Kim Cook
Curious Room
Tile may be rooted in ancient craft, but designers today are pushing the medium in some surprising — and often delightful — directions.
From Milan to Mexico City, Brooklyn to Barcelona, both indie studios and major manufacturers are experimenting with bold textures, new shapes and playful patterning.
For centuries, tile mostly played the quiet supporting role in architecture — a practical backdrop for kitchens, baths and floors. Lately, though, it’s stepping forward a bit. Whether it’s a small-batch studio turning out painterly handmade pieces or a big manufacturer scaling up graphic murals, tile is increasingly becoming one of the most expressive surfaces in contemporary design.
Pattern play
At this year’s Cersaie tile fair in Bologna, creativity and color were everywhere, with designers treating tile less like background and more like an art form.
Elle Décor market director Benjamin Reynaert said the halls were full of herringbones, knits and woven effects. “The textile-inspired designs stole the spotlight, transforming hard surfaces into something that felt soft, tailored and fashion-forward,” he said. “Pattern wasn’t just a detail this year — it was the headlining act.”
New Ravenna’s Tissé collection features mosaic patterns inspired by woven materials like wicker, jute and rattan.
Two others — Cardigan and Cable Knit — look uncannily like oversized sweaters – the kind that almost make you want to curl up with a book nearby. Tiles with tweed or twill motifs add a tailored, almost sartorial feel.
The British design house Morris & Co. has also been dipping into its archive, translating some of William Morris’ iconic wallpaper patterns into ceramic wall and floor tile.
And those beloved heritage patterns — French country, Spanish, Moroccan and Victorian — are still going strong. Cement tiles and colorful glazed versions continue to pop up in entryways, backsplashes and sunrooms, adding old-world charm with a graphic punch.
Tiles that pop
Texture is another direction designers are exploring. Three-dimensional tiles can introduce sculptural or architectural interest even in a small space.
Italian maker Marca Corona recently unveiled chunky breeze-block tiles that could form a striking partition or feature wall, casting graphic shadows as light moves through the space.
At Cersaie, designer Patricia Urquiola’s booth for Cemento — featuring her new Boton and Riva tiles — won an award.
Boton tiles resemble glossy, oversized candies. Riva, by contrast, has a muscular, Brutalist vibe. At the show, the tiles were used not just on walls but to form credenzas, stools, cabinets and trays.
Designer Melanie Roy recently used Artistic Tile’s orchid-shaped 3D Thassos tiles in a bathroom at the Kips Bay Showhouse in New York, creating a surface that felt tactile, ornamental and quietly dramatic.
Beyond full 3D forms, designers are also playing with refined shapes — diamonds, fish scales and fluted tiles — that add a touch of Art Deco flair to backsplashes and bath walls, especially when paired with interesting colors.
The revival of ’60s and ’70s décor is also making its way into ceramics. Zia Tile, for instance, has a Palm Springs-inspired collection with names like “Bossa Nova” and “Highball,” featuring terrazzo swoops and playful circles.
Art, atmosphere and animalia
Some tiles are leaning even further into artistic territory.
Glazes that capture the swoosh of a brushstroke or the pooling of wet paint are showing up in stylish bars and restaurants, as well as contemporary homes.
Japanese design studio Nendo drew inspiration from wind movement for a recent tile design. And companies like Zazzle even offer tiles printed with photographic imagery of waves or sun-dappled water.
In Yucca Valley, California, designers Andrea Keller and Mikayla Mitchell of Star Tile create handmade pieces inspired by fractured rock, crystalline formations and eroded landscapes, finished with earthy glazes.
Then there’s illustrated tile — always a conversation starter.
In a collaboration with the Dutch design studio Moooi, Italy’s ABK Ceramics created a collection called Nesting Room, featuring owls, rheas and doves. The birds were chosen for their calm demeanor, meant to help create restorative spaces.
Meanwhile, Bardelli’s Mongolfiere collection includes a series called Aquatic Creatures, with delicate pencil-and-ink illustrations by Riccardo Cappuzzo. Puffer fish, sea urchins and other sea life become whimsical hot-air balloons carrying whales, swordfish and dolphins across the tiles.
Cappuzzo said the idea came after watching a documentary that showed dolphins playfully nudging puffer fish — an interaction believed to release toxins that affect the dolphins.
“These illustrations represent aquatic animals seen through a fantastical and exuberant lens,” he said. “They’re portraits of an enchanting marine world that we should understand and protect.”
Greige: not gone, but taking a back seat
Color, meanwhile, is coming back with enthusiasm.
After years of muted neutrals dominating interiors, many of the newest tiles lean into nature’s palette — mossy greens, sunset oranges, rich reds — along with appetizing shades reminiscent of toast, wine, chocolate and fruit.
Designers are also embracing “color drenching,” where tiled surfaces echo the same saturated hues used on walls and ceilings.
At design fairs in Paris, Frankfurt and Milan this year, those lively tones were everywhere — racing reds, juicy oranges and deep greens. The shift brings warmth and personality back to interiors after a long run of builder-basic greiges.
Even so, the dependable beige rectangle isn’t going anywhere soon. But designers are showing just how far beyond basic the medium can go.
Today’s tile still protects floors and walls, of course — but it’s also becoming a canvas for pattern, texture and color, proof that even the most practical surfaces can have a little fun.