Saint-Gobain Lille Tile Fair

As you enter the Exhibition Hall at the Lille Grand Palais, you are immediately aware that this will be something special. The scale of the space, the variety of exhibitors and the amount of people bustling amongst the stands is truly impressive.

The Tile Fair brings together key Global Saint-Gobain supply partners from the tiling industry, with Saint-Gobain employees from across Europe, each of whom has a clear passion and expertise for tiles. This exhibition shows exactly why Saint-Gobain is able to proudly boast that they are the largest purchaser of tiles in the world!

The UK Tile Group had representatives from our supply chain, marketing team, architectural and commercial divisions, as well as from our retail brands. It is easy to see why CTD Architectural Tiles is a dominant force in the UK tile market, when you meet a team of people with such enthusiasm and energy for tiles. The Tile Fair allowed our UK colleagues time to interact with the tile manufacturers, to explore what innovations are being brought to the market, and to discuss key design trends occurring in the tile market.


TRENDS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Large format – we saw some exquisite large format products. Notably the new Marazzi Grande range, which includes stunning marble and concrete effects in 3.2 x 1.6 meter formats. There are a range of iridescent metals, along with on trend plain colours. Bigger and better than ever before!

Vintage Fresco – A dominant trend at the exhibition was a distressed plaster look. Watch out for this one in 2018/19. Several manufacturers had products in this style including Rondine Murales.

Timber – Continues to be a popular choice. A new innovation from Ragno and Marazzi is to have 2 widths packaged in one box. Rondine have launched some exciting new products with good slip resistance. NO CODE from VIVA has a range of bold saw-cut faces with new finishes, including a waxed appearance.

New Glaze – Peronda have launched a range with new reactive glazes. There is a lot going on in this product, including vibrant colours and a range of textures. Cinca have launched a range called Trend. This majolica inspired range of mid format tiles includes heavy vibrant glazes. One to watch out for!

Industrial Colour – In a break from the greys and beiges that have dominated the style landscape recently, there were some ranges incorporating block colour. Rondine’s Industrial Colour Chic includes a sage green, blue and burnt orange. These statement pieces come in a range of sizes with attractive decors. ZYX have launched a range of bevelled tiles, with strong coloured glazes including deep blues and rich greens. These have been inspired by subway lines from around the world.

CTD Architectural Tiles have always been proud of their ability to source the best material from around the globe, to distribute their products across the country, and to offer top quality service at a local level. The Saint-Gobain Tile Fair 2018 was a perfect way to showcase this aspiration in action. Thanks to all our supply partners who put on a great show. Their passion for bringing Saint-Gobain the latest tile trends is commendable.