Cersaie 2022: Bathroom Design Trends for 2023 Making a Splash
Customisable, colourful, tactile and relaxing, Cersaie was all about bathrooms that help you relax and spoil the senses
Colours and shapes were on display in at the 39th annual Cersaie International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, held in Bologna, Italy, from 26 to 30 September this year. The 2022 edition of the bathroom and tile trade show welcomed more than 90,000 visitors – approaching pre-pandemic figures – from 27 countries around the world. And despite economic and political situations that have made it challenging to obtain raw materials, especially for the ceramics sector, exhibitors presented beautiful new products and collections.
The star of the show this year was colour: we saw fixtures, sinks and tapware in a variety of shades, from the most saturated hues to pastels, with a new space dedicated to glossy ceramics. There was also room for textured finishes in line with broader furniture trends, for a tactile bathroom you can touch and feel. Not to be forgotten were all-black designs and an attention to sustainability, seen in new shower trays, radiator heaters and materials.
The star of the show this year was colour: we saw fixtures, sinks and tapware in a variety of shades, from the most saturated hues to pastels, with a new space dedicated to glossy ceramics. There was also room for textured finishes in line with broader furniture trends, for a tactile bathroom you can touch and feel. Not to be forgotten were all-black designs and an attention to sustainability, seen in new shower trays, radiator heaters and materials.
Selected from among a variety of colourful collections, the winner of the ADI Ceramics and Bathroom Design Award was the Groove showerhead, by Odo Fioravanti for Alpi (pictured). Made of polyurethane foam, it can be painted in any colour.
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Icon shower cabin from the Ibra Showers line from Arbi Arredobagno with Grigio Europa glass.
Black and smoked glass are trending
Black continues to star in the bathroom, both in terms of ceramics as well as shower screens and enclosures, with smoked glass and black structures in both matt and glossy finishes.
We saw a variety of combinations at Cersaie, including black paired with traditional white ceramics or in more colourful compositions alongside tones such as salmon, beige or powder pink adding warmth and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Black and smoked glass are trending
Black continues to star in the bathroom, both in terms of ceramics as well as shower screens and enclosures, with smoked glass and black structures in both matt and glossy finishes.
We saw a variety of combinations at Cersaie, including black paired with traditional white ceramics or in more colourful compositions alongside tones such as salmon, beige or powder pink adding warmth and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Heritage collection designed by Enrico Cesana for Artesi, also includes cupboards and sideboards suitable for other rooms in the house.
New hybrid bathroom furnishings
More generally in the furnishings world, we are seeing the boundaries between different spaces being erased. This is what we saw in kitchens at Salone del Mobile 2022, for example, and this trend has also changed the relationship between interiors and exteriors, work spaces and living areas, gyms and bedrooms. New bathroom furnishings collections, likewise, are increasingly suitable for other areas of the home, aiming to create design and stylistic continuity between different rooms.
“Bathrooms are developing year after year because people want them to be designed with the same attention to detail as other rooms in the house. Style has become increasingly important because people now recognize that being in a nice bathroom is highly gratifying,” says Pecora.
New hybrid bathroom furnishings
More generally in the furnishings world, we are seeing the boundaries between different spaces being erased. This is what we saw in kitchens at Salone del Mobile 2022, for example, and this trend has also changed the relationship between interiors and exteriors, work spaces and living areas, gyms and bedrooms. New bathroom furnishings collections, likewise, are increasingly suitable for other areas of the home, aiming to create design and stylistic continuity between different rooms.
“Bathrooms are developing year after year because people want them to be designed with the same attention to detail as other rooms in the house. Style has become increasingly important because people now recognize that being in a nice bathroom is highly gratifying,” says Pecora.
Sketches of Norm Architects’ Copenhagen collection for Decoratori Bassanesi.
Tactile surfaces and clean-cut shapes
Another major trend we spotted has to do with surfaces: coatings, accessories, tapware and handles are increasingly tactile.
Explaining the trend is Katrine Goldstein, managing director and partner at Norm Architects. “We need to surround ourselves with texture, with something that makes us feel rooted to the land and at ease. We need to ‘touch and feel’ to contrast with the thousands of images we scroll through on social media every day,” she says.
Tactile surfaces and clean-cut shapes
Another major trend we spotted has to do with surfaces: coatings, accessories, tapware and handles are increasingly tactile.
Explaining the trend is Katrine Goldstein, managing director and partner at Norm Architects. “We need to surround ourselves with texture, with something that makes us feel rooted to the land and at ease. We need to ‘touch and feel’ to contrast with the thousands of images we scroll through on social media every day,” she says.
Semi-freestanding Kracklite sink from Axa Ceramica.
We also saw a preference for clean-cut shapes and generous proportions, creating a new feel in the bathroom. “The trend in ceramics focuses on very clean, geometric shapes. They’re post-modern, drawing basic inspiration from modernism and minimalism. What changes are the proportions, with a decided preference for decisive volume,” says Pecora.
We also saw a preference for clean-cut shapes and generous proportions, creating a new feel in the bathroom. “The trend in ceramics focuses on very clean, geometric shapes. They’re post-modern, drawing basic inspiration from modernism and minimalism. What changes are the proportions, with a decided preference for decisive volume,” says Pecora.
The Massimo shower tray by Fiora. The company reports that it is between 30 and 50 percent lighter than traditional models.
Sustainability news in bathroom design
Research continues into new materials that are lighter and therefore require less raw material and less waste.
“Everything in the world of ceramics is focused on sustainability,” says designer Federica Biasi. For one thing, the starting point for wall tiles and sanitary fixtures are raw materials of natural origin. Energy-efficient production processes and new solutions that reduce processing phases are also important considerations.
Sustainability news in bathroom design
Research continues into new materials that are lighter and therefore require less raw material and less waste.
“Everything in the world of ceramics is focused on sustainability,” says designer Federica Biasi. For one thing, the starting point for wall tiles and sanitary fixtures are raw materials of natural origin. Energy-efficient production processes and new solutions that reduce processing phases are also important considerations.
Recyclable radiator heaters from Maarmo, made out of marble powder leftover from production. Such a formula allows the company to produce radiators that don’t require a baking phase, but a mere curing phase that lasts from 48 to 72 hours. The pieces are then painted, using only water-based paints.
Your turn
Which of these bathroom fixtures and fittings are you hoping to specify for your clients’ homes? Share your favourites in the Comments, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Are you up-to-date with the latest international trade fair news? Check out new UK designs with 8 New Interior Design Trends for 2023 From Decorex
Your turn
Which of these bathroom fixtures and fittings are you hoping to specify for your clients’ homes? Share your favourites in the Comments, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Are you up-to-date with the latest international trade fair news? Check out new UK designs with 8 New Interior Design Trends for 2023 From Decorex
Saturated and glossy colour
Bathrooms have been straying from standard white for several years now. This year is no exception, with saturated shades and glossy finishes appearing at Cersaie alongside the pastel and matt tones seen in previous years.
“The trend that immediately stands out this year is colour, especially glossy colour,” says designer Terri Pecora. “Colour has been popular for several years and continues to expand, opening up to shades like mustard, blue and glossy blushes. Pastels broke onto the scene a few years ago and, after their success about five years ago, netural and desaturated tones like beige and grey – still present today – are taking a back row to intense, saturated colours.”