Once again, the Passport to Creativity Tour whisked a few members from the architecture and design community, as well as several select journalists, off on an exciting adventure — immersing them into the world of Spanish tile. Those who were fortunate to receive an invitation from Tile of Spain USA to join this one-of-a-kind excursion not only spent two days at Cevisama – the annual international tile and bathroom furnishings exhibition – but were also introduced to Spanish history, culture and manufacturing. In addition to the tile exhibition, the group visited several tile production facilities in the tile-producing region of Castellón, as well as being led on an architectural tour of the beautiful city of Valencia, where they stayed for five nights in late February.

“Year over year, the trip continues to evolve,” said Rocamador Rubio, director of the department of ceramic tile, natural stone, building materials and furnishings at the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami, FL. “It has become one of the most successful and highly sought-after initiatives, not only within our yearly programming, but within the design community. The Passport to Creativity trip has been one of the most important and rewarding programs I developed during my time in this role.”

Ryan Fasan, technical consultant for Tile of Spain USA, has been an integral part of this trip for more than a decade and assists in leading the group on an awe-inspiring journey and explaining all the facets of the Spanish tile sector. “The goal of the tour is to expose as many journalists and design professionals to the secret ingredient of what makes the Spanish tile industry really special,” he said. “We do that in as many ways as we can. We try to give a little history of Valencia and an overall of Spanish culture, as well as the history of tile that interweaves within art and culture and how it informs architecture in Spain. We do this through some trade show and factory visits to give everyone a better idea about how much care and detail goes into the production process and the thought that goes behind all of the product development. Hopefully, I make people fall in love with Spanish ceramic tile as much I can.”

One full day during the Passport to Creativity Tour was devoted to visiting tile manufacturing facilities and showrooms. Among the stops were Equipe, Mainzu and Venux. This was the first time that Tile of Spain USA had arranged to visit a porcelain slab production plant, and everyone seemed interested by the process.

“What I found really interesting on the tour was visiting the factories,” said Valerie Costa, associate at MJM+A architects, which has offices in New York, NY, and Portland, ME. “It was great seeing how the product is made, shipped out and the innovations that they have, including the use of graphically printing on tile.”

Anna Gibson, founder of AKG Design Studio in Reston, VA, agreed the factory visits were a highlight. “I really loved the tour – the combination of seeing the factories, as well as the different tiles and solutions, was wonderful,” she said. “Seeing the evolution of the technology that was new, along with the tile, that was really impressive to me.”

While walking through the aisles of the exhibition halls, the tour participants were wowed by the dazzling tile displays. They seemed to enjoy sharing their thoughts on trends and ideas for applications with each other. This year, it seems desaturated colors, clean textures, shades of terra-cotta and soft whites, as well as geometric patterns and fluted surfaces, emerged as noticeable trends.

“The trip was phenomenal,” said Yvette Craddock of Yvette Craddock Designs, with offices in Miami, FL, and Arizona. “I have enjoyed truly every minute of it – from the show to the factory tours. There has been so much depth of information that we have learned. And of course, Ryan, our technical advisor, and the media that have also been on this trip, have been a wealth of information. I can expand my knowledge and share more information with my clients, as I delve deeper into providing even more care and pride in selecting tile solutions for them.”