Nicky Lobo, in Bologna, Italy for the Cersaie fair, brings us her second round of top picks.
September 23rd, 2011
Cersaie, Bologna
Wednesday 21 September
Vola Round Series
Bathroom waste has never looked so good. This waste bin and paper tissue dispenser for commercial and high-end residential projects translates Vola’s classic, clean circular geometry into new dimensions. Modular elements such as open/close and refill mechanisms complete the logic of these built-in units, which can easily be retro-fitted (plus the Vola website offers handy easy videos to demonstrate to installers).
About Water
A new company and a new collaboration between two big Italian names: Fantini and Boffi. This new tapware has the potential to become the new icon, with beautiful shapes and forms designed by Naoto Fukasawa and Piero Lissoni. The flagship range is simple, almost to the point of being conceptual, and is available in polished, varnished and satin chrome – this is definitely a brand to watch.
Progressive Cartridge operation
We discovered some taps this year (including by Above Water) which operate on ’progressive cartridges’, meaning that the only variable to be adjusted is the temperature, while flow or water pressure remains constant. This energy- and money-saving strategy is worth thinking about, especially for hand basins (we still think there’s a place for pressure adjustment in showers though, to cater for both gentle and harder streams).
Kengo Kuma
We heard the great Japanese architect speak about ’Architecture of Place’ in the Galleria dell’Architettura, one of a series of high-profile speakers to be presenting at Cersaie 2011. This was a good one to catch. Kuma showed slides of some of his projects that best demonstrated his sensitivity to place and context – both geographical and historical. Of the Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum he said, “Traditionally the mountain village was strongly connected to and supported by the mountain. But they forgot.” His strategy to reconnect people to this ancient experience through architecture was to place the axes of the intersecting buildings to force a view of the mountain. A gently ingenious approach.
EX.T
A repeated offender on our most-loved lists, this young group released 10 new collections by up-and-coming designers. As always, we think these pieces of bathroom furniture are worthy for their ability to add colour and personality, while the warm balance of natural materials such as metal, ceramics and timber makes them an easy fit into pretty much any bathroom space – as well as other spaces in the home.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
‘The Elevation of Gravity’ installation was an immersive showcase of innovation that heralded the debut of Gaggenau’s groundbreaking Essential Induction cooktop.
Earlier this month in New York City toy brand Mattel launched Barbie’s latest incarnation – an architect!
This September I was invited to attend Maison et Objet Paris, an interior design and decoration trade exhibition, as the lucky winner of the competition held by InDesign Media running in partnership with Paris Design Week. Set across eight halls over five days at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, the show featured both international and local designers with an emphasis on innovative European design. As an architect and design enthusiast I am always on the lookout for inspiring and innovative design pieces and there was certainly no shortage here. These are a few of my favourite finds and trends from this year’s show. Report by Melanie Richmond.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
BLP announces the topping out of Health Infrastructure’s $658m Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre building.
2024’s theme, “Reawaken,” calls for a journey through reinvention and sustainability.
Woven Image refreshes its popular, multi-award winning Embossed Acoustic Panel collection with a new range of colours that bring warmth and comfort to commercial interiors.