. and Tempio's custom installation framework) The custom molded ceramic benches outside of the super-structures propose a highly durable & hygienic custom solution for public areas.

If you missed the MADE expo this year- do not despair! Fluidity was built to last and will be seen in this year's incarnation of Trans Hitos at Cevisama this February. Yet another excuse to get yourself to Valencia to experience the fair first-hand. Make sure to contact us on Twitter at the fair!

Now that the first major tile fair of the year has come and gone I really can’t neglect the blog  anymore. I’m sure you will forgive my protracted absence, with my travel schedule I find my new daughter so much more compelling than the LCD screen of my laptop- but I digress.

Cersaie, the international tile and bathroom fair in Bologna Italy came a week early this year and as usual didn’t disappoint.  As the next couple weeks go on I will be doing my usual overview of trends and innovations but I thought I’d intersperse it this year with some manufacturer spotlights. The first of which is the trifecta of awesomeness that is Land, Aparici & Apavisa from Tile of Spain.

Last year, Land’s colossal basket-weave installation of warped slim porcelain drew nearly every eye at the show but Apavisa had the show-stopper this time. All three company booths featured the bent, stretched and warped material that has become an industry phenomenon as well as their dry-pressed & rectified Hexagonal tile. More on that material in an older post HERE.

In a patented firing process the group is able to take tile to a new level. The magic of the kiln transforms the flat greenware bisque into a 3 dimensional marvel. This process can be applied to any of the slim material produced by each company. Taking ceramics from a cladding material into true art installations.

Which was in fact the premise of Apavisa’s booth this year. The booth was titled ‘ART GALLERY’ and it truly read like a beautifully staged and curated exhibition of modern art. From installations evoking sculptures to tapestries each area of the booth challenged the viewer to re-think the traditional hum-drum kitchen and bath installations of ceramic tile. Proposing ceramics to be exactly what they have become over the past few years- art.    

Amazing right? Let us know what you think.

... And that's simply a few of the amazing shots I got from their booths at the show. I LOVE the opportunity to go to Cersaie every year. Many thanks go out to Tile of Spain for sending me there, these trips never fail to rekindle my passion for ceramics. Stay tuned for more on Cersaie 2011 and more manufacturer spotlights.

So it has been a while since I have chimed in on the old blog. The reason for this is simple- you may or may nor know but I have recently had my first child. The little time I have after all my work commitments and travel dates has been taken up and then some by my wife and daughter’s needs during the past 3 months. Something had to give and unfortunately, that was my time blogging and on twitter. I’m a do it right or don’t bother kind of guy so I threw myself into daddydom with gusto and by the same token, decided it was preferable to leave writing alone completely rather than post halfhearted entries. But I am back and happy to report wife and baby are both doing great and settling in to our new life together.

As any other parent knows, life changes dramatically with your first child.- mostly for the better. I know my life is infinitely better with my daughter in it! What many parents tend to gloss over though is that your bundle of joy is going to put you through the proverbial crucible and test you and your spouse to the limit. I started thinking, shortly into little miss Claire Isobella Fasan’s first week of life, that having a new baby is much like living through a full scale DIY renovation. Trust a self professed tile junkie to find a correlation between my life and something in the design/build industry. So that will be my return blog post- Why having a baby is like renovating your house… while living in it… and doing most of the work yourself.

It also gives me an ironclad excuse to throw in a couple pictures of my little monster… I may have daddy goggles but I think she’s gorgeous.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Social Media icon, Paul Anater on the Reign in Spain trip this year at Cevisama. He has been blogging up a storm (read: Business as usual for him) about the trip and the manufacturers' new products. If you are not familiar with Kitchen and Residential Design do yourself a favor and go join the convo.

Today's post is a great write up on Grespania's CoverLam with plenty of beautiful pictures to salivate over... Have a peek!

HERE

Coverings 2011 was an amazing show this year. For the first time ever the show landed in Vegas and nearly a month early. The feel at the show was the most positive North America has seen since the recession. Most manufacturers reported a hungry crowd that gobbled up innovations and placed many orders.

Patti was, as usual, the rockstar of the show... presenting 3 topics in the official conferences and daily presentations on the Tile of Spain Booth. Her annual trend synopsis at the international press conference had the audience on the edge of their seats as usual.

To kick off this amazing event, Patti was invited to do a TV spot on new innovations to be showcased the opening morning of the event. Patti and HGTV's Ali Azhar from "Design on a Dime" had guest spots on "Las Vegas Morning Blend"

See Patti's interview HERE

More on the show to follow in the days to come.

So for the third year in a row, I am at Coverings building a booth for Bellavita Tile. This year the undertaking was herculean with over 300 new sku's being added to the collection and a 50% larger booth. I will do another post on the company blog (which I have just started) detailing the epic journey and new products that I got to collaborate on designing.

