Ever thought your hotel was a toilet?!
Das Park Hotel located in Linz, Austria is an idea by Andreas Strauss who came up with redesigning and actually using sewer pipes as hotel rooms. Each room is equipped with lights, double bed, hut sleeping bags and electronic code lock to ensure safety of your luggage. The hotel complex has toilets, showers, a mini bar and cafeteria and the rest of the services such as electricity are purchased with ‘pay as you go’ system.
If you’ve navigated here whilst searching for a city break to Amsterdam; you’re forgiven. Yes my Twitter name is Interiorporn, and yes the title says ‘Stoned’; but unfortunately for you I’m referring to the trend of using stone in interiors. Bon voyage.
Now to be honest, I had thought that this stone fad had passed us by and it was sailing downstream with arched floor lamps on a seagrass carpet. I remember when Minotti Cucine released their Porhyr Viola flame textured stone kitchen; it made my eyes water. But after I had got over the price issue, I actually liked it. A lot.
Still do. I guess it is the price point that makes me think that this is more like Art; possibly purchased as a status symbol and to be looked at and not touched. Well, not by the owners anyway. Maybe the association comes from the mid-90′s property-bubble-high and that this type of exuberance is now somewhat limited. Well, Minotti regardless continue the theme to this day, with their latest offerings that are still jaw-dropping show-stoppers.
Is the trend limited to one kitchen company? Of course not; enter stage left TM Italia with their aptly named Petra, recently launched at Grand Designs Live.
Now not only is this technically a great kitchen product, but it also has a vastly more attractive price point. And they offer a completely bespoke service making them high on my supply chain, as they can actually build what I design. Also, their design catalogue actually features fitted projects from clients’ homes, unlike certain Italian suppliers. The normal Modus Operandi is to show products that aren’t in production, wouldn’t work as shown or have been discontinued. What a refreshing change to see products at work. Very happy to say that we are agents for these guys, who after just 10 years in action are the serious new players on the block.
Stone is more traditionally associated with bathrooms and the Italians are at it again. It continues to feature in Zaninelli’s product portfolio, here with a splash of wood:
And the stone bath appears to have had more longevity than anticipated; again here by Zaninelli:
But the 360 range by Altamarea I think noses ahead with these sleek bathroom pieces that merge into living spaces. Like the Minotti & TM Italia kitchens, they challenge our usual perception of the space around us, or our definition of room function:
Or in Carrara Marble below. The idea that bathrooms remain behind closed doors is becoming a bit dated as the boundaries of open planning continue to be pushed.
These are great pieces that would sit well into many schemes, but has stone stood still? Is there no real edginess in the stone products out there? Well, I think Lithea are about as directional as you can get at the minute with this basin Ciuri with their Petra wall cladding. These guys are ahead of the game in my book, and well worth keeping an eye on:
Not only are the basins outlandish, like this version called Dune, but their 3D stone wall cladding of the same name really pushes the boundaries:
So, the question is; has stone grown up? I think so. Long gone are the associations with Neoclassicism and obscenely grandiose variations on the theme (I shall refrain from naming names here; unusual, but I shall). Ushered in are the new stone pieces of Futurism and Minimalism, which I suspect are here to stay. I’m more than happy to get stoned; how about you?
Remember the piece we did on plaster and it’s use in modern interiors “Get Plastered…”? Well in it we featured some rather special ceiling hoods and I did say watch this space…
Introducing Phobos from Best Cooker Hoods:
Finally they are here in the UK and are being distributed by Britannia. Also available is Enigma:
Honestly, this has too be about as sexy as an island extractor can get! Also worth a look are the new wall mounted additions Surf and Equinox:
But the plaster versions are on a different level. Hurry; get them specified!
As luck would have it, my dear mother is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society, as is a very good friend of hers. She rustled up some tickets for the Tuesday afternoon of the Chelsea Flower Show, and forced me into making the effort to actually stop working for an afternoon. She persuaded me that this would be a useful fact-finding mission, and who am I to argue with my interiors mentor? Everything I learned about interiors started with my apprenticeship in her interior design company.
