Madre, Cimento at Cersaie 2026 – Photo by Cimento.

Design. Craft, sustainable materials, earthy tones and tactile textiles were the key trends at Cersaie 2026, the leading ceramic bathroom and surface design fair in Bologna, Italy. Archipanic Founder and Editor-in-Chief Enrico Zilli picks eight collections on show, ranging from terracotta and lightweight concrete to rebellious patterns.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about Cersaie and sruface design on Archipanic.

Fragments of Grace mosaics collection by Margherita Rui x Ceramiche Keope – Photo by Ceramiche Keope.

Cimento, the innovative brand bringing forward a lightweight, cement-based material of organic, sustainable character, joined Cersaie 2026 with a booth designed by Patricia Urquiola. Its showpiece, MADRE, is an innovative, regenerative technology that rethinks the hydraulic binder: the calcium carbonate at the heart of the formula comes from recovered eggshells, a by-product of industrial processing rather than quarried mineral. The palette runs from wood green to chocolate, with textures and natural traces ensuring each surface is unique and impossible to reproduce identically.

Madre by Cimento – Photo by Cimento.

Walls really do have ears here, along with eyes, noses, nipples and belly buttons. Faces & Figures, Faye Toogood‘s collection for Mutina, was presented at the company’s showroom in Fiorano Modenese during the fair. The collection explores the tactile, instinctive bond between the human body and clay, translating hand-shaped studies and organic forms into a fully fledged architectural system of wall tiles.

Facts & Figures collection by Faye Toogood x Mutina – Photo by Gerhardt Kellermann.

The Japanese word yukari (縁) describes a profound affinity that transcends time and space. Japanese ceramic brand Yukari Ceramics brought its latest collections to Cersaie 2026, merging Italian design culture with wabi-sabi, the philosophy that finds deep beauty and serenity in imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness. Incisions, textures and in-house glazes reveal the marks of tools and a sustainable production process, in which unfired clay and non-conforming tiles are recovered and repurposed, upcycling 80% of the materials used.

Photo by Yukari Ceramics.

Modernism and Art Deco inform Fragments of Grace, a mosaic project designed by Margherita Rui for Ceramiche Keope. Geometries shift between woven patterns, regular modules and broken lines, pairing tactile surfaces with glossy enamel fields and metallic details. The mosaics use some of the company’s latest collections, setting the irregularity of stone against fossil traces, mineral veining, and sudden flashes of light.

Fragments of Grace mosaics collection by Margherita Rui x Ceramiche Keope – Photo by Ceramiche Keope.

Fossils, both land and marine, also surface in Palea, a porcelain stoneware collection by Federica Biasi for Decoratori Bassanesi and shown at Cersaie 2026. Imprints, cavities and subtle reliefs recall the slow work of erosion and sedimentation, turning geological memory into a delicate texture. Light glides over the irregularities and shifts how they read, drawing out marks that evoke an ancient terrain.

Palea by Federica Biasi x Decoratori Bassanesi – Photo by Decoratori Bassanesi.

Ceramiche Refin‘s Myra collection takes its cue from terracotta and handcrafted resins. The Tracce surface embeds flakes and granules like fragments within the material, while a natural palette of six warm shades – Calce, Creta, Argilla, Biscotto, Corda and Terracotta – is complemented by mosaics that combine colour and geometry. Subtle irregularities suggest the mark of the hand and lend the ceramic a distinctive rhythm.

Myra collection by Ceramiche REFIN at Cersaie 2026 – Photo by Ceramiche REFIN.

Marazzi launched the new Terracotto collection, directly inspired by artisanal terracotta. It reproduces the traces of manual workmanship and firing through a surface characterised by nuances, chromatic variations, and slight irregularities. But the innovation primarily embraces its composition, made with 60% recycled material, and then its aesthetic, offering a more current and versatile palette: Vanilla, Argilla, Tabacco, Terra, Granata, and Cotto, which can be perfectly paired with the glossy textures of Terralux.

Terracotto collection by Marazzi – Courtesy of Marazzi.

The roundup of Cersaie 2026 ends with a burst of geometry from Spain. VIVES Cerámica from Castellón, near Valencia, presented SURF, a versatile collection “designed for a rebellious and daring audience, with a youthful spirit and a nostalgic eye.” It suits any contemporary space, starting with a 32×99 cm wall tile in light, luminous colours with varied decorative nuances. Smaller sizes are also available, with handcrafted pieces in striking reactive glazes, traditional terracotta, and luxurious gold and silver finishes.

SURG by VIVES Cerámica Madre – Photo by Maluhia Kaimu Turquesa.

Across terracotta, eggshells and fossil traces, the message is consistent: surfaces are reclaiming the mark of the hand, and materials are now being asked to carry both memory and responsibility.

Facts & Figures collection by Faye Toogood x Mutina – Courtesy of Mutina.