CHAPTER ZERO
MAKE UFO-REPORT AGAIN

Notice to mariners.

Ufo.Adv’s pimpy task-force visited Coverings, Florida, the world’s second largest trade show for ceramics and other surfaces. Below is our photo-amateur story created for clients and friends, with the usual free and light tone.

Since someone thought so (haha) we stand to be reminded that writing reports is NOT our real job.

Ufo.adv is an agency of about 20 people offering imagery and multichannel communication services for ceramics and interior design. For about 10 years we have been sharing our impressions of fairs, exhibitions and design weeks, which we attend for the purpose of updating and inspiring ourselves. That’s it, let’s get started!

DEAREST…. GREATEST!!!

For those who haven’t experienced it, the atmosphere at Coverings is special: an enclave of Sassolese (new and acquired) that the 15-hour fly-in location envelops in a cloud of affectionate camaraderie.

In the huge Orange Convention Center hall (the fair in a room) between the hallways of Little Italy, hugs, big smiles, pats on the back and superlatives flourish: “Dearest!!! ….. Greatest!!! …… In top form!!!

Whether they are friends, acquaintances or “known but unknown” (I’ve seen you before but can’t remember who you are) there is a genuine enthusiasm in the contacts, as in reunions among schoolmates or the “remember Picchio Rosso”: smart rock, all good!

GIVE OR TAKE

Inevitably, the theme of the day is the heartbreak of duty. But there is no panic and no one is crying about it. Pragmatically, we will manage as we have always done by “amortizing the bang” between producer and distributor (quote Max Pezzali).

What nails us, however, is the uncertainty: duty yes, duty no, duty no, persimmon-land stuff, and for once we Italians are not the “terra dei cachi”. There are those who have already budgeted for a discount (halved or not) and those who swear that prices will not be adjusted no matter what happens. With discretion and elegant fair play, those who produce in the states are gloating under the radar about the advantage to be played between more competitiveness or more margins.

UNDERBOOKING

To the eye-not just to us-the aisles of the Italy area (blue carpeted) appeared a little less populated than usual. Although those who were supposed to come did come (authoritative exponents tell us) perhaps the sideline audience was a bit lacking: architects, installers, in short, small fish but making paranza. Again by eye, the feeling is that the Spanish quarters (red carpeted) were a thread more inhabited than usual: okay, they were in direct connection with the entrance staircase; compared to the multistrade of little italy there everything converged to the main corridor, but still – who knows. The technical areas (equipment, tools, glue and putty), on the other hand, were swarming with very interested, bacon, bald and short-sleeved users. Enthusiastic and very American-pro themed guided tours, each day different. The tour guide with a regular sign piloted the procession of tourists along a sort of via crucis where the stations were QR signs to the various booths to visit.

FLIGHT, COLD, PINSA.

In Orlando, pace and commitments are less hectic than in Bologna: you socialize more at the fair than at home, you see the top customers before opening, maybe on the opening day, everything else is boredom.

So you go chatting to kill time. Without letting valuable information slip through the cracks, the conversation revolves around innocuous, shared topics. A) tale of the airplane flight. B) pissed off about the absurd frost in the hyper-climatized pavilion. C) the food-experience in the Ceramics of Italy plaza.

Here at the navel of the world, having carried out the queue in caritas mode, with great efficiency rations of pre-cut pinsa (in the post-covid replaced pastasciutta, with some regret) and healthy salads are distributed.

Those eligible are identified by the green card, the green bracelet (Veratour village style) systematic fraud is suspected. Outside lunch-time hectoliters of espresso – cappuccino – cookie are dispensed. Critics note that it is not from a Modena roastery but Neapolitan Kimbo.

TIP-TOP. ORLANDO-TAP.

Each chat concludes with unanimous disgust with the city of Orlando: without a downtown, exorbitant, dank, and phony, whose symbols for us are the upside-down house and lobster cars.

Then add to that the disdain for the “local custom” of the tip (which applies throughout the U.S.) that more than a tip seems like all manchuria.

