When slate meets wood good things happen. Natural materials prevail again. Look at these textures, forms and colors coexisting in simple harmony.

Die Wanne, a slate tub from Swiss designer Spallo Kolb.

Bathroom in a house in Shelter Island, by architect Cary Tamarkin and interior designer Suzanne Shaker.

Patricia Urquiola's Vieques Tub for Agape.

Spring is in full swing, and color is in demand.  If you would like to add some color and playfulness to your bathroom, but installing a wall of orange tile is too radical for you, we propose you look into some products by the Italian company Agape.

First there is the Al Dente showerhead.  What a simple yet ingenious idea.  This showerhead design was inspired by a colander.  The colander / water diffuser is made out of orange or green polypropylene and comes with a matching soap holder.  Designed by M. Vittori, D Borin and N. Gibertini.

Next in line is the Kaa showerhead and hand shower.  Made of anti-allergy silicone rubber the fixtures are soft to the touch and come in orange, green, red and gray.  Designed by G. Gianturco.

The Hydro Rub is a water-powered brush used to clean the toilet.  Considering the practicality of this tool we are surprised that it is not more commonly available. Designed by G. Gianturco.

Lastly, hand washing can also be made more playful by using these Agape Gerba soap dispensers.  Reminiscent of IV bags those dispensers made out of clear plastic will take on the color of the soap of your choice.  Designed by F. Bortolani and E. Righi.

Jaime Hayon, Spanish born designer designed this unique collection in collaboration with Bisazza. The collection features a lovely combination of polished copper plated aluminum and Carrara marble. The lines are reminiscent of mid century Scandinavian designs. Discovered via Remodelista.

We dropped by several of the parties organized by showrooms around the ICFF calendar.  Those events do not necessary feature any new products, but they create an opportunity for architects and designers to get together in an inspiring setting.  Design professionals need a break, too, after walking the entire Javits Center in one day.

The Friday party at the Nemo showroom actually featured some new stainless steel tile.  The Saturday event at the BY New York Boffi showroom was well attended.  The showroom itself, located on the top floor of a Soho townhouse, did not feature many items at all.  But we did spot a classic Boffi lavatory and bathtub.  The space itself is gorgeous, with tall ceilings, exposed roof joists and several skylights.  This party was very well attended.  One of the hours d’oeuvres served there was basil ice cream in miniature cones.  An interesting visual concept with a novel taste.

Party at the Nemo showroom.

Boffi party.

Washbasin in Boffi showroom.

Bathtub in Boffi showroom.

Floor mounted tub filler.

Basil ice cream.

The Agape showroom in Soho is relatively new and a bit out of the way.  Perhaps this is why their Monday night party was not very well attended.  The pieces on display are lovely. We admire the matte Cristalplant material many of the fixtures are made of.  The Toto showroom was a bit more crowded, perhaps for the selection of Thai hours d’oeuvres served on a mountain of lettuce.  Or the two types of drinks mixed at the bar – “clean” and “green” – representing the two pillars of the company’s philosophy.

Agape party.

Agape Ottocento bathtub.

This floor mounted bathtub filler well paired with the Ottocento tub.

Party at Toto.

Are you clean or are you green? Toto is both.

Few interesting things at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this year. All of them happen to be prototypes yet to be developed further or mass produced.

First one up is from Modproducts, a New York City based company whose motto is “we know our sh*t”. This appears to be an accurate statment. Brett Teper and Rich Williams presented a toilet seat: LOU Jr – the kids toilet seat. The seat also features recessed handles and a reminder to close the lid. Something for everyone in the family.

AF Supply Lab collaborated with 3 design firms and presented a few exciting concepts.

 

One of my favorites was a concept developed with Yoshimi Kono: a bathtub designed for an alcove installation, but done in such a way that it appears freestanding. The shower and its controls are in a cabinet above it, the cabinet’s door when open would serve as a partition while showering. The details and materials are still to be worked out. Both great ideas, that don’t quite go together in my opinion, but would be promising beginnings to separate collections.

 

Desai / Chia came up with a clever washbasin design called Lavatory Unit. We recently featured and admired Recess Lav by the same designer. Lavatory Unit is an equally great solution for small bathrooms and for people who don’t necessarily want backsplash tiles. The Surface Series bathtub was quite beautiful and super functional as well, with built in shelves on either end eliminating need for additional wall niches or shelves for shampoo and soap.

Building Blocks by Messana O’rorke – geometrical facets. Clean lines and elegant proportions.

 

Infinity Drain presented 2 new designs. The new linear drain is only 1 inch wide and it is very discrete. The other new design is square and it comes in two different sizes. The standard finish is matte stainless steel, which can also be polished. Other finishes are available upon request.

The owner of this apartment in Warsaw, Poland appreciated the Townhouse 1 design, but needed some adjustments.  The layout of the existing bathroom was different from our basic layout, and the owner requested to place a shower cabin instead of the bathtub.  A washing machine needed to be incorporated into the layout, and we designed a simple, elegant closet to conceal it.   We also suggested to the owner to use large size floor tiles instead of a marble mosaic, as the area of the bathroom floor was relatively large.  Our client did not wish to have a medicine cabinet or vanity so we proposed a large wooden counter and open shelving below.  You must agree with us that the results are stunning!

Photography: Adam Bochinski

International Contemporary Furniture Fair is upon us. We will be attending several events and reporting on the latest and greatest. The line-up is:

Friday, May 13: Nemo Tile, www.nemotile.com

Saturday, May 14: Boffi, www. boffi.com

Sunday, May 15: ICCF at Javits convention Center, www.icff.com

Monday, May 16: Toto, www.totusa.com

They hold much more than medicine, and are more than just simple storage.  Their doors are more than likely mirrored to assist in make-up application and shaving.  The most beautiful ones have a frameless mirrored front.  The most luxurious ones feature glass shelves and a mirrored back panel.  Some contain built-in lighting, electrical outlets, even a refrigerator.  Below we share some of our favorites.

Iside Elements by WS Bath Collection.

Iside Elements by WS Bath Collection - Interior.

The interior of this medicine cabinet pulls out from the side. Linea Pika series by WS Bath Collection.

A medicine cabinet with a round front from the Linea Pika series by WS Bath Collection.

This M series cabinet by Robern features a built-in nightlight.

The M series medicine cabinet by Robern has a built-in cold storage.

Our Loft series is rooted in Streamline Moderne aesthetic. The style was not only a reaction to Art Deco designs, but also a reflection of austere economic times. Gone was unnecessary ornament, replaced by aerodynamic pure-line concept of motion and speed developed from scientific thinking.  Eighty years later we still admire it.

Loft 1 visualization.

Industrial bathroom.

Ray Loewy bathroom, designed in 1949.

Loft finishes: black hexagon tiles, white brick and arsenic paint.

Perfect loft inspired bathroom with white subway tile walls, hexagon shower floor and industrial pedestal sink.

Apothecary jars.