Italtile: Olé! Are You Ready for the Spanish Invasion?

They’re coming in their hundreds, so best you get ready and brush up on your Spanish. Now’s the time to get ahead of the wave with our Spanish 101 class!

Right now, Italtile is taking delivery of literally hundreds of utterly knockout 100% Spanish wall and floor tiles, and they’ll hit the showrooms shortly. This is your cheat sheet, to arm you with all the info you need to ‘‘vender como un campeón’ (which means: ‘sell like a champ!).

Spanish wall and floor tiles – from the most flamboyantly decorated to simple, wood-look – bring the luxe Latin look to life in any contemporary or classic home. They’re unavoidably more expensive than local tiles, but they offer unequalled quality and durability… and the Spanish tile industry has been around since the year dot.

Here’s a quick history…

By the time the Muslim (Ottoman) empire invaded Spain in 711AD, the Spanish ceramic industry was already established, but only for building: unglazed bricks, roofing tiles, water channels and eaves. The Muslim conquerors brought with them an extraordinary compound that changed the Spanish ceramic industry forever; metallic oxides, that created a beautiful, glazed tile surface. Tin-glazed ceramics or earthenware were called ‘mayólica’.

Because of their great beauty, artisan-glazed tiles were used decoratively on the great churches and palaces of Southern and Eastern Spain. By the 17th century, handmade and hand-patterned Spanish tiles were so desirable, they were being imported – via Seville and Cadiz – throughout the Mediterranean countries, and on to the world. Each piece was a work of art, hence their use in sacred and royal buildings.

In time, though, these magnificent works of art found their way into everyday Spanish culture and decor – adding vibrancy to floors and walls, kitchens, bathrooms and indoor patios.

The knowledge of Spanish tile-making techniques, and the unique styles, filtered into the rest of Europe, and then, the rest of the world. So, Spain became just one of the many tile-producing nations of the world. However, they still boast great heritage and hold the benchmark of tile quality. Spain will always be among the top players in the tile world.

The new Spanish imports are magnificently diverse, but they all have one thing in common: incredible style and quality, designed for beautiful living.