From porcelain that emulates stone to a surface that evokes rustic clays, from retro mouldings to tiles inspired by kimonos, today’s surfaces roundup features innovators who look to the past as much as they forge forward.
Above and top: Courtesy of Noël & Marquet
Gallery Rouge
Noël & Marquet
Designed by Milan-based collective Studioutte, Noël & Marquet’s Galerie Rouge exhibition showcased the versatility of its wall panels. The exhibition took the company’s panels and mouldings out of their regular role as background actors, featuring them as the burgundy-drenched stars of the show (cover image). Featured above: an exemplar from the nostalgic space-age Arc Series in its daily habitat.
Photo: Simone Furiosi
Kimono Collection
Federica Biasi for Decoratori Bassanesi
Reviving techniques of old like double-firing and enamel glazes, Federica Biasi’s Kimono collection will be featured at the latest edition of Cersaie in Bologna. Inspired by the construction of the traditional Japanese kimono, the tiles reference different panels and elements of the garment like the eri, or 'collar', sode, or 'sleeve', and the doura, or 'lining'. Biasi took inspiration from Decoratori Bassanesi’s historical archive as well, noting it as ‘a point of departure for an exploration of color, ceramic yield and glazing’.
Photo: courtesy of Florim
Sensi Terre
Matteo Thun for Florim
Reinterpreting the world of clays by merging traditional craftsmanship with technological innovation, Sensi Terre is a collection of surfaces that faithfully reproduce the colours and textures of ceramic clay. Inspired by the tenth anniversary of Venere Bianca, a series of vases celebrating the idealized feminine form, Thun returns to the materiality of ceramic as the inspiration for his collection for Florim. The result is a collection of surfaces flexible in configuration, sporting the neutral but rich and earthy tones of raw ceramic. Four different finishes ensure customizability, and Florim’s production facilities recover 100% of raw production waste and wastewater, respecting ‘earth’ in more ways than one.
Photo: courtesy of Himacs
HI MAZE
Himacs
Himacs’ Hi Maze installation during Milan Design week placed an urban labyrinth in the middle of the city. Designed by Studio Cappelini, the labyrinth was composed entirely of Himacs’ Alpine White Ultra-Thermoforming elements. The elements contain SCS-certified recycled content, adding to the appeal. The studio expressed wave and spiral patterns on the material through thermoforming and CNC-milling, showcasing the material's design potential. At night, the panels were lit from within, truly bringing the installation to life.
Photo: Courtesy of Keope
Trevi Cross
Keope
Keope pays tribute to the discreet charm of travertine in Trevi Cross. A stone often associated with ancient Roman architecture, travertine was used by Mies van der Rohe in 1929 for the German Pavilion in Barcelona and by Richard Meier in the 1990s for the Getty Centre Museum in Los Angeles. Like travertine, Trevi Cross is a porcelain stoneware tile featuring veining and tonal changes; it is produced in rich colours such as walnut and ivory, with finishing options for indoor and outdoor use.
Photo: Delfino Sisto Legani Studio
Being Mutina
Mutina
Photographer Brigitte Niedermair created an artistic document from 24 of Mutina’s best-known tile collections for this exhibition during Milan Design Week 2025. The tile collections, made in collaboration with renowned designers over the course of the brand’s 20-year history, were fashioned into photography sets by Niedermair, who shot them with a large-format camera. The tiles come alive, transforming into the main characters of the photographic narrative.
