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Photography courtesy of Apavisa.
Ceramic tile is everywhere in Valencia, catching your attention in as you walk down the street, the facades of places like the Mercado de Colón and the Estación del Norte offering a degree of decoration our eyes are, for the most part, not used to seeing. (The same, of course, can be said for a great many buildings in Barcelona and Madrid.)
Spanish tiles have a long history, so—after touring the city—it was especially informative to visit the annual Cevisama tile fair, which draws over 70,000 attendees from around the world. (Mostly) Spanish companies both large and small, some skewing more artisanal, others more commercial, showed their creations over five days, demonstrating Spain’s dazzling advances in both artistic and technical areas. Cevisama 2025 ran from February 24 – 28, 2025.
Although in such a large forum one can find a little bit of everything, a few trends stood out: a 70s vibe, bringing saturated colors in curvy patterns; multi-process glazes that sometimes involve digital printing to create unique effects; subtly-sculptural stone-like textures that blossom when light hits them; reactive glazes that fire into a kaleidoscope of tones in the high heat of the kiln; and variations on the familiar that are hybrids of vintage, retro, and modern, creating new design paradigms.
Must-See Tiles On Display During Cevisama 2025
Cevica Groovy
Photography courtesy of Cevica.
Quite a few brands at the show gave off a 70s vibe, but none better than Cevica. Their porcelain Groovy collection of 8” x 8” matte, anti-slip tiles comes in solids and patterns in blues, brown, orange, and cream are straight out of the decade that brought us bell bottoms, platforms, and feathered hair.
Apavisa Oleo
Photography courtesy of Apavisa.
These rectified porcelain beauties by Apavisa, available in several sizes and three colorways, are named for and inspired by oil painting techniques. They offer a visual language reminiscent of the work that goes on behind a masterpiece—the building up of thick, impastoed texture, relief effects, and overlapping colors—or a masterpiece itself.
Cevica Celosia Symbol
Photography courtesy of Cevica.
Breeze blocks (or lattice screens) had a dramatic moment at the Hotel Cevisama presentation. Able to filter the direct sunlight while allowing in air and indirect illumination, Cevica‘s Celosia Symbol can be used as a room divider or privacy wall. The 15 cm x 15 cm blocks come in five shapes representing letters (X, T, D, V, and blank).
Equipe Verticale
Photography courtesy of Equipe.
Photography courtesy of Equipe.
Glazes with depth and dimension took tiles—even familiar squares and rectangles to all sorts of new places. Equipe’s new Verticale collection of porcelain tiles includes 4” x 4” and 2” x 16” options in eight colors ranging from dim gray and moody blue to deep royal and soot—each inspired by natural polished stone.
Harmony Amber
Photography courtesy of Harmony.
A pattern can fall into a category you can’t quite put your finger on—retro? vintage? hybrid? Harmony‘s AMBER is just such a tile. It delivers the nostalgic warm breeze of an old-world Mediterranean tile kissed by something more modern. The 8.75” hydraulic squares resemble encaustics (molded under high pressure) but are porcelain, available in both green and taupe.
Mainzu Normandy
Photography courtesy of Mainzu.
Sometimes you see a tile and immediately begin dreaming of where you’d put it in your imaginary home with limitless floor space. Mainzu‘s Normandy has a relaxed indoor-outdoor feel that beckons you go barefoot while bringing your partner another glass of wine. The 8” x 8” tiles can go inside or out—even for swimming pool walls.
Ibero Strata
Photography courtesy of Ibero.
A strong trend was a series stone-like patterns with subtle (or, at times, not-so-subtle) reliefs that created a dramatic look without bright colors or glossy surfaces. Using texture as a canvas, some looked like weathered stone while others resembled architectural cladding. Strata by Ibero were among the strongest, mixing geometry with ancient wisdom.
Decocer Senda Vibe
Photography courtesy of Decocer.
Using matte and gloss glazes on the same tile creates depth and rhythm, even when executed subtly. Senda Vibe’s patterns patterns shaped over time—and manages to employ neutral shades and irregular surfaces to create something really elegant. The 6” x 6” porcelain tiles by Decocer come in 3 patterned shades as well as 3 complimentary solids.
Natucer Techno
Photography courtesy of Natucer.
Photography courtesy of Natucer.
Reactive glazes that fire into complex and sometimes unpredictable ranges of color within a single hue have been growing in popularity and were well represented. Natucer‘s Techno applies this exciting finish onto a molding-like repeat on its 4” x 15.5” tiles that amplifies the variations, with darker shades pooling in the grooves—in five gloss colors.
Realonda Dakhla Circle
Photography courtesy of Realonda.
The penny tile format has become so ubiquitous that it can easily be overlooked. But wait! Realonda‘s Dakhla Circle has the broad strokes of the traditional mosaic, but adds a relief surface and a more sophisticated palette that’ll have you rethinking the genre. The 12” x 12” sheets of porcelain tiles were inspired by traditional terra cotta.