With more than 1,000 exhibitors in 2006, Cersaie showcased a dizzying array of tiles with trends toward historically sourced floral prints, kitschy patterns, and gleaming metallic finishes. - Russell Fortmeyer
 

Connect the dots
Lite-Brite patterns are called to mind in Ceramica di Treviso’s Silk stucco options (near right), while designer Toto Dolfato has created a ceramic mosaic look for the company’s TrevisoProgetta’s Murazzi line, shown with and without grout (middle and right). Murazzi is available in a wide range of colors in a standard 12''-square grid. Ceramica di Treviso, Villorba, Italy. www.ceramicaditreviso.it

[Reader Service: March 2007 #200]
 

Patterns, please
The Live collection from Ceramiche Provenza injects the sensibilities of 19th-century Victorian wallpaper into tile, with subtle hues that thankfully avoid the gloomy tonalities of the period. Tiles are available in 23''- or 16''-square or 23'' x 16'' sizes, and in muted green and blue colors. Ceramiche Provenza, Modena, Italy. www.ceramicheprovenza.com

[Reader Service: Month 2007 #201]
 

Finding the one
The Enigma line’s punch-card effect brings texture to an otherwise subtle surface. This Matrix-like pattern is available in neutral colors and in various sizes, including 20''-square and 26''-square tiles. Monocibec, Sassuolo, Italy. www.monocibec.it

[Reader Service: March 2007 #202]
     

Crazy daisies
Bisazza’s Decori collection, shown in the Daisy option, incorporates a laser-cut floral scheme in glass chip slabs that manage to be both retro kitschy and decidedly modern in a larger-than-life scale. The line is available in black-on-white, red-on-white, or white-on-blue (shown), and in 12''-square and 24''-square sizes. A 3¼16'' thickness is suitable for floors. Bisazza, New York City. www.bisazza.com

[Reader Service: March 2007 #203]
Steeling beauty
Fioranese’s Steelwork line brings the sheen of metal to the durability of ceramic tile. The tile’s metallic artificiality is extremely difficult to detect, making it a great substitute for floors and walls that can’t support a slab of Cor-Ten. Available in a variety of tinted polishes, the tiles come in 4'' x 24'', 12'' x 24'', and 24''-square sizes. Fioranese, Fiorana Modenese, Italy. www.fioranese.it

[Reader Service: March 2007 #204]