Cersaie, the big Bologna fair for ceramic tile and bathroom design, ran September 21 to 25, 2026. We don’t exhibit there, but what happens on that floor tends to show up in kitchens a year or two later. Here is a short recap based on the coverage from Canadian Interiors and The Plan.
The numbers
This was the 43rd edition, and it filled all 16 halls of BolognaFiere. There were 595 exhibitors on about 145,000 square meters. Attendance came to 92,352 visitors, down 2.4 percent, and 48.2 percent of them came from abroad. Of the exhibitors, 233 (39 percent) were from outside Italy.
What was on show
- Cotto d’Este “Shade”: a cement-inspired porcelain slab, 9 mm thick, in eight shades, with a fluted 60×120 cm décor.
- Atlas Concorde “Log Anthology”: wood-look surfaces modeled on Douglas fir, ash, elm, walnut, teak and zebrano.
- Casalgrande Padana “Hybla”: a stone look inspired by Pietra Pece and Ragusa stone, in four colors.
- Laminam, Rare Collection: a new bas-relief finish called “Rain”.
- Ceramica Sant’Agostino “Lunaris”: a Taj Mahal marble look with a ribbed texture.
Other names in the report include Simas (the “Kallia” collection by Karim Rashid), Porcelanosa and Novabell. In bathroom furniture, Flaminia showed a system with integrated groove handles and a fluted matt lacquer unit.
Ceramic keeps moving into the kitchen
The coverage points out that ceramic is no longer limited to floors and walls. Manufacturers pitch these surfaces for countertops, cooktops, vanities and tabletops as well. For anyone remodeling, that means more choice beyond quartz and stone, such as large slabs with a stone, wood or concrete look.
Two textures keep coming back: fluting and relief. They match what we see on cabinet fronts, where fluted and matte finishes are popular in modern European kitchens.
Our read
This part is opinion, not reporting. If you are choosing surfaces for a contemporary kitchen, ask to see ceramic slabs next to your cabinet finish. Samples tell you more than a catalog. Our guide to kitchen finishes and materials covers the cabinet side, including lacquer, real wood veneer, Fenix, glass and laminate.
Want to see how surfaces and Italian kitchen cabinets look together? Book a consultation and we will walk you through finishes in person, or Get a Quote to get started.
Source: Canadian Interiors, “The Goods: Cersaie 2026” by Lucy Mazzucco (Oct. 12, 2026), canadianinterior.com
Source: The Plan, Cersaie 2026 coverage (edition and attendance figures), theplan.it