When in Rome, well, close enough

Bologna and Verona to be precise, but there was still plenty of Italian swagger and style on show. We stayed true to our trademark orange & black theme, making us always easy to find and instantly recognisable.

With every year it seems to me that there is more and more focus on fashion being worn rather than the products being shown. Of course when done right, both fit perfectly together to capture the spirit of the beloved Italian charisma.

This year at Cersaie was no different. I have a feeling that there was no obvious new trend in the tiling industry but rather stand presentation was aimed a lot more at 50's and 60's look. Last years focus on wood was probably even stronger, whereas back lighting and precious stones have been dialled down.

Also noticeable was trying out more irregular sanitary-ware shapes and sizes, almost hinting a look into the future, very similar to those concept cars often seen on auto shows, main difference being that these designs can already be bought, well, if the bank balance allows it, that is.

Verona always offers up plenty of visual treats with a much more laid back atmosphere. Lots of quality and glamour from the world famous brands but also an ever growing presence and competition from the eastern part of the world.

Next months sees our première at Architect@Work in Paris on the 9th and 10th of October. Here below you can see a little sneak-peek of our stand (designed using Palette CAD of course) so if you are around make sure to come and see how it compares to the real thing.

I think that should about do it for our 50th post anniversary, but to see more pics from Cersaie and Marmomacc please visit our Facebook group. Next month more from Architect@Work as well as a downloadable demo version of Palette CAD 8.2 for you all to try out for yourselves. Until then enjoy the last few weeks before the Christmas marketing machine starts!!


Greeting from Stuttgart,

Your Palette CAD-Blog Team

Tip of the month! September: Colour match search

Looking back at the previous TOTM posts, if our readers have been taking notice, and putting our shared knowledge into practice, there must be some advanced level Palette CAD wizards out there.

This month another of the upcoming 8.2 features for you, new colour match search system for materials. This is a very cool feature when trying to find similar materials to ones already in your plan. Matching the styling of the furniture to that of the floor, for example.

Lets imagine that we have already finished the proposal above for our potential client, but we needed at least one other variation. The furniture is set but flooring not. Using the material matching system we can use the couch leather to find similar wood finish for the floor.

First open the material browser found under the design tab. Start the search by clicking on the symbol shown in the picture above. This will open the standard material search. Now at the bottom check the coluor search option. This will allow you to choose from further setting. Select a desired tolerance range and then open the drop-down menu and select other colours.

Colours window will pop up. From here click on the Select button and then simply click on the surface you wish to match. This will be displayed under new. Click on OK.

Simply select start search and shortly after the results will be displayed. Now just select the one you wish to use and apply it to the desired surface. In our example, dark wood surfaces were replaced as seen in the resulting rendering below.

As a little bonus I can officially announce that as of today international versions of Palette CAD 8.2 have been completed. Hope you get yours soon and reap the benefits of professional visualisation.


Greeting from Stuttgart,

Your Palette CAD Blog Team