Create a Zen Moment With These Spare, Patterned Porcelain Tiles

Contemporary tile of the patterned variety has a decidedly Moroccan skew. Designs typically feature ornate geometric patterns rendered in vibrant, jewel-toned colors—themes borrowed from zellige, a centuries-old Moroccan method of arranging individually chiseled tiles into complex mosaics, and Islamic art, which, following the Muslim belief that beauty is a quality of the divine, uses intricate motifs to convey the spiritual (in lieu of the physical) representation of things. So when Italian ceramics company Mutina introduced Tape, a series of glazed-porcelain stoneware tiles graced with soft, spare patterns, it added something different to the mix. Designed by London-based firm Raw Edges, Tape features eight patterns—including ones formed by pill-shaped ovals, chevrons, mesh, and braids—laid over white or black base tiles in one of five muted hues. Combined with the collection’s unadorned base tiles, the embellished pieces can be arranged to seem as if they morph into a different design, creating a quiet, calming effect that lends itself to decoration and meditation alike.

(Photos: Gerhardt Kellermann. Courtesy Raw Edges and Mutina)