As seen on floors and walls across both interior and exterior applications, International award-winning Architecture Design Collaborative projects a surge in Porcelain Tile trends as preferences favor much stronger patterns and colorways that instantly catch the eye. The industry has changed dramatically in recent years, due to advances in digital printing techniques and cutting edge technology, allowing the architectural and design community to submerge in stylistic experimentation.
New collections offer a multitude of shapes, textures and color schemes to create attractive and functional spaces. Whereas recently, the demand for tile was focused on minimalism and simplistic designs, the tile industry has seen a shift toward a more daring usage of pattern and texture where the porcelain acquires a more decorative dimensional form and color becomes the true protagonist. The firm expects that treatments such as Terrazzo, metallic textures, tile play, and bold colors and patterns will remain strong in 2020.
A recent ADC project that artfully demonstrates this industry movement is Valley Plaza Mall in Central California where the expansive spaces of the retail property create the perfect opportunity for playful moments where decorative tiles draw us in with earthy tones, textured surfaces and blue accents. “The design experiments with color, size, texture, and complex patterns to create a design from a traditional perspective, adding a contemporary twist,” says Craig Chinn, Principal. The contrast created by the mixed matched design of large-format Italian porcelain tiles; a digitally enhanced terrazzo pattern, bold-rich-colorful tiles, and a realistic concrete tile create a dynamic sense of space. A traditional herringbone pattern becomes the unexpected when the pattern becomes a tapestry of revitalizing blues and earth tones. The concrete-style tile acts as the neutral canvas, while the blue hues of the colored tile play off-of the terrazzo textures.
While tile has traditionally been an element of function, the current industry standards have evolved, and the tendency is to treat tile as a feature of the space. ADC projects that these industry trends will continue to be grow in the coming years as manufacturers continue to produce innovative material treatments.
