WHAT IN THE WORLD?!

Extra-ordinary. Super-natural. Breathtaking. Often, outlandish. And sometimes, outrageous. But never, never ordinary. That’s the world of fashion and design, and it’s an ever-shifting, eye-wateringly lovely landscape that races the blood and thrills us to the marrow. It’s the fertile, mystical ground where the new trends sprout, and where some of the greatest creative minds search for inspiration, meaning and purpose.

“What in the world?!” is the frequent gasp when we witness the reveal of a great new look. We simply cannot figure out the mysteries behind the stoking of the mighty fires of creation. But boy, how we love it. And how we love the looks on your faces when we see you ‘seeing’ it all. But what you witness in our showrooms is really just the tip of the décor iceberg. A small, dazzling chip off the world’s most scintillating and many-faceted design world.

Cersaie. The world’s greatest surface covering fair. One of the sources of our exquizzz style is Cersaie. Pronounced ‘chur-SIGH’. And sigh you will if ever you attend! Never have you ever seen such artistry, such elaborate staging and imaginative reveals of the world’s most awarded surface covering specialists. For 36 years, Cersaie has been the international gallery for products that represent the very pinnacle of creativity and sustainable design. It’s our ‘what next’ moment. Once again, this year, the star performers included some of our esteemed suppliers, who showcased the pioneering concepts you may very well see in our showrooms in the near future.

This year’s showstopper tile concepts included:

-Botanical motifs, with floral and abstract leaf and foliage patterns, as well as organic shapes.

-WabiSabi and the concept of simple, imperfect beauty, including ‘weaves, knobbly fabric textures.

-Leather effect.

-Wall art, with unconventional tile mounts and tile shapes.

-Artisanal glass surfaces revealing colour and pattern beneath as though under water.

-The continuity between indoors and outdoors.

-New marbles, almost metaphysical in their mystic veined landscapes.

-Unfired earth, raw materials, flaws baked in.

-larger flecked terrazzo and more speckled cementitious covering.

-Hypertouch, an advanced technology with eco-active materials. Pressing these surfaces activates a system of automatic sensors that control lighting, air conditioning, audio-video systems and windows.

As always, we were excited to see our awesome suppliers, Ceramiche Atlas Concorde and Ceramica Sant’Agostino showcasing their latest creations and leading the way. Our ongoing relationship with these ultimate tile masters allows us to bring exclusive ranges back to South Africa for you. Oh, the column inches we could write! Instead, if you’re entranced by it all, get the full story here.

Atlas Concorde and Klif. Our stories collided in 1969, when both Atlas Concorde and Italtile were ‘early days’: fledgling companies supporting each other. Since then, ceramic excellence-innovation and sustainability have always been the hallmarks of their work. Their surfaces are the result of deep exploration into the nature of organic textures and themes, and continue to inspire the design of interior and exterior spaces around the world. Klif is one of the most popular of our stone-look ranges, created to keep the built environment in harmony with exterior nature. Klif, both in size and looks, is magnificent and majestic. A contemporary take on the muscular beola stone quarried in the Val d’Ossola region of Alpine Italy. Get the drama of this world-class stone look here.

A whole world of wonderful. Of course, the design world does not begin and end in Italy. While the Italian tile is our ancestral home… our sights are set on global good stuff. And although #wehavethisthingwithtiles we are suckers for top quality taps, baths, shower style, sanware, sinks, bathroom accessories; you name it, we’re crushing on it. France, Germany, Thailand, India, Spain, Switzerland and South Africa are all treasure troves of products that just ooze craftsmanship, the high design aesthetic and passion for precision.

Wirquin and French savoir faire.‘Savoir faire’ is French for ‘a polished sureness’. The subtle art of know-how. And in the fashion world, it points to relentless innovation and craftsmanship. Which certainly describes our très chic partners Wirquin. They design and manufacture those deceptively simple little shower channels that magically provide the perfect finish to your deluxe shower. Functional beauty and impeccable design DNA backed by a 5-year guarantee. How magnifique is that!View Wirquin’s small wonders here.

Tivoli’s waterwise Italian tapology. Thanks to our partners Tivoli, we are able to offer Italstylistas the most drop-dead-gorgeous ranges of top Italian taps. All of them eco-chic. From the vintage, brushed bronze Roma, to the sleek, matt black Gadoni, Prato and Potenza, the architectural lines of Lira and the modernist Nobili, you have the promise of decades of heritage, high end waterwise design and sustainable manufacture… backed by a 15-year guarantee and very fine after sales service around the country. We’ve added another rather extraordinary benefit to our Tivoli taps: for every tap you purchase, we’ll donate R2 to shark conservation. For many this is a “what in the world?!” moment! Quick explanation… the world is looking to the sea for clues about our survival on land. Read all about our SharkSafe Project here

Spanish exuberance in 3D. Spanish tiles are exciting. No two ways about it. In fact,

It’s a 3-D thing…. when you take a look at our Neve Satin Tile Range with its Space Neve Satin décor tile. Feast your eyes on this extra-ordinary wall tile that allows natural light and shadow to play with its geometric wallscape all day. Texture and nature’s own achromatic colour palette, all in one.

Mzansi-made style. Global influence, local appeal. Never think for one minute that we are only about the world of imported tiles.It’s time everyone in this amazing country walked tall with the realisation that South Africa plays a vital role in the sustainable design world. Our local tile manufacturing partners Ceramic Industries lead the world with their EcoTec technology, in line with Italtile’s LiveGreen mandate. Tiles inspired by global trends, designed with local appeal. And local price tags (which you’ll agree is very appealing!) View our stunning EcoTec tiles here.

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Signing off with a beautifully true fragment of verse from a very wise poet: “The world is so full of a number of things/ I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”

You’re part of a wonderful world. Be happy.

Live beautifully

Ciao!