11 Picks from Cersaie 2024: A Showcase of Design Excellence

Much the same way one never tires of visiting a favorite museum, one never tires of visiting Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tiles and Bathroom Furnishings, which took place from September 22 – 26, 2024 in Bologna, Italy. Porcelain and ceramic tiles present, as does a painting canvas, a blank surface on which designers and manufacturers can create graphics, pictorial compositions, textures, and interpretations of such materials as wood, stone, marble, and concrete. Although this year saw interesting design tendencies—a color story focusing on terra-cotta and blue tones, stripe and checkerboard designs, and the popularity of the beloved brick form enlivened with contrasting grout—we veer from a trend report in favor of presenting tiles that caught our eye as if strolling through galleries.

Check Out Our Favorite Tile Finds From Cersaie 2024

1. Alter Ego by 14Ora

From 14Ora’s Alter Ego collection, Sticks Milk on porcelain stoneware played into stylized stripes, chic in black and white.

2. Poetry Net by OTTO

Blue was a favorite color at this year’s Cersaie, particularly in the denim look from Paola Navone’s OTTO’s Poetry Net, an addition to the Hall of Famer’s vast Poetry House collection for ABK.

3. Papillon by Acquario Due

Pentagonal lines create Acquario Due’s dimensional butterfly form offered in glossy, crystalline, and matte enamel finishes along with platinum and gold.

4. Terrae by Casalgrande Padana

Casalgrande Padana’s Terrae includes a decorative mix of concrete and terra-cotta tones on porcelain stoneware.

5. Novart by Sant’Agostino 

From Sant’Agostino’s Novart collection a cement look paired with terra-cotta mosaics in a carved, 3-D effect.

6. Kimono by Federica Biasi

With Kimono, designer Federica Biasi interpreted the traditional garment’s knots and folds in highly glazed bold colors for Bassanesi.

7. Modulo Mondo by Cerasarda and Letizia Piani

Modena designer Letizia Piani explored interpretations of living spaces, from Native American tepees to Eastern pagodas and the skyscrapers of New York, for Cerasarda’s Modulo Mondo 17 collection, which are handmade in Sardinia.

8. Arialuce Curve by Marca Corona

Marca Corona’s extruded terra-cotta forms are assembled to create unique lattice screens.

9. La Lampara by Antiche Fornaci D’Agostino

Visions of the rippling Tyrrhenian Sea along the Amalfi coast are inspiration for the stoneware tiles in Antiche Fornaci D’Agostino’s La Lampara collection.

10. Wă by Federica Biasi

Wă, Federica Biasi’s simple sculptural tile for Bassanesi, derives from the irregular terra-cotta rooftops as seen in rural villages during a trip to China.

11. Collezione Blu Ponti by Gio Ponti

A Cersaie visit would not be complete without ogling Gio Ponti’s blue and white ceramics (faithfully replicated by Francesco De Maio), first designed for Sorrento’s Parco dei Principi hotel opened in 1962 and now available in porcelain.