Articles

here’s just something cool about Spanish tile. We envision terra cotta clay that dates back centuries, and also tiles with colorful hand-painted patterns. These are truly beautiful and classic. But beyond traditional and historical tile design styles, contemporary Spanish designers are also producing ceramic tile that works in a wider variety of projects. Read More

When it comes to choosing products for the home, color is a driving force in consumer preferences and choices. While the early and mid-2010s were all about the minimalistic grays and whites made popular by the farmhouse trend, recent years have seen preferences shift toward warmer shades, earth tones and an overall more colorful palette. Looking to 2023, color experts from some of the leading paint companies see this trend continuing. Read More

It’s no secret that hexagon tile is one of the most popular tile designs and one of our personal favorites. Hexagon tile’s secret to success: It delivers the best of both worlds. Both retro and a staple of modern design, hexes are playful yet inspired by nature itself. This honeycomb tile design is a hybrid with a key to everyone’s heart. It helps that hexagon tile looks great just about everywhere and in every look and tile style. Think we’re exaggerating? Just keep reading to see what we mean. Read More

The bathroom plays an essential role in the home: It’s where we typically start and end our day, as well as use it for relaxation and rejuvenation. As such, bathroom design can have a big impact on our mood — for better or worse. Of course, color is a significant part of any interior design, especially in a room that is used so frequently. Read More

ri Shaeps, a partner in the Century City office of Allen Matkins Attorneys in Law, recently moderated a panel at the California Multifamily Forum to discuss current trends in California’s commercial real estate and multifamily development. Challenges and opportunities multifamily developers are facing include cost escalation, labor shortages, inflation, technology, tenant expectations, and capital investment. The panel featured James Armistead, Vice President of Development at Fairfield Residential; Adrian Berger, Managing Director of Acquisitions at Cypress Equities; Jennifer Halvas, Managing Director of Investor Relations at Cityview; and Richard Hannum, Founding Partner at Forge Development. Here are key takeaways from the discussion: Read More

he National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has released its midyear 2022 Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook. While both inflation and mortgage rate increases have impacted the segment, the overall annual forecast still represents a double-digit increase over 2021. Read More

Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and EdiCer SpA (the organizers of Cersaie) are pleased to announce the second edition of the Destination: Cersaie | Bologna program. Now open for applications, the initiative, organized by Ceramics of Italy, gives North American architects and designers the chance to win a five-day, CEU-accredited trip to Italy’s culinary capital, Bologna, to attend Cersaie—the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings - taking place September 26 - September 30, 2022, at the Bologna Exhibition Centre. Read More

According to Nomdedeu, Spain continues to export its tiles to more than 180 countries around the world, with the USA accounting for 22.9 percent of its exports. Europe, Asia and the Middle East are the three next largest geographic areas. Spain also produced 567 million square meters of tile increasing production 20.3 percent from the previous year, making it the top EU producer, Nomdedeu said. Read More

Sustainable attributes, slip resistance & more drive growth By Bill Griese, LEED AP, director of standards development & sustainability initiatives, Tile Council of North America (TCNA) The North American ceramic tile industry has seen significant advancements over the past five years: Read More

A memorandum of understanding was signed today in Munich, Germany between Confindustria Ceramica, the Italian association of ceramic manufacturers, and BKRI, the German association of producers of raw materials for ceramics and industrial minerals (Bundesverband Keramische Rohstoffe und Industrieminerale). Read More