Tiles are usually designed to fall into neat, predictable grids – but who says it has to be that way? Mutina flips this expectation with its latest collections, Osso & Bottone, designed by world-renowned French designer Ronan Bouroullec. Here, grout lines aren’t an afterthought but part of the design itself. Each unglazed porcelain stoneware tile is cut into, revealing playful seams once installed. The result is a surface alive with slight shifts of line, shadow, and shape, adding new depth and dimension to tile installations. Osso & Bottone mark Mutina’s first foray into tile exclusively designed for outdoor spaces.
Osso takes a more linear approach, incorporating slender cuts that taper the length of the tile, reminiscent of bones (osso in French). When grouted, these lines create subtle shifts in shadow and geometry, giving the installation a quiet sense of movement. Instead of a rigid grid, the eye follows pathways that weave in and out, softening the surface while adding rhythm and flow. It’s another example of how slight alterations can yield a beautifully understated yet graphic effect.
As its name suggests, Bottone brings to mind the rounded silhouette of a button. Each tile is cut with a circular indentation along the perimeter, so once grouted with a 4mm spacing, the surface takes on a dotted, tactile rhythm. The “buttons” break up the grid with soft, playful interruptions, creating a surface that feels almost stitched together. Depending on the grout color chosen, the effect can swing from subtle texture to bold graphic patterning, highlighting how even the smallest tweak to tile shape can create major impact.
By treating grout lines as a design feature rather than an afterthought, Bouroullec and Mutina open up fresh possibilities for those who want to create extra intrigue in a small and creative way, without overwhelming the space. Whether it’s the button-like punctuation of Bottone or the quiet pathways of Osso, both collections spark a new perspective on the traditional tile grid.
Osso is offered in large 7.5 × 23.1 cm and small 3 × 27.5 cm. Bottone is available in two sizes – large at 7.5 × 32.1 cm and small at 3 × 27.5 cm. Both collections come in five colorways: Sabbia (sand), Grigio (gray), Rosso (red), Blu (blue), and Verde (green).
To learn more about the Osso & Bottone collections by Ronan Bouroullec for Mutina, visit mutina.it.
Photography by Gerhardt Kellermann.
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