For cabs, uber, bartenders and waiters, it would not be mandatory but is preconfigured on 15-20-25% even if you pay contactless (and they warn you that choosing 15% means hate and contempt).

Over here if you extend a 5 euro tip they look at you like you are Briatore. In the U.S. for a mediocre dinner for 4 fly $50 tip and they look at you like a bum with an arm.

Apparently some CFOs and COOs at dinner post Coverings, after a calculation of the average tipping of a waiter/waitress, discreetly left their resumes at the cash register.

BESTS-IN-SHOWS

With some surprise, wandering around, we spot cardboard “best-in-show” cockade displayed by a large number of booths: best this, best that, best that, best binge.

We intuit that there is not one best, but many bestS (like Oscars: actors, directing, editing, music) for more shared happiness. We delve into the pantheon of awardees and (surprisingly) they are substantially aligned with our impressions, perhaps a sign that we are getting older.

Superbly curated was the Stonepeak (Iris Group) booth relaunching the Sinfonia concept. Wow and Venux sparkling emerging and tasty. Atlas (A.Concorde City) impeccable textbook multi-perfection. And then the substance of Mirage and Milestone (Florim) with articulate review in green sauce.

For the record, there is an overall best and it has the yellow cockade.

STAND BY… BYE

Skyrocketing costs for transportation and set-up breed sobriety, being there is a drain on anyone’s budget, some wondered if it’s worth it. Some defections, even illustrious ones among the regulars (Sant’Agostino, NovaBell, Cerdomus, Gresmalt) but also presences of brands and groups that Cersaie had forgotten (Ragno, Florim, Emilgroup).

Italian stands are on average marked by rationality and pragmatism: neatly showing products, sometimes linking in some solution to the last Cersaie, few concessions to show except showcasing lively products. Some Spanish companies field a few more ambitious ideas, probably to make the brand stand out, even at the expense of display capacity: oblique walls, rounds, drapes and architecture, the effort did not escape the stand-factor judges generating a couple of cockades.

Pretending to be trend setters, from the general landscape we try to extrapolate 7 macro trends, which we display in random order.

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REMEMBER CERSAIE 24, NOVELTIES AND MACRO-SERIES

A fair share of the stands is occupied by the remember of Cersaie 2024 products (sometimes with fine-tuning interventions on decors, colors, formats) perhaps not everything has been optioned by American distributors and the games are still open. Those who have them, confirm (more or less summarizing) the macro-gams (marble, stone or concrete) that draw the core and identity of the brand. This evolution-very functional-doesn’t seem too friendly to the American distributor with its stew exclusives, and will probably require an evolution of customs and habits.

Flowers and wallpapers are a rarity; decorations veer toward sober geometries. Woods float, among recap and composite decors (Emil, Rondine, Ragno). Some To be pleasers with Americana, Qsome disheveled terrazzo peeps out, hexagons and bone (anchovy) laying make a rage. Let’s add that not always at Coverings the new-new proposals indicate a trend, sometimes they simply plug some gap in their respective ranges, other times the fair is used as an exploratory test then we’ll see.

ONE: CHECKERBOARD MARBLES (SMALL AND OPAQUE)

Perhaps the freshest thing, but with a slight 90s aftertaste: small-format (30×30 and down) opaque marble compositions with listels and tozzetti to form checkerboards, coffers, and other floor or wall compositions (Terratinta Classica, Ermes Aurelia, Fenice). Colors are contrasting, white with black or green, beige with hazelnut or brown. Also on display are sought-after three-dimensional patterns (Fenice).

The poses are perfect for moving spaces and enhancing classic U.S. applications: backsplash, shower corner, paneling (Verde Checkerboard). The Factory offers hexagonettes, small-brick and modular formats with conspicuously chiseled edges, which give the marble-look an original effect.

TWO: YOU AGAIN (TRAVERTINE).

But weren’t we supposed to meet again? The ebbs and flows of ceramics are well known: the merry-go-round turns, in alternate years wood, terracotta, stump, quartzite come and go. But he, the travertine does not budge, was in pole position again this time. Needless to ask why: it’s been going for 3,000 years, it’s patrician and plebeian, from the woods and from the Riviera, “po’ esse marmo e po’ esse pietra” (quoting Mario Brega). In short, put a travertine and fear passes: it is the fallout bunker of the comfort zone.

