Ultra-soft Finish Tiles

A new trend in the tile industry is the emergence of tile with an ultra-soft finish.

While some porcelain tiles look like stone and they feel soft like felt. Tiles using the latest technology look like a blend of concrete and fabric and you can’t help yourself from wanting to touch their surface to see if they feel as velvety as they look.

One of the most impressive tiles is from Designer Patricia Urquiola for Mutina. Patricia Urquiola created an industry buzz a few years ago when she created Déchirer.  She recently extended the range with the introduction of La Suite. Using a finishing process called Continua, La Suite is produced in two new textures called Net and Trace.

The laser cut patterns on tile looks like industrial lace and creates shapes within vacant space that matches the relief work.

“Velvet” tile by Casa Dolce Casa may look like a stone from Venice but feels like its namesake. Similarly, “Velvet Stone” by ABK and “Crystal” by the Rondine Group just beg to be touched.

I love the large sizes – despite the fact that they require more prep work and labor but the 24″x 24″ would work well in most any application.