Mediterranean design makes its way into Norway with our terracotta pieces

The Oslo based firm INNE has designed a dental clinic in Asker, Norway, that offers a holistic experience to its clients and patients. The design of the space reflects the clinic’s philosophy: through the use of materials, furniture, and a color palette, it conveys a sense of warmth, care, and fluidity.

As the studio explains, the project’s focus is on spatial flow. Our clay tiles are not the only handcrafted element in the design: the clinic’s doors and even the staff uniforms were custom-made specifically for the project. That level of detail is evident in every corner of the project, which becomes larger than the sum of its parts.

Designer terracotta floors for a modern, minimalist style

One of the great tragedies of the Nordic style is how mass production and constant replication over the past few decades have distorted it into a poor imitation of itself. We often associate the Nordic style with a series of words that aren’t actually related to it: sterility, impersonality, boredom. The fact is, we have seen too many iterations of the style (or those claiming to fall within it) that have confused the absence of color and textured surfaces with the aesthetic foundations of our northern neighbors.

However, the Nordic style has roots that are far more complex and rich than just white colors and smooth materials. In fact, it is based on principles we recognize well: a reverence for quality craftsmanship, a connection to nature, and an emphasis on light. These are fundamentals shared with the Mediterranean style, with the difference that each approach is shaped by its own climate and culture.

Given these principles, it’s not so surprising that the INNE studio, led by celebrated designer Vigdis Apal and Tuva Sørlie Nerland, chose todobarro to cover the surfaces of this project, which is full of warmth and hospitality.

Light tones for terracotta: the one true verse of materials

Our light tones are the perfect antidote to the pitfalls of minimalism. The surface of our pieces and the natural variations in our tones—the result of the artisanal firing process in traditional Nasrid kilns—provide a texture that enriches the space without overwhelming the aesthetic.

For the clinic’s flooring, the INNE studio has chosen the Vélez Albufera design in the color calima: a shade inspired by the local weather phenomenon of the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia, where the south wind carries dust from the Sahara Desert in suspension across the sea, giving the sky this characteristic warm, desaturated color.

In addition to this custom design, our Cuadrado 10 tile is featured in various areas of the project, also in the color “calima,” as well as in the shades ‘coral’ and “rebalaje”—the name we give to the churning seawater that spreads along the shore after a wave has broken.

A highlight of this project is the custom pieces we created for the main sink: an asymmetrical piece featuring a giant shell per basin, which stands in the middle of the lobby, covered in Cuadrado 10 in the color rebalaje. These same pieces were also used for the tray of a service cart and for the bathroom countertop.

The warmth of our color palette and the softness of the texture lend the project a cozy and gentle atmosphere, allowing it to harmonize with curved lines, open spaces, and designer pieces, bringing together the best of Nordic and Mediterranean design philosophies. This project demonstrates once again that, if interior design is the vehicle toward a more elevated experience of simply being in a place, our handcrafted terracotta pieces are the highway.