Italian ceramic and porcelain tile design is experiencing a bold transformation in 2025, with manufacturers embracing emotion, materiality, and craftsmanship to create surfaces that serve as design statements beyond functional elements, according to Ceramics of Italy's Spring-Summer Trend Report released following Coverings 2025.

Color Kaleidoscope Takes Center Stage

This season, single dominant shades are abandoned for an expansive color palette featuring earthy neutrals, soft pastels, bold, whimsical hues, and nature-inspired tones. Leading Italian brands use color to evoke emotion and transform spaces, with collections like Casalgrande Padana's Concept showcasing sun-soaked terracotta reds and Appiani's Coriandoli featuring electric Mediterranean blues.

The "color drenching" trend continues gaining traction through collections like La Faenza's Cocoon, which envelops rooms from floor to ceiling in saturated or muted tones for striking, cohesive environments. New color-centric lines, including CIR Ceramiche's Forever Color, Supergres' Colovers, and Flaviker's Palette, explore muted yellows, dusty pinks, and greys expressed through decorative patterns and textures.

Art Deco Makes Bold Comeback

Classic Art Deco motifs are experiencing a major revival, with Italian manufacturers reimagining timeless glamour through sharp geometry. Collections feature dramatic chevrons in Ceramiche Refin's Reliefs, architectural arches in Tagina's Marmi Imperiali, and bold circles in Gardenia Orchidea's I Pigmenti.

True to traditional Deco style, many collections emphasize high contrast with dark, moody tones set against lighter hues in eye-catching matte and glossy surfaces. Examples include La Fenice's Majestic and Elios Ceramica's Glow, which create maximum visual impact through strategic surface treatments.

Light-Interactive Surfaces Redefine Spaces

Italian manufacturers are pioneering tile designs that embrace light as a design element, moving beyond illumination to create surfaces that reflect, refract, and play with light. Large-format porcelain slabs in onyx, marble, and stone effects now mimic the depth and glow of backlighting through advanced digital and layering techniques, as demonstrated in Emilceramica's Tele di Marmo Lumia and Ceramica Fondovalle's MyTop.

Lattice-style tiles like those in Mirage's Terrae and Marca Corona's Arialuce function as sculptural elements, creating ever-changing shadows and light patterns when installed as room dividers or exterior walls. Strategic combinations of matte and glossy finishes in collections like Faetano's Manufatti create movement across walls and floors.

Human-Centric Design Emphasizes Cultural Connection

Italian brands are collaborating with renowned designers, including Paola Navone, Simone Bonanni, and Elisa Ossino, to infuse contemporary surfaces with a human-centric sensibility and cultural storytelling. Collections draw inspiration from diverse sources, from Indonesia's Kampung village dwellings in Tonalite's Kampung to refined Italian palazzo stone in Serenissima's Palazzo.

Manufacturers also deepen connections to natural materials through partnerships with suppliers, such as Atlas Concorde's Log collection created with Italian wood provider Itlas, and Mirage's Oltrenero developed with Mount Etna lava stone supplier Nerosicilia.

Beyond Traditional Applications

Tile is expanding beyond floors and walls into multifunctional design elements. Italian manufacturers are redefining ceramic as statement surfaces for countertops, cooktops, porcelain tables, and tile-wrapped islands. Collections like Coem's Immensa and large slab brands like Materia demonstrate this versatility.

Outdoor applications are also expanding, with Ceramiche Caesar's Civic series cladding kitchen and bar areas in sleek porcelain finishes. At the same time, small brick tiles and large-format panels are increasingly specified for outdoor wall cladding and building facades.

The trends reflect a global shift toward calm, authenticity, and connection, positioning Italian ceramic design at the forefront of sustainable, high-performance surface solutions that blend heritage craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.