A terracotta floor for Portell Studio: natural light’s best friend

The Mallorquin studio Portell has used our rustic half brick in the Straw tone, with the Antique finish for the renovation. Located in the North-west coast of Palma Bay, the little town of Bendinat has less than four hundred people living there full year, over three hundred sunny days a year, and first-tear maritime and leisure infrastructures that make of this little place the perfect location for a summer home like this one, reformed and furnished by Portell studio. This construction and interiorism firm is specialized in offering an integral creative and constructive process to its clients. Their company philosophy is guided by respect to nature and innovation, while prioritizing practices that minimize environmental impact. This is an approach we feel deeply identified with, and that affinity is noticeable in the result of the renovation.

The Portell team used our rustic brick for the kitchen and bathroom of a family house that is within a luxury vacational complex. The renovation of the space was carried out with materials that make the most out of natural light, like wood, stone and fired clay. All of this noble materials give to the space a warm and cozy light, effectively eliminating the risk of having a cold and aseptic vibe that the white ceilings and airy furniture could give out if handled incorrectly.

A terracotta floor to demarcate spaces

Recently we talked in our Projects page about how Guze studio had used one of out fired clay floor to demarcate the diner space in a luxury vacation complex in Marbella, Malaga. On this ocasion, Portell studio did the opposite exercise: they used our rustic bricks to determine the extension of the kitchen, leaving the diner area in charge of the wooden floor.

Open-concept design is an interior design trend that shows no signs of waning: it is becoming increasingly rare to find projects that use partition walls to define the functional zones of a home. To address the challenges posed by this trend, we must allow other elements to take on the role previously fulfilled by walls, which restricted the flow of light and air. This can be achieved through materials, furniture, and the design of the spaces themselves—a approach that has been central to architectural design since the 1950s.

Our rustic straw half brick is a timeless, effective, and simple choice. Although the brick is a staple of fired clay material—and we find abundant examples of its use throughout the Mediterranean basin dating back thousands of years—its design is perfect for blending with other styles without overpowering them.

The natural shades of this color palette, achieved by blending local sands and clays, feature a range of warm, cheerful colors that give any space a cozy, homey feel.

Yes you can put a terracotta wall in a bathroom

This contrast between projects challenges the notion that terracotta tiles are impractical for kitchens or dining areas. Our handcrafted tiles—whether they feature a glazed finish, a zellige pattern, or the classic Antique finish—are compatible with the protective treatments required for any flooring material.

The stains that commonly appear in high-traffic areas such as kitchens or bathrooms can be easily removed from our tiles by following the simple instructions outlined in our guide to cleaning terracotta floors. Therefore, we can confidently say that yes, you can install a terracotta wall or floor in a home’s bathroom or kitchen without it being affected by use (as long as you follow proper maintenance guidelines and choose a high-quality, handcrafted product that is properly installed and protected, like ours).