Faye Toogood’s Hands-On Approach to Tile Design
In Faye Toogood’s creative universe, clay is more than just a material—it’s a canvas for her sculptural storytelling. Known for her meticulous hand-prototyping, Toogood launches a new tile collection with Mutina, where clay transforms into Faces & Figures at Mutina’s headquarters in Fiorano Modenese, Italy. This collection marries the industrial strength of ceramic production with the personal touch of human expression.
For a similar approach to transforming materials into art, explore how delicate porcelain becomes poignant art in Gil Batle’s work.
Blurring Lines between Industry and Artistry
Toogood’s collaboration with Mutina began with a deliberate challenge: craft tiles that feel touched by hand despite industrial production. Based in Italy’s renowned ceramic district, Mutina has previously collaborated with design giants like Patricia Urquiola and Barber Osgerby. With Toogood, they venture into a collection that revives tiles through anthropomorphic designs.
From Concept to Creation
Working from her London studio, Toogood experimented with materials like clay, cardboard, and canvas to define her design direction. The result is a versatile toolkit featuring geometric tiles in four earth-toned shades—chalk, sand, clay, and mud—available in matte and glossy finishes. Complementing these are organic forms and extruded bricks that bear a brushed matte clay effect typical of Mutina’s innovative approach.
Human Body as an Inspiration
Central to Toogood’s design is the human form. Subtle sculptures of eyes, ears, noses, and other anatomical features grace the tiles, bridging the functional with the figurative. Though driven by industrial processes, these tiles exude a handmade charm, inviting endless combinations in both expected and imaginative arrangements.
Much like Toogood’s work with Mutina, see how Do Ho Suh rethinks home using delicate fabric installations across multiple cities.
‘My lack of formal design education allows me to break boundaries naturally,’ Toogood reflects, echoing her journey from magazine editing to design innovation.
Industrial Precision Meets Personal Expression
Toogood’s Faces & Figures emerges as a testament to her ability to infuse personal warmth into pieces mass-produced for functional spaces. “There couldn’t be more of me in this collection,” she mused, achieving a seamless blend of the handmade and the industrial on a grand scale. Her thoughtful process, considering how bodies interact with her creations, informs each sculptural tile, offering a tactile human connection to everyday surfaces.
Source: wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
What is unique about Faye Toogood’s tile collection for Mutina?
The tile collection with Mutina features designs that transform clay into figurative forms, marrying industrial ceramic manufacturing with the personal touch of hand-sculpted designs. It combines geometric tiles in earth tones with organic forms inspired by the human body.
How did Toogood approach the creation of these tiles?
Faye Toogood experimented with materials in her London studio to define her design direction, using clay, cardboard, and canvas. Her process resulted in a versatile toolkit of tiles available in matte and glossy finishes, incorporating both geometric and organic forms.
What inspired the designs on the tiles?
The designs on the tiles are inspired by the human form, featuring subtle sculptures of anatomical features like eyes, ears, and noses. This approach bridges functionality with figurative expression, enhancing the tiles with a handmade charm despite industrial production.