Promotion: Italian tile brand Ceramiche Refin has launched Canal Grande, a porcelain tile collection designed to recall the mahogany used to make Venetian boats.

The collection is the result of lengthy research by Ceramiche Refin's in-house design team into nautical craftsmanship, which saw them undertake fieldwork at a historic shipyard in Venice.

Canal Grande tiles are intended to bear the same rich characteristics as the mahogany boards traditionally used to build luxury motorboats and waterway taxis in the famous lagoon city.

"Fascinated by wooden boats, an integral part of city life and its glamorous imagery, we explored techniques for reworking this ancient Venetian art into surface form," the brand said.

"We immersed ourselves in a universe of wonderful sights and historical traditions as we discovered the nautical sector with its excellent craftsmanship in this very special place."

The tiles feature parallel but irregular lines like wood grain, with a light blurring effect and the glossy finish giving surfaces an impression of depth.

At the Serenella shipyard, Ceramiche Refin's designers observed how boat builders construct canal vessels by hand over a period of six to seven months.

They then sought to emulate this process in the brand's laboratory, testing different photographic techniques for printing the tiles to produce the desired mahogany aesthetic.

"After careful observation of the mahogany boards, the product was developed, which shows the peculiarities of the inspiring material on ceramic slabs with a targeted and intense appearance," the brand said.

Three colour variants are available in the collection: Rubino, Noce and Moro, with each shade intended to reference vintage boats.

Two tile sizes are offered, as are two finishes: the glossy Lucido and the matt-effect Soft that gives a more modern finish.

A version embellished with metal inserts called Club also features in the collection, as well as the mosaic-like Onda.

Like all of Ceramiche Refin's stoneware products, Canal Grande tiles are hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial, fireproof and made from natural raw materials that are 100 per cent recyclable.

To learn more about Canal Grande, visit Ceramiche Refin's website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Ceramiche Refin as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.