Folded by Raw Edges for Mutina – A Tiled Surface That Speaks in Folds

At hochwert, we believe the surfaces we surround ourselves with should do more than just finish a space — they should carry intent. They should speak to where we’ve come from, and where we hope to go. Among the many materials we present in our Zurich showroom, Folded — a tile designed by Raw Edges for Mutina — continues to spark conversation. It’s subtle and sculptural, rooted in memory and yet boldly modern.

It’s a tile that challenges the very idea of what tile is meant to do.

A Gesture Between Cultures, Materials, and Memory

The inspiration behind Folded lies not in the laboratory, but in lived experience. Designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay — founders of the London-based studio Raw Edges — were both born and raised in Tel Aviv, where tiled floors marked nearly every building they grew up in. These floors, while often simple, bore quiet rhythms: subtle geometric patterns that played with repetition, reflection, and time. With Folded, they’ve distilled that memory into a language of light and crease, translating the delicacy of folded paper into the strength of porcelain stoneware.

What emerges is a ceramic surface that behaves like a unique origami textile — not soft in material, but soft in gesture. A surface that carries movement without ever actually moving.

Raw Edges: A Studio Defined by Curiosity

Raw Edges is known for its curious, experimental approach to form. Yael’s background in visual storytelling and Shay’s in engineering give their designs a uniquely hybrid character. They’re tactile, conceptual, and often gently humorous. Rather than imposing aesthetics, their work invites engagement. In Folded, this approach is translated into architecture: an interior element that’s meant to be felt, not just seen.

Their collaboration with Mutina, which began in the early 2010s, has led to several acclaimed collections. But Folded remains a defining moment — the perfect intersection of light, geometry, and craft.

Material Language: Origami in Stoneware

At first glance, Folded appears minimal. But on closer inspection, it reveals a quiet complexity: creases, angles, ridges — all formed using real sheets of folded paper to make the moulds. Those delicate folds are then immortalised in porcelain, resulting in a tile that looks almost too fragile to be walked on.

But make no mistake — Folded is robust. It’s produced in unglazed, full-body porcelain, offering all the technical performance expected of a modern architectural surface: frost resistance, slip resistance, durability, and longevity. The tactile richness comes not from additive decoration, but from the structure of the tile itself. Nothing is printed, nothing is glazed. The design is simply pressed into the body — a surface that catches light and shadow with poetic restraint.

Folded is available in several relief variants (Minifolded, Midfolded, Maxifolded), all 60×60 cm in size. Used together or alone, the patterns can be subtly varied to evoke a sense of rhythm without visual noise.

Folded XL: When Architecture Becomes Canvas

The Folded viewable in the hochwert library is an XL format: large porcelain slabs that scale the same concept to architectural proportions — 100×300 cm. Here, the folds stretch into architectural motifs, becoming almost mural-like in their presence. The design remains matte, monochromatic, and silent — yet powerful in its ability to shape spatial atmosphere.

Whether used in private homes, cultural spaces, or hospitality settings, Folded XL feels elemental. The kind of design that doesn’t demand attention, but keeps giving it back — through touch, light, and time.

Mutina: A Partner of Bold Design Thinking

Mutina has long been more than a tile manufacturer. Based in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, the company works at the intersection of art, architecture, and industrial design — engaging studios like the Bouroullecs, Patricia Urquiola, Tokujin Yoshioka, Konstantin Grcic, and Raw Edges to rethink ceramics entirely.

As a longstanding partner, Mutina brings to hochwert not just exceptional product, but an ethos: that ceramic should be expressive, precise, and meaningful. Their commitment to sustainable manufacturing, to craft within industry, and to supporting creative risk has made them a natural fit for our selection.

Why Folded Matters to hochwert

We seek out surfaces that feel like quiet provocations — designs that surprise without shouting. Folded does just that. It refuses ornamentation, but embraces visual depth. It’s humble in tone, yet intellectually rich. It’s industrial, but it speaks the language of handcraft.

It represents exactly what we stand for at hochwert: carefully made materials that reward sensitivity and offer something enduring.

Experience Folded in Zurich

Tiles, especially ones like Folded, are best understood in person. The way light shifts over the creases. The way the material responds to your movement through space. The way it anchors a room without dictating it.

We invite you to visit our Zurich showroom to explore Folded firsthand. It’s more than a tile — it’s a spatial experience waiting to unfold.