At Milan Design Week 2024, Mutina unveiled at Casa Mutina Milano and Spazio Cernaia a series of new collections entirely designed by Ronan Bouroullec, which are still on display (by appointment only) at Casa Mutina Milano.
‘This year, more than individual collections, we presented an entire universe. The Osso & Bottone represents Mutina's first collection specifically designed for outdoor environments,’ says Mutina CEO Massimo Orsini. ‘By tackling this challenge, we wanted to take a further step, extending our research beyond the classic boundaries of indoor spaces, proposing organic shapes in pastel colours in dialogue with nature. The true subject is the conjunction between the elements, the absent parts rather than the present ones, to make outdoor spaces more contemporary.’
Mutina tiles by Ronan Bouroullec
Designed for dual use, Osso & Bottone are modules of rectangular tiles with perimeter cuts that create ample voids and reveal patterns through the joints: in particular, in this case at least 4 mm of joint is suggested, in order to keep the right distance especially for Bottone, so that you can to recreate the perfect circles, similar to buttons. It can be filled with grout in the same or contrasting colour to create a variety of effects. Also, because of the strong aesthetic, the tile edges are visible for the first time.
Adagio, a series of ceramic modules that can be assembled to create scenic wall sculptures, has also just been unveiled: a reticular structure resembling a fabric weave, with overlapping elements emphasising the product's three-dimensionality. ‘Adagio is an authentic wall sculpture, which I think (and hope) will revolutionise the perception of ceramics in the coming years,’ says Orsini. ‘And then many new Editions, such as vases and candleholders handmade by master craftsmen and produced in limited editions.’
Mutina showcases Ronan Bouroullec's Editions
The way Mutina understands that somewhat mysterious aspect of ceramic, a material that has a unique and ever-changing beauty, it’s clear with Editions. As a collection of ceramic objects linked to the world of designer interiors, they are entirely handmade, with each piece sequentially signed and stamped. The series includes vases and a candelabrum that can be modulated in different combinations: they are all made by casting and assembling individual pieces, and the glaze is from an ancient formulation.
Ronan Bouroullec on his collaboration with Mutina
Some of the collections and objects were presented in advance during the Résonance exhibition curated by Marie-Ange Brayer at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Adagio, along with some products designed by Ronan with his brother Erwan for Mutina, has also become part of the permanent collection of the French museum: ‘I met Massimo 15 years ago, the owner of Mutina, he showed up at the workshop in a sweat with very heavy samples of tiles,’ Bouroullec wrote on his social media accounts. ‘He wanted so much to convince me to collaborate, he was very moved.'
'Everything went wrong, he spilled his coffee on my drawings, he talked too much and he left even more nervous than when he arrived. He didn’t know it but I was immediately won over, this clumsiness charmed me a lot. It has been a super collaboration since then, he is one of the great Italian entrepreneurs, like Giulio Capellini, Piero Gandini and Eugenio Perazza, without whom nothing would have happened and with whom I have learned, and learn, so much.’
Ronan Bouroullec, Mutina, 2024
Casa Mutina and Spazio Cernaia
Via Cernaia, 1A, Milan
