Style Council
Five bathroom-furniture
collections show the
advantages of DESIGNER
COLLABORATIONS.
With Tom Dixon launching his own hand
wash last year, you know that the age of
the designer bathroom is here to stay.
Aware of the success of feature facilities
in hotels, museums and other public
spaces – Philippe Starck’s toilets in Jean
Nouvel’s Louvre Abu Dhabi being a recent
example – consumers want star pieces at
home, too. The result is a growing number
of collaborations between bathroom
brands and big-name designers that’s
offering consumers countless options for
giving the smallest room in the house a
lifestyle signature that expresses their own
personality. A recent UK survey found
that ‘design’ or ‘a new look’ has surpassed
‘replacement’ as the chief reason for
buying new bathroom furniture, especially
among the younger generation. With that
information in mind, manufacturers are
turning to designers and architects to
add value to their products. The aim is
to appeal to increasingly design-savvy
consumers who tend to purchase a bath
much as they purchase a sofa – with an
eye on its looks and the image it conveys,
as well as on functionality. — JSPatricia Urquiola’s Lariana line for
Agape, which debuted with a tub,
has been extended with a collection
of washbasins, among which a
freestanding version available in
Cristalplant® biobased or in marble.The focus at EX.T is on artisanal
manufacture in Italy coupled with
the style statements of international
designers, as exemplified by Norm
Architects’ Frame collection.158 REPORTS