From Bologna, Italy to Australia ….

In 1983 the Di Lorenzo family embarked on importing the finest Italian crafted tiles to Australia. Fast forward to 2013/14 we find 4 talented sisters at the helm of the business with the grandchildren fast developing a love and passion for tiles.

Tina and Diana Di Lorenzo take us a personal journey into buying, traveling, eating and trends in 2014.

What do you look for when scouting for tiles?

We look for innovative manufacturers and brands, especially those setting new trends.  We like to find new manufacturers who are producing products which are a little out of the norm, not your everyday products.  We like to find tiles which will set us apart in the market.

What regions and countries do you travel for buying trips ? Bologna, Italy.

Do you follow trends ? Yes – we look at what is happening in terms of fashion, furniture, fabric, lighting, and see how this translates to our industry.  These European trends are important to us as they tend to filter through to the tile industry.  We are also very passionate about tiles, and have seen many trends come and go – sometimes choosing tiles can be as simple as falling in love with the texture or colour!

What gives you the edge? We have exclusive relationships with some of the leading manufacturers in our industry, and this is definitely an advantage for us.  We also believe our showrooms give us an advantage – we are constantly evolving and updating our showrooms.  We love to display our products in a beautiful, creative space.

Does being a women help? Absolutely!  As women we have fine-tuned the art of shopping!  On our buying trip there are over 300 exhibitors, so it is important to understand how to shop, so we can get through the fair efficiently.  When we walk into a stand we know within the first 20 seconds if it is worth staying to explore the product, or moving on to the next!  We trust our female intuition! We also get very excited when we see new products, and our suppliers often tell us that only a women could possibly get so enthusiastic about a tile!

What do you love about tiles ? Everything!  We love how tiles have evolved over the years, from being a boring trade product, to a beautiful, fashionable, and integral part of the home.  Technically tiles have also advanced incredibly, both in colour and design.  Many of our products have been created by a single inspiration, and we love how this can be translated into an amazing end product.

What are the tile trends in 2014? Beautiful concrete inspired creations and stone replications. Timber inspired tiles continue to evolve.  We are also excited that decoration and hand made products have become more accepted in our market, and 2014 will see a huge emergence of colour and design.  Large format tiles are also trending right now, with sizes of 800×1800 featured prominently in our showrooms

Design Addicts platform is followed all over the world. Are the trends the same in New York , London and Brisbane ? The major trends in our industry are created by leading Italian manufacturers, who distribute throughout the world.  So yes, the leading and more prominent trends are similar throughout the world.  However, we have been advised that Australia has been more accepting of the decoration trend than other countries in the world

The DiLorenzo ladies are known for their style and glamour just as much as their tiles. It’s rumored  you hit the trade fair in stilettos …. is this true ? There is a lot of area to cover at the trade show, and every year our feet do suffer!  We always wear stilettos, as we generally live in high heels!  However by day 5 at the trade fair our feet are usually suffering, so we find the latest trend in Italian runners, and are generally wearing these on the last day!  Italian have a way of ensuring their runners are super stylish!

Diana – If you could pick a favourite tile, what would it be and why ?(Below right)  I am loving the classic prints from 14 Ora Italiana, I Gattipardi Range.  They are inspired by 18^th Century Sicilian Majolicas, and the soft colours are just beautiful.  There is nothing like this product on the market

Tina – What is the ugliest tile you have ever seen and why ? (above left) This year we did come across decoration which was way over the top and extremely unappealing to the eye!  This example is definitely one of the ugliest I have seen!

Diana – what is your favourite food to eat when away ? (below ) Bologna is known as the food capital of Italy, so there are so many amazing foods we get to eat during our visit to the trade fair.  Pizza in Bologna is amazing, and I can’t go past a fabulous wood fire pizza!

Tina – what is your favourite store to visit when you are away ? I love the store Gente Roma, in Via Frattina Rome.  It has a great range of clothes, shoes and handbags, and I can always find a great piece (or two!) to bring home

What is the best thing about being a part of the DiLorenzo family? We are all share the same passion about tiles and our business.  We are very fortunate that we love working together – we really do!  We rely on each other and have a common goal.  Aside from the business, our mum is an amazing cook!  Every family needs a mum like ours!

To see more from Di Lorenzo