Tile of Spain - Tradition and Innovation Defined

Last Week I was a guest of Tile of Spain on a trip that immersed our small group in Spanish history, culture, and tile innovation as we attended the fantastic tile fair, Cevisama, an image of the fair below.

To experience Spain in this 360 degree way allowed me to connect the dots from historic art and tile to modern, quite incredible architecture, to innovative food still grounded in tradition, to stunning, modern tile design and impressive technological advances in tile, all of which has shown me that there is a great energy and spirit for design across many disciplines. The desire and commitment for excellence has always been a source of pride, justifiably, for this beautiful country.

I took just about 3,300 images of Spain in all its glory. We toured both Madrid and Valencia, led by at least three architects who lived in the region. I think, quite simply, that Spain's commitment to and achievements, today, in design and design innovation may well be under the radar of many who appreciate good and intelligent design.

What I have seen in this, my fourth visit to Spain in four years, was more of the same - truly stunning design and architecture, which includes the Spanish tile industry. There is no question in my mind that Spain is a leader in tile design and development. I've seen endless installations of Spanish tile in showrooms and at Cevisama, have spoken to owners and employees of factories and have walked the factory floors. Noteworthy form and function is everywhere.

It's more than a cottage industry in Spain - it's a sophisticated strategy to produce tile for the world that is beautiful, useful, of good quality and sustainable. It is fairly recent that Tile of Spain has begun their campaign to create awareness of their natural strength in tile design and manufacture, and from my firsthand look, it is exciting to see so many people passionately dedicated to producing smartly designed tile products. Below is a bridge overpass designed for a modern mosaic mural.

As this is more of an overview post, I will aim, via these images, to communicate a feeling of awe inspiring design and architecture which includes the new, the old, and sometimes mixing both to create a modern experience.

To talk trends (next post) you really need to see Spain from this vantage point, so I hope you can see that you are in for a treat!