The world of ceramics on show in Bologna between prospects and innovation
The 36th edition of Cersaie, the “International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings” promoted by Confindustria Ceramica, ended in Bologna on September 28. The exhibition is two-sided, revealing on the one hand a growing sector, on the other being – still – the reflection of trends in the field of furnishings and materials.
Cersaie 2018, an international great success
Starting from the numbers, with its 112,104 visitors (+0.4% more than in 2017), of which almost half coming from abroad, it confirmed its status as an unmissable event for operators in this sector.
It is also a sign of the excellent condition of Italian ceramic, which, as the world leader, generates an overall turnover of around 6.4 billion Euros every year, of which only a small part derives from the national market (15%), proof that the Country is still incapable of envisaging a solid and long-lasting growth.
Italy remains in second place behind the Chinese giant
With regard to production, Italy remains in second place behind the Chinese giant with 508.8 million slabs and tiles produced, slightly ahead of Spain. A high-quality production, envied and sought-after all over the world, to the point that it accounts for 32% of global revenue, putting Italy in first place, ahead of China (25%) and Spain (16%). Numbers which are confirmed also by the increase in the exhibition spaces at Cersaie, reaching a total of 161,000 in the 2018 edition and the parallel events organized during the Bologna Design Week.
A special reference needs to be made to the most interesting proposals presented during the exhibition. The large formats continue their race towards “bigness”. For the occasion, Florim presented Magnum Oversize, the widest range of ceramic slabs with formats varying from 160x320cm to 120x120cm, including 120x240cm and 120x280cm and different thicknesses, 6-12-20mm.
One of the main trends of Cersaie is certainly metal, where research leads to extremely contemporary textures, color-shifting, where oxidized effects rule. The numerous products which are worth mentioning include the Rebel series by Flaviker, rough metal in a full industrial mood, ABK with the minimalist texture “Interno 9” and the “Ossidi” line by Marca Corona, which aims at reinterpreting old stylistic features with a modern twist by means of his geometries.
Other references are to fashion, to vintage represented by earthenware and grit, to fabrics and wallpaper, like Mirage does with the Allure graphics. One need only think of Marazzi and its Eclettica series, inspired by the world of fashion, its intense and vibrant colors, and of FAP ceramics which play with light colors and geometrical patterns in the Pat series.
What emerges is, therefore, a continuous search for new elements which lead more and more to 3D textures, from bas-reliefs to engravings, geometrical drawings and shapes which reinvent the three-dimensional nature of ceramics. Signs of the renewal and competitiveness of a sector which is crucial to the economy and the territory.