The differences are few, everyone has the regulatory kit: slab and plate, cross-cut and vein-cut, rectangle and square, three colors three. The poor commercial people don’t know what to tell. Imagine technicians and product managers breaking a cold sweat over the executive order to develop a “new” travertine, which has to be different …but the same if it doesn’t sell.

To diversify a little, they worked on special mosaics and formats such as hexagonettes and modules with a chiseled edge (La Fabbrica) the chevron with a rounded side (Florida Tile – Pagosa) or the addition of geometric decorations (Emilgroup). As an alternative to the classic “flats” a few more elaborate versions with glue and grit overdoses (Edimax) but also virile shading and – as a surprise – tender daisy mosaics.

THREE: SLABS, LUXURY AND MATTER

Featured in many parts to catch the eye, luxurious marbles with bookmatches and vibrant colors. More glossy than matte at Cersaie. Quietly the Spanish approach and the Turks are around the corner, too.

large slabs are sometimes accompanied by more accessible formats.

Raising the bar of know-how, category-pro brands are enhancing the work on the material: on and “inside” the slab (Abk and others) but also decorating the edge of thickened artefacts for countertops and tables (Fondovalle- Rondine all-over) working mostly on marble look. The onyx binge seems to be over. Alongside the dominant marbles, variations on the stump theme and brecciona-type fragment graphics are seen in the stone-world, with some digital-material application.

FOUR: RETROLUX EFFECT

In the area of slabs, experienced gazes have caught a relative “conceptual novelty”: faux-retrolux. It is the reproduction of backlit onyxes and stones, where light emphasizes the light veins. The effect is certainly impactful and appeals to that audience that likes to look good. To be fair, several authentically backlit slabs (Antolini and others) were on display in the “stone” area that were certainly stratospherically priced but had a very striking …. effect.

FIVE: SMALL & COLOR: MATTER IS DESIGN.

Small is beautiful, colored even more so, ceramic interprets itself without imitating. Shape takes color and vice versa: mini-brick, long-brick wall tiles (strictly vertical or at the most, plain) and then squares, ovals, knurled, perforated, swollen: The intonation ranges from clean geometries to material expressions with a rich handmade flavor. Alongside classic lux ceramic glazes, also satin and terracotta (Florida tile Claymont) proposals in vibrant combinations.

Alongside traditional small-format color ranges, a new, more cultured and refined high-end concept is being built (Cerasarda, Terratinta Group). Through the search for hues, textures and surface effects, the value and relevance of handcrafted ceramics is being regenerated, for an intimate and enveloping luxury, an alternative to cold minimalism and marble glitter.

It is a pity that Italy has almost withdrawn from these productive moors, abandoning the field to others.

Romans 4-6 Romans cir – Tonalite 123 – terratinta-1 4-3 – Wow 5-10-12

SIX: STONE LIGHT

Alongside the myriad variants of stump – ceppino – ceppone, among the new-new 2025 collections, work is being done on the safe strand of light stone, where surfaces and graphics are not aggressive and take on character with digital applications and with the addition of dark colors (Mirage ReGea, Edimax Pathos) multiformat poses (Tagina Pierre D’Avignon) and custom kits. A slate (La Fabbrica)

SEVEN: GELOSIE. SEEING NOT SEEING, SELLING NOT SELLING.

Until a few years ago, perforated modules (gelosie) were considered an exercise in style, a niche within a niche, handcrafted items for brands like Mutina (Celosia with P. Urquiola pre2018) even for marginal use for backdrops, fringes and other dust-risk applications.

Then came Terratinta and other brands with a more industrial approach (Marca Corona, Mirage, Wow).

The product, which to tile retirees evokes vintage memories of the 1960s-70s, embodies a small revolution: for the first time, surfaces are not offered to cover walls or floors, but structural elements.

