Arpi on Tile
From Bologna With Style
Six Italian tile trends defining Cersaie 2025 ... along with master classes in installation
(Image courtesy Cersaie)
By Arpi Nalbandian Tileometry
When Cersaie kicks off in Bologna, Italy (Sept. 22-26), it won’t be just about stylish tiles in various sizes and formats—it will be about how they’re placed.
Alongside the sweeping texture and material narratives, keep an eye on the exhibition’s Tiling Town, which will make hands-on installation and craftsmanship a showpiece all its own.
But first, let’s talk about all the new tile and the six standout tends to keep an eye on.
Lea Ceramiche’s Pulse, debuting at Cersaie 2025, features intricate veining, fractured lines, layered textures, and rich tonal depth. (Image courtesy Lea Ceramiche)
Invented Minerality: Stone Reimagined, Not Reproduced
Lea Ceramiche’s Pulse makes one of the fair’s clearest statements. Instead of imitating a known quarry, the brand composes a new “imagined” stone with fractured lines, layered textures, and four toned neutrals (Clay, Shell, Sand, Shadow). The oversized (120cm x120cm) format of the collection is available in natural/tactile options for interiors and higher-grip finishes outdoors, nudging designers toward one continuous material across thresholds.
Serenissima Ceramiche’s latest ceramic surface introduction, marble-effect Palazzo, offers a multifaceted sense of luxury to contemporary design, expressed through two available finishes—polished and soft touch—each capable of significantly transforming the perception of the material.
Palazzo Soft Touch, smooth and subtly glossy, adds warmth and comfort to the most lived-in spaces. Ultra-glossy with vibrant colors, Palazzo Polished aligns with the modern trend of enhancing interior design with refined details. Available in seven colors, and four formats (60cm x 120cm, 60cm x 60cm, 120cm x 120cm, and 30cm x 60cm).
Serenissima’s new Palazzo collection features ultra-realism in a porcelain product by reinterpreting seven renowned varieties of marble, each celebrated for their beauty and versatility in applications ranging from prestigious architectural projects to private spaces. (Image courtesy Serenissima Ceramiche)
Woods with Provenance, Serenity
Atlas Concorde deepens the wood-look conversation with Log and Log Cansei, a collaboration with Itlas that celebrates Italian oak and the Cansiglio beech forest. The result is a quiet, contemporary plank with sensorial finishes (Matte Sensitech and Grip Sensitech) and elongated formats (20cm x 120cm) that visually lengthen rooms.
Offered in five collections: Sospiro, Rialto, Murano, Darsena, Fenice. Three decorative options are also available (18.5cm x150cm format): Murano Riga, Sospiro Riga, and Rialto Riga.
Log Cansei is the first ceramic tile collection inspired by the beech tree of the Cansiglio forest, a unique essence in the world. Created in collaboration with Itlas, an Italian company specializing in the production of wood flooring, it combines ceramic excellence with the naturalness of wood in five iconic shades suitable for both indoor and outdoor spaces. (Image courtesy Atlas Concorde)
Cir Manifatture Ceramiche’s Forever Color collection includes the Bubble series where the combination of glossy and matte finishes creates dynamic geometric designs through reflected light. (Image courtesy Cir Maifatture Ceramiche)
Dimensional Micro-Bricks: Glossy, Ribbed, Color-Rich
Marca Corona’s Miniature Rima (6cm x 24cm) pairs a ribbed section profile with a glossy, artisan-leaning glaze palette — from a buttery caramel to a jewel-toned green to a punchy red — all designed for stacked or mixed-color installations on vertical surfaces and furniture.
Available in a range of 10 colors, Miniature Rima offers a tasteful balance of warm, reassuring hues designed to provide compositional freedom thanks to its ability to adapt from straight walls to architectural curves to decorative niches.
Color is also the soul of the latest tile collection from Cir Manifatture Ceramiche with its palette of 11 colors. Thanks to its ability to characterize every space, the collection aspires to effortlessly complement different materials used in interior design.
By reviving the tradition of small sizes, Cir encapsulates Forever Color in a 20cm x 20cm square tile and a 6cm x 25cm brick tile, expanding compositional possibilities through different surfaces, finishes, and decorative solutions.
