Fringe porcelain surface by Mutina with engraved segments

Fringe by Mutina — zoning without walls

Mutina

Michael Anastassiades

Thin Red
Thin Red Available now
$ 1,132

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Trade terms for professionals and design studios

American workplaces tore the walls down decades ago — then spent decades figuring out how to give the open plan structure back. Fringe answers at floor level: ceramic rugs that zone lobby, lounge and boardroom without a single partition. Michael Anastassiades — the London-based designer famed for his lighting — puts it plainly: the space divides itself «as a sequence of activities across the floor», each on a fitted carpet, «the act to follow defined by the fringe around the borders». His first collection for Mutina (2023) builds those carpets in stone.

The system is spec-friendly: one format, 12.3×12.3 cm (5"×5"), parallel segments engraved in rectified unglazed porcelain, two weights — Thin (6 mm) and Bold (15 mm) — modular on a mandatory 3 mm joint, 5 colors (White, Anthracite, Grey, Rose, Red), and a designer's Cahier with 17 layouts in exact mix ratios. The epoxy grout, in tone or in contrast, changes the result significantly — a sixth color to specify, not an afterthought. DCOF 0.51 declared, stain class 5, 20% recycled for LEED 4.1.

Where the zones go

The zoning runs the whole building: floor and wall, indoor and outdoor, residential and commercial — executive floors, receptions, bathrooms and showers (DIN 51097 B declared), terraces (frost-proof). Datasheet and certificates on this page.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Fringe
Manufacturer: Mutina
Design: Michael Anastassiades, 2023 — the designer's first collection for Mutina
Material: rectified unglazed porcelain stoneware (UNI EN 14411 App. G, BIa UGL) — thickness 0.47 in (Bold) / 0.41 in (Thin)
Format: 5×5 in (4.8×4.8 in) — 65.62 pcs/sqm
Range: 2 engraved-segment patterns — Thin (0.24 in) and Bold (0.59 in), modular with each other — 5 colors: White, Anthracite, Grey, Rose, Red
Installation: mandatory 0.12 in joint, epoxy grout (in tone or contrasting: the result changes significantly), draw from several boxes — 17 layouts in the designer's Cahier
Use: floor and wall — indoor and outdoor, residential and commercial
Declared values: absorption 0.06% (ASTM C373) — Mohs 8 — stain class 5 — frost resistant (ASTM C1026) — slip R10, DIN 51097 class B, DCOF 0.51, Pendulum 55/40, AS/NZS P4
Sustainability: 20% pre-consumer recycled across all colors (LEED 4.1, 04/2023); ISO 14000 and ISO 9001; EPD, HPD, VOC on request
Packing: 42 pcs/box (0.64 sqm / 6.9 sq ft)

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Documents and Catalogs

Mutina Catalogue Fringe Catalogue Fringe LEED® Credit Contribution Sheet Fringe Technical Guide, Laying & Maintenance

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FAQ

How does Fringe zone an open plan without walls?
At floor level, the way area rugs do in a lounge - but permanent, trafficable and washable: each function gets a ceramic carpet with its own pattern, and the border between two fields announces the change of activity. That is Anastassiades' declared concept: activities across the floor as fitted rectangular carpets, «the act to follow defined by the fringe around the borders». For executive floors, lobbies and amenity spaces it means legible wayfinding and hierarchy with zero partitions, zero furniture dependence - the architecture is in the floor.
What do Thin and Bold change in practice?
Density of signal: Thin (6 mm engraved segments) reads as a fine corduroy - calm across large fields; Bold (15 mm) reads as deliberate ribs - strong at borders, entries and accent zones. Same 5×5 format, same five colors, engineered to mix on the mandatory 3 mm joint. The designer's Cahier removes the guesswork with 17 layouts in exact ratios - Thin 100%, 50/50 weaves, 90/10 accents, a 42/58 syncopation - ready to hand to the installer as laying drawings.
Is the grout really a design decision?
A declared one: Mutina states the end result «changes significantly» with grout color, and the catalogue shows it - Bold White grouted dark blue goes graphic, Anthracite with light blue pops, Thin Rose with dark red turns textile. Tone-on-tone yields a monolithic field where only relief speaks; contrast turns the 3 mm grid into drawing. Spec epoxy grout - color-stable, wear-resistant, cleaned before curing - and treat its color as the sixth color of the collection, sampled with the tile, not chosen on site.
What are the performance numbers for US specification?
Declared and ASTM-friendly: DCOF 0.51 (above the 0.42 wet reference), absorption 0.06% per ASTM C373, frost resistance per ASTM C1026, Mohs 8, stain class 5, plus R10, DIN 51097 class B and Pendulum 55/40 for international files. That covers executive floors, restrooms, showers and covered terraces; submerged or sloping wet zones, where class C would apply, stay with the designer of record. Full-body unglazed porcelain: the color is the material, not a skin.
What supports LEED and procurement?
A dated declaration of 20% pre-consumer recycled content across all colors (LEED 4.1, 2023), ISO 14000/9001 production, EPD, HPD and VOC documentation on request through La Mercanti - submittal-ready. Logistics: 5×5 format, 42-piece boxes (6.9 sq ft), 65.62 pieces per square meter, mandatory 3 mm joint. La Mercanti converts layout drawings into per-pattern quantities and mix ratios; sample costs are fully credited at order confirmation.

Zoning the open plan: Fringe in five steps

Five moves for US architects and workplace teams: Anastassiades' first Mutina collection from lobby to shower - territories, weights, the sixth color.

Map the activities
Conversation, focus, circulation, break: each becomes a Fringe rug - a field with or without a border, no partitions needed.
Assign the weights
Thin for calm large fields, Bold for borders and accents: start from the Cahier's 17 ratio-exact layouts.
Specify the sixth color
Epoxy grout in tone (monolithic) or contrast (graphic grid): the declared result changes significantly - sample tile and grout together.
Hold the 3 mm joint
Mandatory for Thin+Bold modularity; draw from several boxes, clean epoxy before it cures.
Order by the layout
42 pcs/box, 65.62 pcs/sqm: La Mercanti turns the laying drawing into per-pattern quantities, spares and freight.

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