Minuto

Tartan has a lovely familiarity about it. From traditional Scottish woollens to the colourful checks of vintage blankets, it’s a pattern that feels wonderfully comfortable. Even the smallest variation in colour or proportion can give it a completely different personality.

Minuto takes that familiar textile and plays with its scale. The name comes from the Italian for minute or very small, which seems particularly appropriate for this miniature tartan. The idea was to make the pattern so fine that it almost becomes a texture, like a closely woven piece of cloth.

The tiny mosaic pieces make this possible. Thousands of little squares of marble take the place of individual threads, building up a fabric illusion. The natural variations in the stone help too, giving the pattern a softness that you might not expect from marble.

Tartan has always been good at bringing colours together. A handful of shades can produce an extraordinary variety of combinations, from traditional earthy tones to something much more colourful. Minuto borrows a little of that freedom, although its smaller scale gives the familiar checks a quieter character.

There’s also a nice contradiction in the idea of a stone textile. Wool has warmth, movement and softness, while marble belongs to an entirely different world. Yet here they seem to share a common language.

Minuto sits comfortably somewhere between the two, with all the familiarity of a favourite fabric and the curious detail of a miniature mosaic.

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