It is hard to think of “industrial” volumes: the applications are to be invented, the production is not low cost, but the aesthetic effect is original and impactful. The future will tell whether the new proposals for foratones respond to a certain market demand or it is just a certain supply that graces the stands and catalogs and a little less the budgets.

What did we see that was good? In keeping with tradition, we close with a completely incoherent miscellany of what impressed us, between serious and less so considerations.

ONE: THE PLUG-IN PHOTOGRAPHER FULL ELECTRIC.

For us he is the best in show: the winner is him. He photographs and then silently darts between the booths riding his hoverboard (stolen from his grandson) with wheeled suitcase in tow. Hawaiian shirt, glass, Bermuda shorts and sockless loafer complete the dress code.

TWO: WILLY WONKA AND THE PORCELAIN FACTORY.

How to make a negligible booth memorable (for those who understand what it exhibits): believing in fairy tales brings business. The resemblance to the original 1971 Willy (Gene Wilder, the one from Frankestein Junior) is all there, but we discover that this Willy prefers espresso to chocolate. Wistfully recalling past Coverings with Prince and Jack Sparrow aliases, we confidently await the bat-cave booth with vendors dressed as Batman and Joker.

THREE: THE WOW STAND WOW EFFECT.

Moving on to more serious things, we liked the wow stand, different from all of them, the original shape was immediately noticeable. Smart creativity, probably without stratospheric budgets. The products were on a level.

FOUR: MIRAGE, A MAGIC BOX OF SUBSTANCE.

Simple in form, The Mirage stand is a purposeful box where every corner has something to say. From the 65 percent recycled series to extra-ceramic products in collaboration with Nerosicilia, from Nagomi mosaics to other proposals developed with designers and artists, there is something to tell, well-tuned also with architects and planners. Of course, not everything generates containers in spades (but some things do). Functional is the use of jellies to characterize the perimeter structure, showing us how they can be used.

FIVE: THE BLUE MARTINI (SEE YOU AT MARIO’S SOMETIME SOON)

A safe haven and meeting point for those who have strayed, the Blue Martini opens onto a small square in a cluster of restaurants and clubs; it’s not downtown but it does the trick: people come here for aperitifs and after dinners, there are mixed crowd and retro-dance music.

On Wednesdays there is the traditional Confindustria aperitif-event with ritual award ceremonies (this year it seems to us with less attendance, perhaps also due to concurrent evenings). In the center of the room, an ogival mega counter with stools where you can fraternize American-style, with eyes on the hectic assembly line for gintonic, cubalibre and now aperolspritz. Iconic to the venue is the perpetual bonfire that burns in the small garden (in the humid Florida heat), surrounded by a low fence guarded by bodyguards to prevent trespassing. Here after several drinks, enthusiastically surreal conversations are had with familiar and unknown faces. The Blue Martini is on the shortlist for World Heritage Site status.

SIX: THE GREEK TABERNA “MYKONOS CRAZY”

Looking for Mediterranean (and junk-free) food, we happen upon a place in the terrace above the blue Martini. The set-up is Greek taberna with large central plastic plane tree. Pyromaniac Latin American waitresses set fire to dishes, others throw napkins in the air that scatter, covering the floor. Groups of patrons finished dinner break out into dance-strip heaps on the table, egged on by Turkish belly dancers and Asian waiters who film the whole thing laughing.
By 9:30 p.m. it’s all over, not even bad food.

SEVEN: EVERYONE WE MET

The atmosphere at coverings is always a bit special, it may be the status of Italians abroad, the fear of Uncle Donald deporting us to Guantanamo, the endless days at the fair, but the friendliness of those who hosted us, caffetized us, pined and chatted with us has remained in our hearts. Thanks to all and thanks also to you who came so far to read.

Sincerely, you will let us know.
Please remember that our report is a collection of informal photos and personal impressions for our clients and friends, the tone is ironic, intentionally we try to be neutral towards our clients (indeed) otherwise there would be no point in writing it. If there are any errors or inaccuracies we apologize for them. Thank you for the feedback you give us inciting us to continue.

On our website you will find the report on Milan Design Week 2025 (if you missed it) and our contacts, for a discussion, or to develop some ideas.

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