The River North Design District (RNDD) is excited to welcome our newest member to our Chicago design community, Roca Tile. Their stunning River North Chicago showroom is located at 215 W. Illinois in the heart of the design district. They offer a wide variety of ceramic and porcelain tiles for multiple applications.

Roca Tile USA is an offspring of the Roca Corporation. It is a worldwide leader in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing high-quality ceramic and porcelain tile under two brands Roca and United States Ceramic Tile. The company’s product range offers solutions for multiple uses, from versatile wall tile to highly resistant indoor and outdoor floor tiles, including single colors, marble, wood, concrete, fabric, decorative tiles, and a wide array of complementary pieces.

Being the tile experts they are, we asked Roca to share with us 3 of the top tile design trends they expect to see more of in 2021.

Shape and Movement

We’re seeing organic, undulating shapes not just with tile, but everywhere, from cups to carpets, mirrors to makeup packaging. There’s a long-standing connection between organic, biophilic forms and the subtle use of natural shapes to enhance human connection to nature and creativity (think everything from the work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí to the undulations of a curved couch). And after 10+ months of being confined indoors, we’re looking for all the nature we can get. While biomimicry—the design strategy that imitates uses, forms, colors, and more that are found in nature—has been on the rise as an interest in sustainability has grown, we’re seeing it combined with celebratory colors in unexpected places, such as a coffee table or pillow, reported Architectural Digest.

— Roca Tile

We love the mix of bold colors and shapes in this home bar by Crimson Design Group using Roca’s CC Mosaics Gray & White Mosaic on the floors.

Oversize Rectangular Tile for Bathrooms

There are a lot of reasons to consider large rectangular tiles in a bathroom. Fewer grout lines mean less cleaning and less visual clutter. Plus, the large-format tile can help visually expand a small space. We’re seeing large tiles used in a variety of classic patterns, such as herringbone, stacked and brick. If you’re considering large rectangular tiles for the bathroom floor, try going with a matte finish, which provides some slip resistance.

— Roca Tile

Metallic Tile Accents

One way to jazz up bathroom tile is with a punch of shiny metal. Several tile companies offer tile in silver, bronze and other metallic finishes. And while covering an entire wall in gold tile might not be the way to go, integrating just a few metallic tiles can have a captivating effect.

— Roca Tile

Pictured here is Roca’s Rockart collection which offers a plethora of metallic styles, perfect as an accent or full installed on an accent wall.

Please join us in welcoming Roca Tile to RNDD! You can view their entire collection online at www.rocatileusa.com or visit them in River North at 215 W Illinois, Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.