Ahead of trade fairs, editors are always trying to take their best guess at the season’s most popular styles. And while we often have our finger on the pulse, there is a certain excitement when we stumble upon something unexpected on the show floor. This is especially true when it comes to tile — a material whose durability and long life cycle mean it is less prone to the whims of fleeting trends. Below, we round up the collections that most surprised us at Coverings 2026 — North America’s largest tile expo — and the broader design directions they’re signalling.

PoMo Revival

Among the sea of neutral stone-look surfaces, a few collections stood out for their graphic, colourful patterns. Whether you call it postmodern or Memphis Milano, bold design is back in a big way. But that doesn’t mean designers are leaning fully into maximalism. Instead, these collections rely on tightly controlled motifs, often organized into repeatable grids that allow them to scale across larger surfaces without overwhelming a space.

Showgoers were like kids in a candy store at Vives’s booth, which won Best in Show for its rainbow-like display of ceramics, built around the newly launched Surf collection. Designed as a decorative complement to the rest of the company’s portfolio, the collection combines a variety of formats with aesthetic range, from single colours in matte and glossy finishes to a playful series of geometric prints that put a modern spin on the classics. Standouts included Kalea (shown), a 3-by-3 grid with each square surrounded by a colourful, jagged border; Anuenue, a bold graphic pattern that combines brightly-hued squares with black and white colour blocking; and Koa Multicolor, a playful take on the checkerboard style that was hot in 2025.

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Anuenue, shown on the floor.

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Koa Multicolor, shown on back wall.

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Described as a “symphony of colour and pattern,” the Playlist collection by Panaria draws inspiration from an eclectic mix of musical genres. The solid hues come together in a graphic decorative format — in either a full colour and neutral palette — that brings a playful sense of pastiche to spaces. Introduced at Coverings 2026, Playlist Encore iterates on the collection with dynamic terrazzo-inspired designs in matching colourways.

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Playlist Encore, shown in Rhythm and Blues.

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Nine flavours of gelato — from strawberry to mint — served as the starting point for the delicious Marmette collection by CIR Ceramiche, which is comprised of 20×20 cm formats designed to be mixed and matched. Each hue is rendered in a cement-like terrazzo finish reminiscent of traditional Italian tiles. These solid variations are complemented by 10 vintage-inspired graphics that are perfectly imperfect, evoking a handcrafted quality.

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Marmette’s patterns can be combined in unexpected configurations: For instance, Filippa — a whimsical stripe pattern — can be laid as a border to create a fringe effect that creates the illusion of a ceramic rug on the floor.

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Underwater References

If Ceramica Bardelli’s Aquatic Creatures collection, launched at Cersaie last year, was any indication, marine environments have taken hold as a key source of ceramic inspiration. And while that collection was more literal in its interpretation, featuring stunning line drawings of sea life, this year’s launches lean more abstract, with surface effects that mimic everything from rippling waves to fish scales.

Aquatic inspiration abounds in the Biomm collection from Ibero, with three motifs: Concept (shown), whose ridged, undulating patterns recall waves or sand dunes, depending on the hue in which it is rendered; Art, a textured relief inspired by coral reefs; and Decor Natural, made with an opalescent third-fire effect that mimics fish scales. These decorative options are complemented by a base unit in three colours, with subtle tonal variations that impart a natural look.

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Art, shown in Natural.

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Decor Natural.

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Named for the second largest island in Thailand, the stone-look Ko Samui collection from Spanish manufacturer Cicogres captures the beauty of its stunning turquoise waters. Shown here in green and blue, the rectified glazed porcelain stoneware is laced with gold detailing that evokes rays of sun bouncing off the surface of the sea. Available with a nonslip finish, Ko Samui is suitable for wet and dry spaces.

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Ko Samui, shown in Blue.

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Optical Effects  

Things aren’t always what they seem in the world of tile, where new technologies have enabled manufacturers to replicate natural materials that range from wood to natural stone. This year’s launches, however, focused on creating a different kind of illusion — one where the visual effect depends on finishes that play with light and texture to shift perception.

Originally presented as a sculptural work at last year’s Milan Design Week as part of Ceramiche Refin’s research program in collaboration with internationally renowned artists, Metamorphoses returned to Coverings as a fully fleshed-out collection of porcelain stoneware. Designed by artist Oliver Laric, the tiles read as solid when viewed from one side and striped from the other, thanks to their three-dimensional structure, inspired by lenticular lenses, which feature a smooth and textured side. Three metallic finishes — Bronze Earth (shown), Copper Sand and Steel Rock — enhance the effect, appearing lighter and shinier on the smooth side, and darker and burnished on the other. In this way, the ceramic surface exists in a permanent state of evolution, changing its appearance based on the viewing angle and light conditions.

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Metamorphoses, shown in Copper Sand.

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The Dimore collection by Faetano combines five precious natural marbles — Statuario, Paonazzo, Amazzonite, Blue Onyx and Imperial Brown — in matte and glossy finishes to create striking designs that bring a timeless sense of glamour. Clarissa (shown), a geometric design that combines all five marbles, stood out for the three-dimensional illusion it creates when repeated at scale.

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Dimora, shown in Floriana Amazzonite.

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Textile Influence

Many of this year’s launches showcased the softer side of tile. Inspired by a range of materials, including textiles and decorative paper, the collections introduced subtle texture and a warmth rarely achieved in ceramic surfaces.

The Miyako collection by Keraben makes a virtue of minimalism, designed to evoke the subtle beauty of Japanese paper, with a satin finish that sparkles in the light. Miyako is available in a series of neutrals — white, beige, green and blue — in solid, as well as striped and angular patterns. The designs feel richly immersive, with a soft hand that feels more reminiscent of wallpaper than ceramics. Shown in Art Verde.

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Miyako shown in Concept Natural.

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Fashion-inspired tile was highly anticipated on the show floor, and Florida Tile delivered with Threadscape, a riff on traditional menswear fabrics. Available in both small and large formats, the collection is offered in both solid neutrals and a plaid pattern with an almost ombre effect. Decorative mosaics, in basketweave and semi-oval variations, expand the palette even further, allowing designers to mix and match to complete the look.

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True to its name, Sabi, the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi was the guiding principle for this collection by Portobello America. This idea of seeing the beauty in imperfection is translated through the visual of coffee stains on watercolours, which were scanned and meticulously edited to preserve their unique character. A controlled micro-relief creates a subtle grit effect that is complemented by a glossy finish. The resulting collection boasts exceptional depth, allowing it to “shape a room’s atmosphere rather than dominating it.”

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