Designer washbasins: sculptures with a strong iconic presence
Featuring the names of renowned designers from around the world, these creations are the result of a seamless collaboration between an artist's vision and the innovative thinking at work in our businesses. They evoke fond memories of past projects that have been updated to meet modern aesthetic and practical standards.
Designer washbasins are best-sellers that never go out of style. They are landmarks of industrial design that show how well thought and design work together. Freestanding washbasins also double as sculptures with a modest, confined volume that is never without distinction. Instead, the character of these elements disrupts the hierarchy of space by attracting the observer's attention.
Naoto Fukasawa's Sabbia washbasin has the gentleness of sand dunes.
With such stunningly beautiful designs that are so versatile as to allow for many levels of customization, these products continuously evolve through the integration of new materials, colors and finishes. Originally only one material was used, but other opportunities for growth were discovered over time,
in part because of advances in technology that allow for a variety of materials to be used in novel ways.
The Sabbia collection designed by Naoto Fukasawa for Boffi is a prime example. This is a 2008 project characterized by the very soft shape of the basin that recalls the image of sand dunes shaped by the wind.
Originally designed in Cristalplant® today, freestanding or countertop washbasins are now offered in a diverse range of stones including Pietra Serena, White Marble from Carrara, Grey Stone Marble and Calacatta Oro Marble. The result is a tactile experience and visual experience embodying a virtuous dialogue between water and matter.
The Bjhon washbasin brings to light a design by Angelo Mangiarotti
Originally designed in Cristalplant® the Bjhon by Agape is now also available in natural materials. This 2011 series finally uncovered a 1970 design by Angelo Mangiarotti which is offered in two models that vary in the shape of the basin and whether they are freestanding or not.
The exceptional expressiveness of the well carved stone material adds depth to this collection by making each piece one of a kind and impossible to replicate. Made in Marmo Bianco di Carrara to Grigio Carnico and from Nero Marquina to Verde Alpi or Emperador Dark, the outcome is gems of design where the irregularities of the material's veining and coloration complement the precision of the geometry.
The Tipo-Z washbasin by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba reinterprets a Gio Ponti design
The Tipo-Z washbasins by Ideal Standard designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba were inspired by a 1954 Gio Ponti design (the Z series).
A dynamically shaped freestanding ceramic sculpture that conveys airiness and modernity made possible with skilled craftsmanship and cutting-edge techniques that were not available in the 1950s. Lightweight, durable and ultra-thin, this streamlined shape will stand out in a variety of aesthetic settings. Its placement in retro or modern bathrooms uses the modern capabilities of technology to recreate past experiences.
Studio Fuksas shapes the Wave washbasin with fluid, light lines
This brand is also known for the flowing lines of Wave, a freestanding wash basin by antoniolupi.
The goal of designers Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas was to make marble
seem more delicate and pliable. Even though it is actually made of a monolithic block, the washbasin has a lightened, ethereal, almost weightless feel while still preserving the intrinsic strength that emanates from the matter. A towel holder that alludes to both nature and textiles with its two side by side flaps that
never quite overlap. This artistic expression was made possible by shaping the stone material into a surface that is both soft and continuous even at relatively minimal thicknesses.
Nendo’s Roll basin brings to mind a rolled-up sheet of paper
Large shapes and volumes are not necessarily required to establish sculptural presence
and character. The soul of a design can also be expressed in small technical, creative, and aesthetically pleasing gems that are perfectly at home in the little bathrooms of modern dwellings. This is the case with Roll, the washbasin designed by Nendo for Flaminia.
It is totally made of ceramic and resembles a sheet of paper wrapped up on itself, in both the floor-standing and free-standing versions. As in the case of Wave, this shape plays on the juxtaposition of thin layers that move and chase each other in space.
