Luxury bathware brand Gessi’s latest Equilibrio wellness- and nature-inspired tap can be seen as both art and a functional object.
Equilibrio (Italian for equilibrium) was conceptualised to embody balance, with its organic curves and sculptural form resembling smooth stones. Only beautiful, pure materials such as marble, river stones, teak and gold are used in its design — there are 16 handle and 10 base finishings to mix and match from to create a unique statement piece for your bathroom.
Gessi's commerical director (Asia Pacific), Luigi Leonetti, tells us more about its design concept, and how it subtly and elegantly weaves nature into the most private room of the home.
What is a current key trends in bathroom and bathware design?
More effort is spent on designing the bathroom — before, it’s just a place to visit very quickly, but now, there’s the idea of the bathroom experience. Probably because there is more attention to the care of ourselves both on the inside and outside, or wellness. At home is where we can escape from stress and be at ease, and the bathroom is the particular place within that we are alone.
Tell us about the idea behind the Equilibrio water faucet.
Equilibrio’s design is very organic and nature-inspired. It is an object that reminds of the experience of energy and well-being that you feel when you are in balance or equilibrium. There are particular places and objects that have this kind of power; for example, when we want a break we think of going hiking, to the beach, or sailing, to get as close as possible to nature to find peace. We wanted to give consumers the possibility to recreate this experience at home as part of an everyday ritual, and for the bathroom to have a private wellness element.
What unique materials are incorporated in its design?
To create Equilibrio, instead of considering the traditional finishing, shapes and materials for taps, we used natural materials such as stone and oak. Handling and using these materials was completely different and not easy, but we wanted to define a very unique product. The texture of stone definitely reminds you of nature, and stone is special because no two are exactly the same. You can also have brass as a material, in a lot of finishes, including matte white and black.
Find out more about Equilibrio at Gessi, 165 Penang Road, tel: 6733-9542, www.gessi.com.