Motivo wall system by Mutina with vertical porcelain battens

Motivo by Mutina — the spec that cannot be split

Mutina

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

Arctic
Arctic Available now
$ 9,720

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Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Most designed walls die in procurement: the field tile survives, the detail that made it architecture gets value-engineered away. Motivo is built so that cannot happen. Mutina sells the 14×28 matt tile exclusively paired with the T batten in unglazed full-body porcelain — there is no way to order the field without the rhythm — and recommends a tone-on-tone grout so the joint reads as material, not as grid. The design itself is a registered model, filed in December 2025.

Ronan Bouroullec (2025) drew the system from the panelled interiors of old Scottish castles and the memory of his grandparents' homes: a ceramic boiserie in six matt colors — White, Chalk, Limestone, Earth, Arctic, Graphite — plus Silver, a lustre finish. The L batten turns corners, the Terminale caps half-height compositions; battens are colored through their full thickness. An interior wall covering for boardrooms, receptions and executive baths, coordinated by Mutina with its own Paints palette so tile and paint share one color card.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Motivo
Manufacturer: Mutina
Design: Ronan Bouroullec, 2025
Material: 14×28 tile in matt glazed double-firing (UNI EN 14411 App. L, BIIa GL); L, T and Terminale battens in unglazed full-body porcelain (BIa UGL)
Elements: tile 14×28 cm (5.5″×11″), 0.31 in — T batten 1.1×0.53×11 in, 0.53 in — L batten 1.1×0.75×11 in, 0.75 in — Terminale 1.1×0.75×11 in, 0.75 in
Colors: White, Chalk, Limestone, Earth, Arctic, Graphite (matt) + Silver (lustre)
Performance (ISO 10545): stain resistance 5 (tile) and 3 (battens); chemical resistance class A; resistant to thermal shock and crazing
Use: interior wall covering
Sales format: tile sold exclusively paired with the Motivo T batten; tone-on-tone epoxy grout
Design protection: registered model no. 015127172, filed 12/12/2025
Documents: VOC, SVHC, HPD and Declaration of Contents on request — certificates downloadable directly from the product page

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Documents and Catalogs

Mutina Catalogue Motivo Catalogue Motivo Technical Guide, Laying & Maintenance

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FAQ

How does Motivo protect the design intent through procurement?
Structurally: Mutina does not sell the 14×28 tile separately from the T batten, so the vertical rhythm cannot be stripped out of the order, and the recommended grout is tone-on-tone with the batten so the drawn proportion survives installation. Add a registered model filed on 12/12/2025 and the specification arrives on site the way it left the drawing board.
Is Motivo suitable for commercial interiors in the US?
Its declared use is interior wall covering, which is exactly where it belongs in a workplace: boardrooms, reception walls, executive bathrooms, corridors at wainscot height. Stain resistance is class 5 on the glazed tile and chemical resistance is class A; project-specific code or standard requirements should always be confirmed on the manufacturer's documentation.
What exactly is in the Motivo system besides the field tile?
Three porcelain profiles, each colored through its full body: the T batten (13.5 mm thick) that runs between tiles, the L batten (19 mm) for outer corners and vertical terminations, and the Terminale (2.8×1.9×28 cm) that caps a half-height composition. The differing thicknesses — 8, 13.5 and 19 mm — are what draw the relief.
Can Motivo tie into a painted wall scheme?
That is how it was designed: Mutina states the collection complements its own Paints palette, and the catalogue shows the pairings — Chalk battens with Moss paint, White with Olive, Graphite with Earth, Silver with Pearl. A half-tiled wall and its painted upper section can be specified from one coordinated color card.
What does the Silver finish require in terms of care?
Silver is a lustre — a metallized glazed double-firing — so it asks for slightly more respect than the matt colors: ordinary non-abrasive cleaning, no steel wool or metal sponges, which can scratch or dull a glossy surface. End-of-site epoxy residues are removed with an alkaline cleaner left to act for about thirty minutes.

Writing a Motivo spec that reaches the site intact

Five steps for architects and PMs: how to specify, quantify and detail Mutina's paired wall system without losing the design in translation.

Name the system, not the tile
Specify Motivo as tile plus T batten — that is how Mutina sells it, with no separate purchase of the two elements — and reference the registered model of December 2025. Written this way, the spec cannot be quietly reduced to a plain tiled wall.
Fix heights and closings on the drawings
Dimension every run in multiples of 28 cm and mark where the Terminale caps a wainscot and where the L batten turns a corner. Every horizontal stop without a Terminale is a detail the installer will improvise — badly.
Quantify by the box
Count 22.32 tile pieces per square meter, boxed in 36 pieces covering 1.41 square meters, then add T battens per the layout and L and Terminale pieces per linear detail. Order overage for cuts at openings and outlets.
Condition the substrate
Call for perfectly flat, dry walls and a non-rapid adhesive suitable for porcelain and double-fired ceramics, giving the crew time to align each batten true. Flatness tolerance is not bureaucracy here: relief magnifies every defect.
Close out with tone and documents
Specify epoxy grout tone-on-tone with the batten color, worked half a square meter at a time, and hand over the care sheet: non-abrasive cleaning, extra caution on Silver. VOC, SVHC and HPD declarations are available from Mutina on request.

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