This post however, is all about our accommodation. Each year the owner, sales manager and I rent a condo or house to keep costs down and allow me to cook us a feast or two. This time we wound up in a house just west of the strip (the above picture is from the balcony at night)

To be fair, it is actually quite a nice place... but extremely strange and so totally Vegas. Immediately to the left after entering the front door you are met with a full scale bar complete with a plethora of glasses and cocktail making equipment. Including a couple bottles of tequila, Jaimesons & Malibu, a nice touch to welcome us to Sin City. 

Ooh Lookey! opposite the bar is a couple of loungers more at home in a night-club sporting matching ultrasuede upholstery... But notice the tile floor. In fact, I was happy to discover the entire house is ceramic tile or stone on the floors and even most of the walls. The snobby tradesman in me couldn't help but inspect the workmanship of the installation and was pleasantly surprised to find that even the old German master-trades that trained me would have been pleased with the job. Seriously, I was hard pressed to find a single problem with the tile anywhere in the place.

Now, you can't see the whole space from that shot but notice that there's no TV in the family room. Strange for a rental, but not unheard of... except there is only one TV in the entire house... Also from the late 80's...

Well the house has character, much like Vegas itself,  I'll give it that. I loved cooking in the kitchen and on the massive BBQ. The boys like their steak so I obliged one night and fixed up a killer meal featuring some beautiful rib eyes grilled on this bad boy...

All in all, it is a comfy space with lots of room for us guys and provides a welcome haven off the strip for us to settle in and get our work done. It does provide a daily chuckle too as we discover more and more oddities. I must close with just about the tackiest thing I have ever seen. It's so bad I kinda want it for myself... Coverings 2011 starts tomorrow and Patti and I will be speaking at two official conferences each along with her daily sessions on the Tile of Spain Booth. I will be writing some more Covering's centric posts in the days to come. But for now I leave you with this unforgettable image, from our bathroom...

When I was around 5 years old I was given a cassette tape by one of my parents' friends. It was a recording of Bob Moawad speaking to an elementary school. The title was 'Say No to Stinkin' Thinkin.' Because the man was hilarious I listened to the tape often throughout my childhood and I absorbed one of my most important life lessons from it. CAN'T is the dirtiest four-letter word in the English language. Think about it- As soon as we say aloud or even to ourselves "that can't be done- or- I can't do that" We subconsciously give up- Life becomes like striving for mediocrity.

I found myself thinking about this concept throughout many conversations on my recent trip to Spain. I grew up as an only child to an architect and interior designer so the peer-group that I spent my time with was mostly my parents friends... architects and designers. I felt immediately at home among the group of architects with us. Throughout my childhood and now professional life I have spent countless hours speaking with design professionals and 'Can't' is a word I have heard a lot in North America. To be fair, in most cases the can't comes from an outside influence-

By-laws, zoning, budget, lawyers or government say (x) can't be done.

How many projects do you know that have been mediocratized by enough people telling the architect that something can't be done? I don't know another profession that has so many chips stacked against them achieving their purpose. Unfortunately much of the field is left spending countless hours and creative energy working to minimize negative effects of this imposed Stinkin' Thinkin' rather than doing what they do best- creating.

Many times walking through the expo grounds at Zaragoza, one of the architects would point out an interesting detail and say to me:
"Look at that... We could NEVER get away with THAT back home!"

What if Stinkin' Thinkin' weren't forced down the throats of our architects? What might be possible to achieve if we embraced the profession in a more encompassing way? 'Tube Tuesday' this week showcases a few architects that have found a way to slog through the Stinkin' Thinkin' arriving at a place of

"what if we could do anything?"

Imagine where architecture would be if the word can't wasn't thrown at them 10 times daily.

One of my favorite parts of the Cevisama fair every year is the Trans Hitos exhibit in the center of the galleria at Feria Valencia.

Each year, multi-faceted teams of architects, designers, ceramicists, sociologists and marketing professionals collaborate to create unique spaces that showcase the power of ceramics in innovative ways. It is a feast for the eyes and imagination but also an embodiment of the indomitably creative spirit personified by the ceramic sector in Spain.

Each of the installations showcases multiple new technologies and innovative ways to utilize ceramics in our buildings, habitats and public spaces- Harnessing tile's power as both a functional and highly aesthetic medium. The theme this year was to fuse that duality of ceramic tile, utilizing the technical properties to create uniquely beautiful sustainable spaces- showcasing the limitless potential ceramics provide.

Each installation was so visually captivating I found myself spending over an hour of my limited free-time at the show learning about the creative process that instigated them. The depth of inspiration behind each exhibit was staggering. Each singular installation posed so many questions and challenges to the viewer you could feel the creative juices flowing through everyone in the space. As the center of the Fair, Trans Hitos was the main meeting  point, always full of people and buzzing with energy.

The student project section was extremely interesting as usual. Some of the proposed projects and their materials have translated to actual new product by ASCER manufacturers. A symbiosis common in Spain, students provide new inspiration that is taken very seriously by the manufacturers. Some of the most innovative solutions and product has been inspired by student projects.

Got my juices going, I never fail to be inspired or challenged by Trans Hitos.

Thoughts?