Motivo dado wall by Mutina with vertical battens in relief

Motivo by Mutina — the dado wall, redrawn by design

Mutina

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

Arctic
Arctic Available now
₹ 359.626

Let's discuss your project

Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Every Indian architect knows the dado: the half-height band that takes the scuffs of chairs, trolleys and daily traffic so the wall above stays clean. What the dado rarely gets is a designer. Motivo (2025) gives it one: Ronan Bouroullec turned the protective half-wall into a composed system — 14×28 matt double-fired tiles, vertical battens in unglazed full-body porcelain, and a Terminale profile that caps the composition properly instead of leaving a raw edge. The battens are coloured through their entire thickness, so the exposed relief is the same material all the way down.

The inspiration is declared and disarming: the designer's memory of his grandparents' homes and of old Scottish castle interiors, where panelling protected walls for centuries. Mutina produces it in six matt colours — White, Chalk, Limestone, Earth, Arctic, Graphite — plus a Silver lustre, sells the tile exclusively paired with its T batten, and coordinates the palette with its own Paints range. An interior wall covering for corridors, cabins, conference rooms and washrooms; registered model, December 2025.

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, 8 mm — T batten 2.8×1.35×28 cm, 13.5 mm — L batten 2.8×1.9×28 cm, 19 mm — Terminale 2.8×1.9×28 cm, 19 mm
Colours: 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

La Mercanti Srl — trusted supplier for design and contract projects since 1997.
San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy · +39 0735 753833 · info@lamercanti.com
Supply, quotations, specifications and project support across India and worldwide.

Documents and Catalogues

Mutina Catalogue Motivo Catalogue Motivo Technical Guide, Laying & Maintenance

Share the finishes you wish to evaluate

₹ 30.000

Amount adjusted against your first order

FAQ

Can Motivo work as a dado in high-traffic corridors?
That is its natural habitat. The declared use is interior wall covering; the glazed tile carries stain resistance class 5 and chemical resistance class A, and the protruding battens are full-body porcelain, coloured through their entire 19 mm thickness. A half-height run capped with the Terminale does the dado's protective job while looking deliberately designed rather than merely serviceable.
At what height should a Motivo half-wall stop?
In multiples of 28 cm, the height of one tile course — three, four or five courses depending on the room — always closed with the Terminale profile, which exists precisely so the composition does not end in a raw edge. The L batten resolves outer corners and vertical terminations along the way.
Why does Motivo come as tile plus batten, never tile alone?
Because Mutina does not sell the two elements separately: the 14×28 tile ships exclusively with the T batten, and the recommended grout is tone-on-tone with the batten colour. The pairing is the design — order it anywhere in the world and the same vertical rhythm arrives on site.
How do the Motivo colours behave in an Indian light?
The six colours are all matt — White, Chalk, Limestone, Earth, Arctic, Graphite — so strong daylight lands softly, without glare, and the relief does the visual work through shadow. Silver, the seventh finish, is a lustre and behaves in the opposite way, returning light; Mutina pairs the whole palette with its own Paints range for the wall above the dado.
What maintenance does a Motivo wall need over the years?
Ordinary non-abrasive cleaning — avoid steel wool and metal sponges, particularly on Silver. Epoxy grout residues after installation dissolve with an alkaline cleaner left for about thirty minutes, and Mutina's care sheet lists a declared remover for each common stain, from rust to paint splashes.

Planning a designed dado with Motivo, step by step

Five practical steps to turn the protective half-wall of offices and institutions into composed architecture with Mutina's paired system.

Map the traffic first
Walk the corridors and mark where trolleys, chairs and bags actually touch the walls: that is where the dado earns its cost. Motivo is an interior wall covering, so keep the plan on walls and let the floor be someone else's problem.
Set the course count
Choose the number of 28 cm courses for the half-wall and keep it constant through the building; consistency is what makes a dado read as architecture. Close every top edge with the Terminale and every outer corner with the L batten.
Order the paired system
The tile comes only with its T batten — 22.32 pieces per square metre, 36 to a box covering 1.41 square metres. Count Terminale and L pieces off the drawings before ordering, adding margin for cuts around openings and switches.
Demand a flat, dry substrate
Specify perfectly flat and dry walls and a non-rapid adhesive for porcelain and double-fired ceramic, so the crew can true each batten before the bed stiffens. On a relief wall, substrate defects are not hidden — they are exhibited.
Grout in tone and hand over care
Use epoxy grout matched to the batten colour, half a square metre at a time, washed before it cures. Hand the client one line of maintenance: non-abrasive cleaning, gentler still on Silver — and the dado will outlast every repainting cycle above it.

You May Also Like