French designer Inga Sempé developed the new Dintorni tile collection for Mutina as part of larger series that celebrates the traditional 20 x 20 cement tile and the Italian brand’s dedication to rethinking ceramic heritage with compelling insights and a view to the future.
Meaning “surroundings” in Italian, the Dintorni collection from Mutina is a thorough exploration of the infinite possibilities of ceramics. When creating the collection of 20 x 20 glazed non-rectified porcelain stoneware tiles, Inga Sempé wanted to “represent worlds that have no connection to each other except for their very estrangement.”
The comprehensive Dintorni collection from Mutina consists of two variations, each with its own distinct imagery – three graphic patterns and Isola, which includes 10 motifs that depict dreamlike worlds.
Along with these are five solid colours that can be mixed and matched together; the five solid colours are Sky Blue, Light Green, Blue, Terracotta and Dark Green. Finally, Raccordo (the connector) is a high-gloss ceramic profile in Black or Caramel that can be used to create transitions between flooring and wall covering or, when rotated, can be the finishing edge for a boiserie or be installed as a small ledge for the display miniature objects.
Forming the three different geometric patterns within the Dintorni collection from Mutina are: Scala (stairs), an interlocking arrangement of steps; Bandiere (flags), a tight sequence of small triangles; and Dama, which riffs on the motif of a chessboard that is accentuated by the alternating presence of small dots.
Each of the three patterns are offered in three colourways – Neve (snow), Sole (sun) or Ombra (shadow) – and they can be combined based on chromatic or geometric variants, as well as with the five solid colours.
With the Isola contribution to the Dintorni collection from Mutina, Inga Sempé have her imagination free rein, which resulted in 10 metaphysical depictions that create the sense of a distant refuge or place to escape and also disrupt the geometry and the grid. Unexpeceted and somewhat abstract, the scenes interact with each other in way that hints at movement, upwards and downwards, but no clear destination.
