Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

International Buyers See Big Innovations in Ceramic Tile at Cevisama

by Olivia Farquharson | Tuesday, February 26, 2013 | 2 Comments

Buyers attending Cevisama’s 31st annual exhibition were inspired by a variety of trends shown by the nearly 700 exhibitors at the recent ceramic tile, stone and bathroom show held in Valencia, Spain. Among the highlights were high-definition inkjet prints, reclaimed “wood-look” designs (such as that in the image above by Tau of Tile of Spain), unique vintage and metallic patterns, and high gloss finishes.

Cheryl Kees Clendenon, owner of In Detail Interiors in Pensacola, Florida, was excited by the quality of the products she saw at the show. “Cevisama is a wonderland of inspiration for a designer, ” she said. “The innovation of the Spanish tile companies is above and beyond what I have seen elsewhere and have already specified a new Porcelanosa tile for an upcoming project.”

In fact, the Spanish tile industry overall has seen a steady uptick in exports, according to Pedro Riaza, Secretary General of The Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association (ASCER), which promotes Spanish tile through its Tile of Spain brand. “If [exports] continue at the current level of progression, sales from all of Spanish companies could overcome 2.2 billion euros,” Riaza said. (2.2 billion euros equals roughly $2.9 billion in US dollars.)

Cevisama officials estimated the show attracted roughly 71,000 attendees, of which 13,000 were international buyers representing 78 countries. Cevisama will next take place from February 11-14, 2014.