Cersaie 2026 hosted a total of 1,190 exhibitors in the 1.5+ million square feet of the Bologna Exhibition Centre. A robust 92,352 visitors filled the halls over the course of the five-day event, among them your foot-sore KBB correspondent. Here’s a quick recap of the show; look for further Cersaie coverage in our November/December issue.
Installation Insights
Photo: Cersaie
Hands-on learning was at the forefront of the Tiling Town pavilions, with live demonstrations and expert-led training sessions focused on advanced installation techniques such as large-format tile applications. Another highlight was the World Tiling Lab, where six teams of tile installers from Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Morocco, the United States and Brazil competed in the installation of ceramic surfaces across six different settings: bathrooms with showers and bathtubs, an outdoor area with a swimming pool, a living area featuring a staircase and fireplace, a ventilated façade with French door and window sill and ceramic-clad seating. Now in its fourth edition, the initiative is a joint effort of Cersaie, Confindustria Ceramica, the European Union of National Tile Associations and the national tile installers’ associations from the participating countries.
For the Next Gen
Photo: Cersaie
For the third year, the show staged a Ceramic Industry Career Day. The event focused on education and career guidance, and created direct, personal links between young people and representatives of the Italian ceramic industry.
Photo: Cersaie
Twenty-five manufacturers offered students and recent graduates one-to-one introductory interviews. The exhibition area hosted stands from the universities participating in the initiative, as well as a CV Check Desk, where attendees received practical advice on preparing an effective resume and coaching on how to approach job interviews with confidence.
Also included in the Career Day curriculum were seminars on the impact of artificial intelligence; in-depth sessions on European projects related to the ceramic sector, organized in collaboration with the Centro Ceramico and participating universities; and a career guidance workshop for final-year secondary school students.
Showroom Employee Training
Photo: Cersaie
Completing the 360º educational programming for professionals working throughout the supply chain of the ceramics industry, this year Cersaie featured a series of training meetings dedicated to Italian showroom staff. On each of the five days of the exhibition, Veronica Verona, owner of L’Accademia dello Showroom (above, at left), held sessions designed to elevate the skill sets of these key figures in their daily interactions with customers.
The course was designed to help participants manage the sale of premium products more effectively, moving beyond a simple technical description and learning how to guide buyers towards making a conscious choice. The classes illustrated ways to enhance the value of the product and justify its pricing by making tangible the aesthetic, functional and emotional benefits.
Design Trends and New Products at Cersaie 2026
Surfacing manufacturers are jumping into the business of bathroom vanities, with many offering to supply the furnishings fully clad in their materials for a seamless look.
Many brands are introducing new dimensions to their lines, with 30×120 and 160×160 among the more popular sizes for large formats.
On the aesthetic front, light neutrals, every conceivable hue of sand and clay, and burgundy dominated color palettes. Natural surface textures were digitally enhanced for realism, with decos often boasting high relief. For outdoor products, deckled edges posed an earthy contrast to crisply rectilinear stones. Motifs were split between botanical and abstract. Some matte finishes were ultra-flat, while others were more satiny; the variation was interesting to observe.
Below are some selected product highlights – we’ll be updating this content regularly, and make sure to check out our November/December issue for even more on Cersaie 2026.
Photos courtesy of the brands, unless otherwise noted.
With its new Calathea Lustro, ACQUARIO DUE explores light, line and texture.
In a collab with ATLAS CONCORDE, AMDL Circle, the design studio founded by Michele De Lucchi, developed the new concrete-effect collection Boost Hux.
Versace Ceramics, a division of ABK GROUP, introduced Harmony Mirror, with colored reflective surfaces that capture the gleaming shine of metals.
FLAVIKER’S Cosmopolitan collection is an updated take on the brutalist aesthetic of concrete using warmer tones.
Limestone by CASALGRANDE PADANA is a porcelain stoneware collection that is suitable for use indoors and outside, on floors and walls.
From SANT’AGOSTINO, the rectified porcelain Mediterra is inspired by rammed earth and the malleability of clay.
Available in three colors, Palladia from REFIN CERAMICHE reimagines marble terrazzo with a contemporary sensibility and scale.
