The Latest Trends in the Tile Industry

Size Trends

Large format tiles are continuing to be in high demand. Sizes such as 24″ x 48″, 18″ x 36″, and 24″ x 24″ can be found with cement, wood, and textile looks, as well as, patterned tile. According to Eddie Bedrosian, marketing director for the company Bedrosians , “Porcelain slabs allow consumers to achieve the look of timeless stone and contemporary design with durable, large porcelain panels.” Another great design aspect of large format tiles is the smaller amount of grout lines. As more tile installers become familiar with the installation process of the large format tiles, the more you will see this trend in commercial spaces, as well as, residential homes.

Wallpaper or Patterned Tile

“Pattern packs a heavy punch when it comes to design, so it may work better as an accent wall, rather than an entire room. Since it will be on the wall for decades to come, it’s best to choose a style and color scheme you know you enjoy verses something novel you’ve recently discovered.” –Snipet from the article Sales Trends for 2018 by Louis Iannaco of the NTCA Trends magazine. Patterned tiles are emerging as the new “it” tile. The styles vary from geometric and modern, to vintage and old world patterns. Every look is different and unique. A popular use of pattern tiles is to create a “rug” on the floor by using the pattern tiles in the center of the room with solid colored tiles around the edge. Another area that you can see pattern tiles would be as an accent on shower walls.

 

Wood Look Tile Trends

We get many customers asking “Is the wood look tile going to stick around?” The answer is a resounding yes! Some distributors are saying that wood look tile accounts for 30%-40% of their total tile sales. With ink-jet technology, wood look tile designs are evolving to create richer grains, bold colors, and vintage etching effects. Typical plank sizes include 6″ x 36″, 8″ x 48″, and so on. Wood look tile is a beautiful, cost effective, and easy to maintain option when designing a “wood” floor.

Color Trends

Every year color trends vary from light and neutral colors, to bold and dark hues. Here are a couple of color trends that we expect to see in 2018 (excerpt from the NTCA Trends Magazine):

• Warm Neutrals – taupe, cream, greige, and off white are go-to colors for any space.
• Dark Navy Blue – provides a calm and soothing dark neutral or accent color.
• Earth Tones – soft shades of grey and beige create a spa or rejuvenating feeling.
• Bright Kitchen Colors – expect a rise in bold color kitchen accents, richer and warmer color cabinets, rugs, accents and patterned tiles on walls and backsplashes.
• Black Matte – bold, contemporary look that complements a variety of materials and styles.
• Blue and Soft Greens – typically seen in glass mosaics and accent tiles.
• Metallic Finishes – create captivating effects when mixed with materials and textures.

Terrazzo an Emerging Trend

Terrazzo is typically view as “competition” in the tile industry, however, with ink-jet technology manufacturers can now produce porcelain tile with the look of real poured terrazzo. The visual of the mixed product modeling embedded marble, granite, quartz, or glass chip provides a unique look. This trend is starting to pick up steam in many areas of design.

Natural Stone

Never fear, natural stone is a trend that will not disappear anytime soon. Natural stone designs continue to evolve to design trends – currently favoring the warmer palettes of grey, white, black, and greige. From the NTCA Trends magazine article “Stone Trends” by Roy Viana, “The popularity of natural stone can be attributed to its innate uniqueness, as each cut is unlike any other. With no two pieces alike, natural stone inherently brings individuality to spaces.”

 

Look for more trends and advice in the NTCA Trends Magazine 2018