Chamotte glazed brick wall by Mutina in glossy colours

Chamotte by Mutina — ceramic wainscoting, with the percentages included

Mutina

Patricia Urquiola

Quadra Ocra
Quadra Ocra Available now
£ 655

What did you have in mind?

Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Britain knows wainscoting — the panelled lower wall that makes a room feel dressed. Chamotte rebuilds that idea in ceramic, and Mutina even publishes the recipe: the official Boiserie layout pairs the plain Mono module (40%) with the ribbed Linea (60%), turning a wall into panelling that never needs repainting. It is one of eight official layouts with percentages included — from one-colour Damiers to a five-colour chequerboard dosed to the point.

The material earns the tradition: artisanal double-fired glazed ceramic — the historic technique of great wall maiolica — in a single 7.2×21.3 cm brick, three modules (Mono plain, Linea with continuous relief traits, Quadra where traits break into a cusp) and six glossy art glazes: Bianco, Blu, Terra, Ocra, Nero, Verde. Patricia Urquiola (2023) calls it the «brutal, natural beauty» of ceramics — irregular brushstrokes, a texture that changes piece by piece. The name is the recipe: chamotte is crushed ceramic reborn in raw clay, with 5-8% pre-consumer recycled content declared.

Where it dresses the room

Declared use: wall covering, indoor — washrooms and spa walls (stain class 5, class A up to pool chemicals), reception fronts, meeting-room boiserie. Laid edge-to-edge without spacers, grout optional. Datasheet and certificates download from this page.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Chamotte
Manufacturer: Mutina
Design: Patricia Urquiola, 2023
Material: glazed double-fired ceramic, artisanal production, UNI EN 14411:2016 App. L GL
Format: 7.2×21.3 cm (3×9 in) — thickness: Mono ~9.7 / Linea 10 / Quadra 10.7 mm (0.42 in) — work size 214.7×72.4 ±1.8 mm (8.5×2.9 ±0.07 in)
Modules and colours: Mono, Linea, Quadra × Bianco, Blu, Terra, Ocra, Nero, Verde (18 references, glossy glaze)
Use: wall covering, indoor
Declared values: stain class 5 — acids/bases and pool chemicals class A — thermal-shock resistant — absorption 12% (double-fired body)
Sustainability: 5-8% pre-consumer recycled content (LEED 4.1 declaration); body free of VOC and SVHC; recyclable packaging; EPD, HPD on request
Installation: perfectly flat walls, slow-setting adhesive, pieces laid side by side without spacers, grout optional — Packing: 60 pcs/box (0.92 sqm), 65.2 pcs/sqm

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 the UK and worldwide.

Documents and Catalogues

Mutina Catalogue Mutina Catalogue Chamotte Leed41 Certifications Mutina Certifications Chamotte Technical Guide, Laying & Maintenance

Tell us which finishes you'd like to assess

£ 170

Fully redeemable against your first order

FAQ

How does the ceramic Boiserie actually compare to timber panelling?
It keeps the proportions and drops the maintenance: the official layout runs plain Mono at 40% and ribbed Linea at 60%, giving the wall the rhythm of panelling - and the glaze does what paint cannot: stain class 5, class A against chemicals, colour fired into the surface. Where timber wainscot needs repainting and fears radiators, double-fired ceramic shrugs. For heritage-minded interiors that must work as offices, it is the panelling that ends the repainting cycle.
Why is Chamotte wall-only and indoor-only?
Because it is honest double-fired ceramic, not porcelain: a lighter, more porous body - the centuries-old technique of wall maiolica - declared for indoor wall covering. That is not a limitation but a trade: on a wall, double-firing gives glazes a depth and vibrancy porcelain rarely reaches. Floors and terraces belong to Mutina's porcelain sisters; this one exists for walls that deserve art pottery.
What does laying without spacers involve?
The datasheet's own method: pieces set side by side with no crosses, alignment kept true with wedges and a straightedge checked often, grout optional. The result is a near-seamless wall where rhythm comes from the Linea and Quadra reliefs, not from grout lines. It needs a perfectly flat wall and a slow-setting adhesive - brief the tiler before he prices it as standard work.
How do the eight official layouts work in practice?
As ready-reckoned recipes: Damier one-colour (Mono 50/Linea 50), One Texture (Quadra 100%), Stripes (Mono 50/Quadra 50), Boiserie (40/60), Three Textures (33/33/33), and multicolour Damiers up to five colours with doses like 50/15/15/10/10. Pick the layout, apply the percentages to your square metres, and the order writes itself - La Mercanti converts it into boxes with wastage.
Is there substance behind the sustainability story?
Documented substance: the name itself is recycled material - crushed fired ceramic reborn in raw clay - and the LEED 4.1 declaration quantifies 5-8% pre-consumer recycled content; the catalogue adds a body free of VOC and SVHC substances and fully recyclable packaging. EPD and HPD are available through La Mercanti; sample costs are fully credited at order confirmation.

Panelling without paint: Chamotte in five steps

Five steps for architects and clients dressing washrooms, receptions and meeting rooms in Urquiola's glazed bricks - recipes included.

Pick the wall that deserves dressing
Indoor walls only, by declaration: reception front, executive washroom, the meeting room that needs gravitas. One protagonist wall per zone.
Start from an official layout
Boiserie 40/60 for panelled calm, Damier for play, Stripes for rhythm, five-colour Damier for controlled maximalism - percentages already computed by Mutina.
Choose glaze and module
One colour with two modules is the classic (Mono + Linea); sample first - the artistic glazes change brushstroke by brushstroke, by design.
Brief the edge-to-edge laying
Perfectly flat wall, slow-setting adhesive, no spacers, wedges and straightedge, grout optional: name it in the tender so it is priced as craft.
Convert metres to boxes
60 pieces per box (0.92 sqm), 65.2 pieces per sqm: La Mercanti applies the layout percentages, adds wastage and coordinates delivery.

You May Also Like