{"id":13497,"date":"2026-09-29T15:28:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T07:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jnjmosaic.com\/?p=13497"},"modified":"2026-09-29T15:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T07:47:18","slug":"cersaie-2026-mosaic-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jnjmosaic.com\/zh\/cersaie-2026-mosaic-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"After CERSAIE 2026: How Color, Material and Light Are Reshaping Mosaic Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

CERSAIE 2026 has closed, but the ideas seen in Bologna will continue to influence how architects and designers approach surfaces well beyond the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held from September 21 to 25, the 43rd edition occupied 16 halls and 145,000 square meters at BolognaFiere. It brought together 595 exhibitors, including 233 international companies from 24 countries, and welcomed 92,352 visitors. International attendance remained particularly significant, accounting for 44,500 visitors, or 48.2% of the total, according to the official final figures published by Confindustria Ceramica<\/mark><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers confirm CERSAIE’s continuing role as an international meeting point for ceramics, bathroom furnishings, architectural surfaces and material innovation. Yet the most useful post-show question is not simply what was launched. It is which ideas will remain relevant as designers move from inspiration to specification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One answer emerged clearly from this year’s conversations and industry reporting: color, material and light are becoming increasingly inseparable<\/strong>. Color changes through texture and finish. Material gains depth through reflection and translucency. Light is no longer only something that illuminates a surface; it actively shapes how that surface is perceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For mosaic design, where many individual elements combine to create a larger visual field, this relationship opens especially rich possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Visitors
CERSAIE 2026 welcomed 92,352 visitors to BolognaFiere from September 21 to 25. Image source: Confindustria Ceramica.`<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Color Is Becoming Spatial, Not Simply Decorative<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Color was prominent throughout CERSAIE 2026, but not as a collection of isolated trend shades. It appeared as a way to build atmosphere, connect interiors with nature and give spaces a more individual identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The palettes reported from the exhibition moved in several complementary directions. Warm mineral and earth-derived shades included sand, cream, clay, terracotta, caramel, tobacco and cocoa. Botanical colors ranged from sage and olive to deeper forest greens, while dusty blues and saturated cobalt introduced cooler notes. Alongside them, metallic and oxidized tones added reflected highlights and visual complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living Corriere’s review of the fair made an important observation: the same color changes character according to light, finish and surface relief. This is particularly relevant to mosaic. A mosaic field is never perceived as one completely flat color. The dimensions of the tesserae, the joints between them, the direction of installation and the balance between matte, translucent and reflective pieces all influence how the palette reads across a space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A green mosaic, for example, might feel soft and botanical when expressed through pale, textured pieces. With darker tones, sharper geometry and a more reflective finish, the same color family can become architectural and dramatic. Blue can evoke sky, mineral pigment or moving water depending on the material and its interaction with light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The direction worth watching is therefore not one single \u201ccolor of the year.\u201d It is a more layered approach in which color is developed as part of the entire surface composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Artistic<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Materiality Is Moving Closer to Touch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The second major direction is materiality. Reports from CERSAIE highlighted renewed interest in terracotta, earth, clay, sandstone, terrazzo and distinctive natural stones. Rather than pursuing perfect visual uniformity, many surfaces embraced subtle tonal variations, visible veining, traces of making and small irregularities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IFDM’s review of the exhibition described a return to traditional techniques and materials reinterpreted through a contemporary language. Its selected launches included surfaces inspired by handcrafted terracotta, compact formats made with natural pigments and fine sands, velvety stone finishes and new materials incorporating recovered resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broader message is clear: realism is no longer achieved by reproducing an image alone. It comes through depth, edge, grain, relief and variation\u2014qualities that invite people to move closer and look again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosaic is naturally suited to this more tactile understanding of surfaces. Even before color and imagery are considered, the individual pieces establish a physical rhythm. Smooth and textured tesserae can be combined within the same composition. Changes in thickness or finish can make a pattern visible through shadow as well as color. Geometric formats can create direction, while irregular visual details soften repetition and give a surface a more human character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was also visible in the material presentation at the JNJMosaic CERSAIE 2026 feature<\/mark><\/a>, where geometric formats, translucent textures and reflective surfaces were shown alongside large-scale artistic works. Viewed together, they suggested that mosaic can move between two scales: from the detail of a single tessera to the identity of an entire wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"New<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"jnjmosaic-new-surface-collections-cersaie-2026\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Light Is Becoming a Material in Its Own Right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Of the three themes, light may be the most consequential for glass mosaic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In THE PLAN’s report on the CERSAIE 2026 international press conference, trend forecaster Cristina Faedi identified light as one of the defining elements of this year’s Italian ceramic collections. Whether reflected, refracted or captured by a surface, light was presented as a means of enhancing material qualities and expanding design possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This goes beyond a simple choice between glossy and matte. Different surfaces manage light in different ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n