“Sustainability play a very big role in selecting which products we bring to market”

(May 2026) – Nemo Tile & Stone is a fourth-generation, family-owned company with more than a century of experience serving the architectural and design community. Renowned for its curated collections and long-standing relationships with Italian manufacturers, the company has built a reputation as a trusted partner for architects, designers, and contractors across commercial and residential markets. With a strong presence in the Northeast and a growing national footprint, the company continues to align its sourcing strategy with evolving design trends and performance expectations. We spoke with Matthew Karlin, CEO of the Nemo Group, about the value of Italian partnerships, the company’s founding principles, and the shifts shaping the tile market in 2026.

 

Nemo Tile & Stone is known for its curated collections and strong industry relationships. What would you say has been the key to your company’s success, particularly in working with Italian manufacturers? How do these relationships influence your sourcing decisions?

Understanding the market we serve, the design community, and the products that best represent where the design community is headed has always been a priority for Nemo Tile. We listen to designers and clients who are forward-thinking, because we know the buildings they design, the hotels they decorate, and the airports they build all want to look better than the next. We feel we have a hand in helping tell that story. We communicate often with our partners in Italy, as they have their fingers on the pulse of where the design community is heading.

 

 

What founding principles have guided Nemo Tile & Stone since its beginning? How do those principles continue to shape your company today?

We have always believed in being completely transparent about the products we represent—how they should be used, how they should be installed, and ultimately how they should be treated. We have always been a trusted resource to contractors, homeowners, architects, and designers. One hundred and four years has proven our reliability, and that comes from being completely transparent about the products we represent.

 

When selecting new products, what quality standards or performance factors matter most to you? Do certifications, technical characteristics, or sustainability benchmarks play a role in your decision-making process?

Yes, certifications, technical characteristics, and sustainability all play very big roles in selecting which products we choose to bring to market. Our clients are very smart and very conscious about sustainability, so these characteristics have a significant impact on our decisions about what we bring in.

 

 

Who are your core clients today, and what types of projects do they typically work on? How do the needs of designers and architects differ from those of homeowners or developers?

Every single home, every single airport, every single stadium, every single subway station, and every single tunnel is our client. There are no differentiating needs between architects, homeowners, and developers. Everybody wants beautiful products at the right price and delivered at the right time—that is at the core of everyone’s project. Beautiful, on budget, and on time.

 

What trends do you expect to have the biggest impact on the tile market in 2026? Are you seeing different preferences emerge in commercial projects versus residential ones?

We see slabs being used more and more every day. People want less grout and more surface area to make their spaces look larger and more continuous. With technology in Europe trending toward more slabs and fewer smaller tiles, we see this becoming commonplace not only in commercial projects but also in residential projects.

 

 

How does Italian tile compete in the North American market compared to other global competitors? What can Italian manufacturers do to further strengthen their position here? Do tariffs or trade policies still influence buying decisions?

Most Italian manufacturers still focus on the relationships they have built over the last 70 to 80 years with distributors like us. If they continue to do so and worry less about big-box retailers, we will continue to have strong relationships with our Italian partners. Tariffs influence decisions in the short term, but in the long term, relationships and great products will win.

 

Finally, what do you see as the next major shift in the tile industry over the next year? How is Nemo Tile & Stone preparing for what’s ahead?

I am presently the CEO of the Nemo Group, which is a group of companies consolidated within the markets they serve. We have Nemo Tile & Stone in the Northeast; Design and Direct Source, which handles nationwide commercial specifications; our Tile Market Group, which is a consortium of retail businesses and high-end residential; and our Discover Tile business. We look forward to working with more companies that understand the nature of their markets and how tile and stone can continue to grow within the markets they serve.