Australian tile and bathroom retailer Beaumont Tiles has revealed the hottest trends set to hit the Australian market in 2020, based on its findings at the Cersaie Trade Fair, the world’s largest tile and ceramics tradeshow held in Bologna, Italy.
“The environment and the world around us are at the forefront of many people’s minds, and this in a design sense has translated into the colours and materials predicted to trend as we migrate into the new year,” said Christie Wood, Beaumont Tiles’ strategic designer.
“2020 speaks to our connection with nature, and explores the playful movement of foliage and greenery, with Terrazzo, concrete, slab and large format tiles all drawing inspiration from this narrative.
“Zellige style tiles are the embodiment of this movement, celebrating their organic imperfections as opposed to covering them. They have tone-on-tone colour variation and structured glossy surfaces, all emulating their Moroccan birthplace, and are a must-watch.”
Slabs: Bigger and thinner than ever, expect to see pulpis, ceppo di gre, slate and granite looks start to add their pages to the natural slab stone narrative.
Stones and slabs
The bigger is better mantra continues in 2020, with the slab tile trend gaining momentum and providing no hint of slowing down. Early adopters over the past 18-months have embraced these giants, and the industry has answered this with even more combinations and sizes on offer at this year’s event.
“Rustrial – a rustic, less structured variation of the much-loved industrial look – made its debut at Cersaie. From this, expect to see much finer concrete slab looks, which are much softer and more delicate than their ancestors,” said Wood. “Expect to see slab tiles warm to greige, and earthy tones of tan, taupe and brown make an appearance in New Year projects. Bigger and thinner than ever, expect to see pulpis, ceppo di gre, slate and granite looks start to add their pages to the natural slab stone narrative.”
Rustrial: Expect to see much finer concrete slab looks, which are much softer and more delicate than their ancestors.
Shine on terrazzo
Terrazzo is here and is not going anywhere. Its designs and tones have grown and developed over the past 24-months into such a broad range ensuring that no matter what your previous conceptions were, in 2020 you are bound to become a fan.
“Developments in glazing technology have allowed manufacturers to develop the most visually appealing variations of terrazzo that we’ve seen to-date,” said Wood. “The new style of glaze manufacturing accentuates the chips and aggregate within each piece of terrazzo with a gloss finish. This means that the tiles take on an iridescent appearance, and never looks muted or flat.”
Green hues dominate
As styles migrate from the waves to the rainforest, vibrant greens and tropical patinas are the shades to watch take dominance in Summer 2020 styling. Pastels were still out in force, with pastel pink moving to the forefront of the colour story.
“Palette direction is most certainly bringing a broader social consciousness around the environment to the fore, with green and organic variations taking the leading cue at Cersaie,” said Wood.
Environment: Palette direction is most certainly bringing a broader social consciousness around the environment to the fore, with green and organic variations taking the leading cue at Cersaie
“Decorative tiles in 120×120 millimetre, 150×150 millimetre and slabs up to three meters all drive the narrative of nature with wallpaper style detail. Everything from tropical palm prints, through to leaves and even birds reflect a broader social desire for connection to the natural environment.”
Soft pinks, tonal blues and rustic oranges were other colours predominately used to bring spaces to life in lieu of green. Shades of natural and earthly organic neutrals balanced the colour palette for those less adventurous.
“Moroccan and Bedouin decorative styles that are organic yet simple will continue to anchor neutral toned projects moving into 2020. Yet their evolution is more paired back in detail when compared to their predecessors, tying into the broader feeling of a need for nature,” said Wood.
If you’re unsure of what style your project should be, try Beaumonts What’s My Style. It helps identify your style from the top 10 global interior design trends, based on your personal tastes and responses to a two-minute quiz. beaumontswhatsmystyle.com.au