Miniature Rima extends the Marca Corona Miniature project and small tile collection with a new 6x24 porcelain tile mini brick for transforming surfaces into vibrant, exquisite compositions. A compact size, a range of intense colors and a glossy three-dimensional finish create a decorative product with a strong impact — both visually and tactilely. (Image courtesy Marco Corona)
Refined Metallics: Oxidation, Iridescence, Depth
Casalgrande Padana’s Fusion explores metal oxidation and chrome-like reflections with a curated color scale (Black, Graphite, Grey, White, Green, Copper) in both standard and large formats (up to 120cm x 278cm), as well as several decorative formats.
With Fusion’s iridescent accents, modern metal effects, coupled with porcelain tile’s technical features, this collection allows for seamless installations when used on furnishings, countertops, partition walls, and accent walls. As for its impact, Fusion is ideal for those who love a minimalist interior design style full of character.
Casalgrande’s new Fusion tile collection not only boasts tactile qualities, but coupled with its metal aesthetics, its lends itself as an ideal and desirable surface for use in contemporary projects in the contract furnishing, hospitality, hotel, and retail sectors. (Image courtesy Casalgrande Padana)
The Travertine Renaissance: Warmer, More Inviting
Revel, the new stone-effect collection from Panaria Ceramica, was born from the desire to create something unique. As it celebrates raw material, it simultaneously dares you to be surprised by the unexpected beauty of nature.
Alongside Revel, Panaria is presenting two additional new collections:
- Lullaby, with its pastel tones and delicate finishes, brings lightness and softness to the most intimate spaces, offering a refined, bright and harmonious aesthetic; and
- Perpetual Travertino – an evolution of the marble-effect collection initially launched in 2023 – now showcasing new surfaces inspired by the noble charm of vein-cut travertine: deep, sophisticated textures shaped by a contemporary, architectural and welcoming visual language.
Revel’s stone look is characterized by its natural and tactile appearance, ideal for those who wish to harmonize the space between indoor and outdoor spaces with visual continuity. (Image courtesy Panaria Ceramica)
Soft-Matte Limestone Fields: Ancient, Resilient Beauty
From Gigacer is the Travertino collection, inspired by the limestone rock of the same name, famous in architecture since the days of ancient Rome. An ancient texture that, reinterpreted in a contemporary key, dresses living spaces and projects with its elegant veining. The Italian tradition of enjoying the refinement of irregularity carries itself through three different options – from white to beige – that simultaneously and harmoniously bring to life the tonal subtleties.
Gigacer’s Travertino is available in a 9mm-thickness, can be specified in three different surfaces: Mat, Soft and Outdoor. (Image courtesy Gigacer)
Spotlight: Tiling Town—Where Design Meets Craft
Tiling Town is the beating heart of tile installation at Cersaie 2025. Organized by Assoposa (the Italian tile-installers’ association), this dedicated zone within Hall 19 is a training and performance showcase of exceptional scale—part of a sprawling 5,400 m² hall that brings installation to the forefront.
Inside Tiling Town, the Assoposa Academy features daily live demonstrations by master tile layers and immersive technical seminars focusing on large-format slab installation. Architects, engineers, and surveyors can earn professional training credits.
A professional training hub, supported by Formedil, provides updates on educational programs and safety protocols. Meanwhile, the Cersaie World Tiling Lab brings international teams together for tile installation challenges.
For architects and designers, Tiling Town isn’t just inspiration—it’s insight. You’ll see how magazine-worthy products behave in the field, and understand installation limits, edge conditions, format alignment, and surface handling.
For tile manufacturers and retailers, it’s the ultimate credibility machine: seeing product installed perfectly underscores finish quality, dimensional accuracy, and the value of partnering with certified layers.
For students and younger professionals, it’s a training ground—hands-on, mentored, and embedded in the future of tile layering. Between practical demos, exoskeleton-assisted setups, and live-formatted learning, it’s a catalyst for new talent and ideas.
(Image courtesy Cersaie)
At Cersaie 2025, inspiration is around every corner, with innovations and ideas too abundant to capture in a single glance. The smartest way to experience it all? Strategize your path: wander the halls, let your eye be caught by what excites you, then circle back and dive deeper into the exhibits that truly resonate. Consider it both a journey and an adventure. Buon viaggio e buona fortuna!