From building claddings to furnishing accessories

(November 2024) – Versatility and adaptability have always been hallmarks of Italian ceramic surfaces. Since the 1960s, Italian glaze and colour producers have pioneered solutions capable of generating an endless variety of hues and graphic designs, later extending their expertise to the structure of the ceramic products themselves. Technological progress has advanced in step with the ever-larger dimensions of individual tiles, which have now evolved into full-scale slabs. Techniques such as digital decoration and powder deposition, which can also enhance the edges of tiles, have led to the creation of wood-look surfaces with lifelike grains and marble- and stone-effect tiles with remarkably authentic textures.

Improvements in technical performance coupled with the consistent quality of individual products – achieved largely thanks to technological process control and meticulous selection of raw materials – have broadened the field of application of ceramic tiles beyond their traditional uses in bathrooms and kitchens. Initially, they were adopted in other areas of the home, such as bedrooms, living rooms and internal staircases. Later, thanks to their exceptional frost resistance and extra-large thicknesses, ceramic surfaces also became popular for outdoor applications. The advent of large formats has made ceramic surfaces particularly suitable for use in expansive, open-plan spaces, and Italian ceramics have been used successfully in these areas for over two decades. This journey of innovation has extended their field of use to every possible application within the construction sector – from interior design to architecture, external façades and street furniture.

So can we consider Italian ceramics to have reached their ultimate goal? Certainly not! By taking a step back to reappraise the fundamental qualities of the product – such as non-absorbency, resistance to acids and the absence of toxic emissions – Italian ceramics were able to take two steps forward and open up new opportunities in the promising yet still largely unexplored market niche of furnishing accessories. The potential applications of ceramic surfaces in this field are almost unlimited, from countertops and backsplashes in bathrooms and kitchens to tables, doors and kitchen shelves, from electrical appliance and cupboard doors and even interior and exterior doors. This constantly-expanding list of applications underscores the sheer versatility of Italian ceramic surfaces and the vast potential still waiting to be explored.

At first glance, these market niches may seem small, absorbing a relatively modest volume of ceramic products. However, they offer significant added value and in reality are growing rapidly. An article on European kitchen production in this issue of Cer Magazine reports that in 2021, 7% of kitchen tops were made of ceramic, a figure that rose to 9% over the following two years. Given that the value of kitchen production in Europe alone reached almost €20 billion in 2023, and considering that Italian ceramics are also suited for use on built-in furniture and appliance doors, this niche is evolving into a large and highly lucrative market that is not confined to kitchens.