The international landscape, energy and raw material costs, challenges, competitiveness, fluctuating demand, industrial strategy, dilemmas, and opportunities all preface and accompany the presentations of the numerous new products on display at Cersaie. These topics are discussed in the booths and along the fair’s corridors. Marco Fortis, director of the Edison Foundation, emphasized this during the opening meeting of Cersaie 2025 in Bologna:«In the first seven months of 2025, Italian exports equaled those of Japan, ranking 4th among world exporters (…). However, industrial production is stagnant, and investments have slowed down after the end of the Industry 4.0 plan. This isn’t a problem of competitiveness within the industrial system itself, as the export success demonstrates, but rather a European issue of low demand, low growth, and high uncertainty for consumers and businesses».
«The Italian ceramic industry, particularly that of the Emilia-Romagna region», noted Michele de Pascale, president of the Emilia-Romagna Region, on the same occasion, «represents a global excellence, a true pillar of the national economy, and an expression of the Made in Italy brand that we are proudly associated with».
Indeed, walking through the stands, innovation, technology, quality, and research are evident. Expect to see optical effects, realistic textures, innovative ceramic surface formats, and, in the bathroom sector, organic shapes, multicolored palettes, and contrasting materials. Below are just a few significant examples observed at Cersaie and in companies that opened their spaces outside the fair.
L’evoluzione della materia
Iris Ceramica Group, with an artistic installation by visual artist Lorenza Liguori, immerses visitors in a journey – “The Magical Journey – Revealing our Alchemical Soul” – exploring the transformation of matter leading to Alchimia & Iris Ceramica Group. This is a completely invisible technology made compatible with the ceramic surfaces of the Group’s brands. This unprecedented pairing allows ceramics to contain and conceal screens and audio-video reproduction systems in complete continuity, making them appear and disappear on command. Alchimia is a technology developed by VBH and made compatible with Iris Ceramica Group’s ceramic surfaces.
The brand’s story is also conveyed through the Atlas Concorde stand, where Michele De Lucchi’s “One Space. Excellence on Stage” concept showcases the transformative potential of surfaces. Of particular interest is the new vision proposed by the Nyra collection. Born from the combination of Atlas Concorde’s design know-how and Alberto Apostoli’s expertise, it explores the principles of wellness architecture and how a surface can be transformed into a wellness experience.
Studio Salaris designed Refin‘s new exhibition space, where architectural elements such as pillars, partitions, and platforms interpret Carlo Scarpa’s philosophy of the “threshold.” The new surfaces are displayed in niches designed like theatrical sets. Here, the new collections tell of surfaces that transform with light, materials that regenerate in time and nature, iridescent colors, stones shaped by history, and artistic interpretations that open ceramics to unexpected scenarios. Osmosche, for instance, reinterprets cement, making its traces and stratifications visible with a surface marked by marble veins, mineral inclusions, and elements of nature.
RAK Ceramics introduces a new generation of porcelain stoneware surfaces designed for high-end contemporary environments, combining aesthetics and functionality. A key element of this evolution is Scratch Guard, a state-of-the-art scratch-resistant technology designed to offer superior resistance, durability, and hygiene. This treatment, applicable to all surfaces with a polished finish, provides effective protection even against deep scratches caused by metallic objects, helping to preserve the original brilliance of the slabs over time. Pictured is the new Calacatta Macchia Vecchia design.
Integrated Projects and Personalization
Idea Group proposes a complete furnishing project dedicated to well-being, resulting in essential, contemporary, and architectural lines. The Sense collection plays with the material contrasts of different surfaces. The surfaces of the compositions are anti-fingerprint and easily repaired in case of micro-scratches, distinguished by their matte appearance and soft touch, which are due to the technological characteristics of the Fenix finishes, available in bright colors such as Rosso Namib, Blu Shaba, and Verde Kitami.
Under the banner of “every bathroom for every person,” Ponte Giulio goes beyond the concept of the integrated bathroom, with cross-functional products suitable for private homes, healthcare facilities, hotels, and public spaces, meeting the needs of every person, without exclusion. Its offering for the national market is now expanding thanks to a strategic partnership with California-based Bobrick Washroom Equipment, a global leader in the production of accessories and furnishings for commercial bathrooms.
Progetto Group‘s goal is to transform the bathroom accessory into a true furnishing element: a set of transversal solutions, from the bathroom to the living room. Thus, the equipped bar that enriches the Hang family designed by Bruna Rapisarda can also furnish other areas of the house.
With the introduction of ten models of Cristalplant bathtubs to its catalog – oval, round, rectangular, both freestanding and wall-mounted or corner – Alice Ceramica offers a personalized bathroom to meet different space, taste, and design requirements. An example is the Delva oval freestanding bathtub (139×74 cm h75.5), with an asymmetrical profile that rises at the internal seat. Each model is available in three opaque solutions: white, bicolor (white interior, colored exterior), and full color (colored interior and exterior). The color combinations are developed based on the Alice matt (opaque) palette, shared with the other ceramic products, to create coordinated bathroom solutions.
A project that combines function, style, and identity, the Puntoevirgola shower system from #doccetteria Damast transforms the traditional hand shower into a showerhead. The classic wall-mounted showerhead gives way to a 39 cm long stainless steel tubular body inclined at approximately 45°, emerging directly from the wall. The result is a sculptural element, independent and central to the space. The system is completed by a 40 cm built-in faucet body that houses the dispensing control, the diverter, and the single-jet hand shower with anti-twist hose in three finishes (chrome, anthracite, and burgundy), equipped with a magnetic support.
Cersaie is an Opportunity to Visit Companies in the Sector
Approaching its ninetieth anniversary, Marazzi retraces its industrial heritage by opening the doors of its ceramic district in Sassuolo with the fourth edition of Tile Week (September 22-26, coinciding with Cersaise). A choral narrative that involves the Marazzi, Ragno, and The Top brands. Every space, product, and gesture is designed to evoke emotions, involving visitors in a journey that intertwines innovation, conviviality, and creativity. The new collections and installations on display are narrated through multilingual AI voices, accessible via QR code, in a dialogue between technology and design.
In Fiorano Modenese, also from September 22nd to 26th, Florim presents its new spaces redesigned by Matteo Nunziati, dedicated to professionals. The stars are the new collections in collaboration with Cristina Celestino, Gensler, Nicola Gallizia, and Matteo Thun & Partners.
With the Coppie di Fatto project, Mutina continues its research with Nathalie Du Pasquier on the transformative potential of ceramics. The artist has conceived a series of handmade ceramic objects: vases that transform into bowls, containers that can be overturned and assume different functions depending on how they are arranged. The collection consists of seven colored pairs.
