One of Austrian floor manufacturer Mafi’s slogans is “Walk on art,” and with its 3D “wave”-textured Fresco Sabbia collection, it wants to give you a foot massage in the process. “It is inspired by the wavy sand in the ocean that everybody loves to walk barefoot on,” Mafi CEO Georg Klampfer says of the flooring. The ash planks are milled piece by piece and given their unique texture with CNC machines. The engineered planks then go through a thermal treatment for coloring and to reduce swelling and shrinking. “It is like baking the wood,” Klampfer says. “The sugar in the wood caramelizes, and therefore the wood gets darker.” The flooring line, which features a natural oil finish, is also designed for walls and ceilings, (although massaging your feet on them presents more of a challenge in those instances). Fresco Sabbia translates to “fresh sand” and was an evolution of existing Mafi products, says Klampfer. Wherever Mafi’s next evolutions go, there’s a good chance that no shoes, no problem. “Imagine getting out of your bed or shower and getting a massage on your feet,” Klampfer says. “It truly feels amazing.”
