Warm, moody colors dominated the aisles of Cersaie 2026 and the windows of almost every storefront in Bologna, notes Danielle McWilliams, principal at Novità, the communications agency for Ceramics of Italy. Just like in fashion, Italian tile manufacturers debuted collections in deep burgundy, luxurious browns, earthy terracottas, and vibrant reds and yellows. This vibrant aesthetic set the tone for the 43rd edition of the annual international trade show, which brought together manufacturers, architects, and designers to explore the latest innovations in ceramic tile, architectural surfaces, and bathroom furnishings.
Held for five days at the end of September in Bologna, Italy, this year’s landmark event drew more than 90,000 visitors. Attendees packed the exhibition grounds to evaluate advanced ceramic and porcelain surfacing materials presented by 600 exhibitors representing 24 countries. Beyond the sheer volume of international participants, there was a palpable energy to this year’s fair that extended far beyond the bustling crowds. That dynamic buzz was visibly reflected in the temporary showrooms, where brands displayed bold, exciting products that pushed the boundaries of traditional surface design.
Besides a dramatic shift in color palettes, major trends at Cersaie 2026 included oversized large-format tiles, enhanced texture and dimension, intricate digital printing technologies, and increasingly convincing natural material effects. Together, these developments point toward a future where ceramics function as primary architectural elements rather than mere decorative finishes.
Color Makes a Comeback
While stark white and minimalist neutrals will always retain a foundational place in interior fashion, ceramic makers did not shy away from richer, more saturated hues this year. Industry leaders observed a distinct psychological shift across the marketplace, signaling a departure from the restrained palettes that have dominated residential and commercial design for over a decade.
We are certainly seeing a renewed confidence in color, says Benedetta Borghi, of external affairs at Atlas Concorde. There is a much greater willingness to use stronger colors as part of the architectural palette.
Combining bright hues with neutral and warm white tiles offers a refreshed aesthetic that balances exuberance with livability. Atlas Concorde’s Boost Hux pairs warm natural tones with striking accents of green, red, blue, and ember, while its Vivia collection features vivid glazed colors directly inspired by historic Italian ceramics. For us, color is increasingly becoming a design tool rather than simply a decorative accent, Borghi explains.
Cristina Faedi, a renowned tile trend expert, consultant to Confindustria Ceramica, and founder and art director of Infinite Possibilità, echoes this sentiment. There are Italian companies that have even doubled the colors in their range, and others have made three densities of the same color, she notes.
Green Takes Root
The sudden ubiquity of rich-colored tiles may represent a natural design pendulum swinging back after years of quiet, muted tones and ubiquitous neutrals. However, industry analysts also see the chaotic state of the broader world influencing contemporary tile palettes. Faedi points to the traditional concept of the seven chakras, which correspond to the colors of the rainbow, noting that green specifically represents empathy and emotional healing.
Given this cultural and psychological backdrop, it makes complete sense that green is having a major moment in surface design. It’s a color that clearly gives a lot of calm and is inspired by nature, Faedi says. It’s a narrative of landscapes, of places, of wild herbs, but also of thermal waters and even of oceans.
Alongside shades ranging from deep forest greens to pale, calming sage, earthy palettes centered on terracotta and other organic tones stood out prominently across the exhibition floors. Glossy finishes were frequently deployed to amplify these rich colors, helping them catch the light and truly pop within a space. For instance, the Plinth collection from Sartoria—part of the Terratinta Group—comes in rich shades of Moss and Stone Green, utilizing a three-dimensional surface to add tangible texture and physical dimension to vertical walls.
Playing with Perception
Ceramic is no longer simply reproducing a material: the surface itself is becoming an architectural element, Borghi observes. That’s an interesting evolution in how we conceive interior architecture.
This evolution was evident in collections like Marca Corona’s Multiforme Mira wall tiles, which complement the brand’s rugged concrete-effect porcelain floor tiles. The line’s Tassello decorative variant features small, three-dimensional tesserae meticulously arranged to create the appearance of a continuous mosaic, contrasting glossy and luster-glazed details against a subdued matte background.
Similarly, as part of The Nesting Room collection, Moooi Ceramic Surfaces collaborated with ABK to design Hypnotic Owl. This floor and wall tile features a tactile 3D-relief surface created using ABK’s proprietary 3DTECH technology, a specialized digital process that applies glazes and intricate textures directly to porcelain stoneware.
Gruppo Bardelli brand Appiani introduced Lamiere within its Pastelli Strutture collection. Inspired by industrial sheet metal, these through-body ceramic tiles use precise chiaroscuro lighting effects to successfully create the visual illusion of a three-dimensional surface, even though the tiles remain entirely flat to the touch.
Nature, Reimagined
When genuine stone or marble proves cost-prohibitive or lacks the durability required for a high-traffic project, modern ceramics offer the precise aesthetic of natural materials paired with the superior performance of porcelain. While stone-look ceramics have been a staple for years, rapid technological advancements have rendered these effects increasingly indistinguishable from the real thing.
We are talking about controlled chaos, Faedi says of advanced tiles that successfully mimic natural stone. Technology can create this apparently chaotic mix of colors, hues, and shapes, but with a great visual impact, thanks precisely to modern techniques.
Gruppo Romani brand Verde introduced Essenziale, a glazed porcelain stoneware line that faithfully captures the materiality of limestone. Its proprietary Contour Tech 3D printing process colors the underlying ceramic body at varying depths to accurately reflect the natural irregularities and veining of sedimentary stone.
Meanwhile, the Marble Boutique collection from Del Conca offers an uncanny replication of rare marble and onyxes. The line features three distinct finishes—Shine, Natural, and Structured—alongside six material options with enhanced color depth and complex veining, presented in large-format slabs measuring 48 by 110 inches.
Sizing Up
Large-format tile continued its steady march forward at Cersaie, even after years of steadily scaling up dimensions. We see large slabs as a way to create greater continuity across different elements of a space, from floors and walls to kitchen countertops, islands, and furniture, Borghi notes.
European manufacturers, particularly across Italy and Spain, first pioneered oversized formats in 2001 by leveraging advanced pressing techniques that moved the industry far beyond traditional 12-by-12-inch dimensions. In the United States, the American National Standards Institute officially defined large-format tile as any unit with a facial dimension of 23 inches or larger. At Cersaie, numerous exhibitors showcased extra-large formats, including Cotto D’Este’s Solaris collection, which spans sizes up to 24 by 128 inches.
From Paint to Pixels
Another striking trend at the trade show was the coexistence of colorful, intricate decorative tiles produced through high-tech digital manufacturing alongside pieces crafted via traditional hand-painting techniques. This juxtaposition highlighted the industry’s ability to honor heritage craft while embracing cutting-edge innovation.
Ceramica Bardelli’s Tulipani collection, designed by Ronald van der Hilst, features delicate floral decorations realized through three distinct patterns utilizing cold digital printing and laser engraving. The same brand introduced Searcus, designed by Riccardo Capuzzo, featuring playful patterns inspired by the sea and the circus.
In direct contrast to digital mass-customization, Ceramica Francesco De Maio presented its Three Elements, One Matter collection, designed and hand-painted by renowned architect Kengo Kuma. I sought to let nature emerge through the hand, where each tile carries a continuous human gesture, sometimes as light as rain, sometimes as soft as mist, sometimes as grounded as earth, Kuma reflects. Material, movement, and landscape quietly become one.
