For six days in October, nearly 100,000 visitors from around the world gathered to attend Cersaie 2001, the International Exhibition of Ceramics for the Building Industry and Bathroom Furnishings, at the Bologna Fairgrounds in Bologna, Italy. From Oct. 2-7, more than 500 journalists chronicled a variety of technical seminars along with the products and upcoming trends in ceramic tile presented by 1,072 exhibitors.

According to the Cersaie Press Office, a shift in focus from individual product to project was the clearest trend in ceramic tile demonstrated at the international exhibition. Many exhibitors showed an increased emphasis on installation patterns to create new shapes while using ceramic tile in conjunction with other materials such as metal, glass and wood.

Cotto Veneto incorporated glass into its new line, Vetro del Piave. Fragments of colored glass decorate the surface of these floor and wall tiles. Similarly, Ceramgres released Vitrium Sticks, a line of glass edges that can be used as inserts or end strips in wall tile.

Although polished, natural and glazed ceramic tile remained popular, visitors at this year’s Cersaie exposition saw more semi-gloss products -- such as satin and lapped finishes -- for residential applications.

Porcelain tile and single-fired tile appeared frequently at this year’s show, as well. In porcelain tile, Epoca chose to imitate marble with the introduction of its tile collection I Marmi, while Marca Corona presented Le Tradizioni, a porcelain tile collection available in colors characteristic of terracotta. Le Tradizioni includes floor tile in three sizes, as well as trim pieces for stairs.

Show visitors caught a glimpse of Nature, Marazzi’s new line of single-fired or monocottura tile. This line consists of 25-by-33.3-centimeter field tile with fruit-themed decorative accents.

Siena also released single-fired tile with Stoneware, 20-by-20-centimeter frost-resistant, non-slip tiles in Mediterranean colors.

Many manufacturers also rediscovered ceramic tiles in smaller sizes and trim pieces, while some exhibitors set the trend of creating ceramic tiles with natural stone effects. ABK Campeginese introduced its Artic Marble line, a double-fired tile available in 25-by-33-centimeter wall tiles and 33.3-by-33.3-centimeter floor tiles in 10 colors. The line was designed to evoke the uniqueness of natural stone.

CO.EM. used porcelain tile to imitate the look of stone with the development of Iron, a tile line suitable for both interior and exterior applications.

Exhibit booths at Cersaie also incorporated the more traditional mosaic, terracotta and clinker tiles (a natural clay product, typically extruded, with properties similar to red stoneware) into their product offerings. Ferrone followed this trend with the introduction of Maiolicato, a collection of clay terracotta tiles. Sire offered vitrified clinker tile in the Evolution Series. The company manufactured these non-slip, frost- and scratch-resistant tiles from a mixture of clays cooked for as long as 36 hours.

Organized by EDI.CER. spa in collaboration with PROMOS srl, Cersaie once again shed light on future trends in ceramic tile for the edification of retailers, manufacturers, distributors, interior designers, and -- perhaps most importantly -- consumers.