According to a stone expert who walked with us around the Spanish pavillion, Apavisa Porcelanico is a company that will likely attract the architect’s eye in each of us. As Pedro Miralles, their export manager, told us about their porcelain stoneware company based in San Juan de Moro, Spain, Apavisa has earned a reputation due to their high surface resistance and versatility in design projects.

Nanotech. Designed by Apavisa Porcelanico.

Apavisa focuses on quality and sophistication in their new line for 2010 called Nanotech. The first of two types of Nanotech tiles launched in 2010 is called Nanocorten, a tile that jumped at me from across the show floor as we neared the booth (which is difficult for tiles to do sometimes). But due to its quiet confidence and metal but astonishing matte finish available in three shades – titanium lappato, copper lappato, and white lappato – . Nanotech doesn’t mess around. Literally, since it is a porcelain tile, these tiles are naturally nonabsorbent and extremely resilient. Since the Nanotech tiles are known for being 4mm thin, they can be used on more than just floors. In fact, walls, cabinets, and permanent tile room dividers are trending to the top of the list this Coverings season, and we’ll notice more and more of this in the years to come.