I have to admit I was experiencing a great sense of apprehension, which was less to do with myopic 4 x 4 drivers and more to do with with an irrational trepidation about gardening. Borderline phobia. I seem to have developed this over many years and it even comes with a tag line: “See these fingers? All pink; not a drop of green in sight”. Maybe it is something to do with being ‘forced’ to weed the garden as a child; who knows. All I knew is that I was in for a lot of plants that I couldn’t pick from plastic, slow moving septuagenarians, slow moving octogenarians, seas of cravat’s, blazers, and jolly hockey sticks. And I wasn’t wrong.
Immediately on entering I found myself being jostled by some rather robust elderly ladies who were rather effective with their queue jumping technique. One could be under the misapprehension that these were sweet old dears, but make no mistake, these were hardened Flower Show veterans, whose cunning was matched only by their surprising aggression. Before I knew it they had muscled past our group, followed closely by a solitary immaculately turned out gentleman (with cravat & blazer), who meted out the necessary apologies with a wry knowing smile. If I was to attempt my best Holmesian deduction, I would say he was an ex tank commander who would have given his right arm to have these feral females as his tank crew, back in the day. And in the blink of an eye they were through security and making their way to the show highlights and to grab some bargain or other.
Now, as I was in the company of seasoned visitors, I was happy to be guided through the show and I was really only expecting to be people watching. And staring blankly at plants I couldn’t name, let alone describe. But, I have to admit I was surprised. Pleasantly. Our first call was to what turned out to be the Best Show Garden: The Daily Telegraph Garden. This, I was told, was a very impressive garden at the time; all before learning it was the winner.
Now of course, being an interiors man, I’m looking at the sunken terrace, noting the water feature and wondering what the columns are representative of. This, of course, is entirely the wrong predilection altogether and one I should have kept to myself. Anyway, after being suitably admonished we walked on towards the Pavilion where it turns out I was actually going to be impressed by flowers. Really.
I’m pretty sure that these were gathered from a virtual set belonging to Avatar and that they probably glow in the dark. As you can tell, my knowledge of flowers is about as extensive as a river network in the Sahara desert. But I couldn’t help but be blown away by the magnitude and variety on show, as well as the Herculean effort required to get these things to the show and in bloom at the right time. The mind boggles. Speaking of which:
There is entirely no need for this level of achievement; it only makes the viewer feel so inadequate that they swear to never pick up a trowel ever again. Well that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. Honestly, I have never been so impressed by floral decoration in my entire life. Stunning. However, I’m not seeing a use for this in any interiors projects; which was the stated intention. Not any time soon, anyway. But then I came across this:
This, I thought to myself, is useful stuff. With space being such a premium in London, this is an excellent way to bring some much needed greenery into projects. And it can be used inside. The company in question is inundated with projects, so I shall not mention their name, but suffice it to say that they are not inexpensive and the irrigation system suits larger areas. They insist on a maintenance contract which is augmented by a remote sensing system based on an active SIM card and the installation requires careful planning. Not only is the irrigation system a tad tricky, but the wall requires careful lighting and you’ll need a lighting designer for that. They also produced a wall for my favourite garden at the show: the Monaco Garden.
Yes, of course I liked it because of the architectural element and the shallow pool (yes, I am using a dual meaning there), but the living wall was impressive as well. The courtyard space at the rear was beautifully proportioned too, although I wasn’t so sold on the seating…
If you are seriously interested in the living wall system and have a project that can wait until next year, feel free to get in touch with us at Morph and we’ll endeavour to help out. Otherwise, I didn’t blog about it and you didn’t read it here…
Following on from our last post on shower design; it got me thinking about some of the all time bathroom design classics. We always hear about classic design cars and with interiors we see classic sofas etc. But what about the leading edge of design for the bathroom? There are so many product innovations with the ever expanding range of materials available, that bathroom products today would look other-worldly to our fore-bearers of 100 years ago. I think it’s about time for some serious bathroom porn; and let’s forget about the budget, lie back, relax and dream…
(Apologies for lack of sound; original video fail meant switch to this. If you have a copy of Saint Germain’s album Tourist, pop on ‘Sure Thing’ and enjoy…)
A fairly recent addition to the bathroom world from Jean-Marie Massaud, but pretty much the whole range should be added to the list. Produced by Axor, the designer face of Hansgrohe, this range took a leap from previous markers set by Philipe Starck and added a dimension of natural form that set it apart from the competition. The original collection was designed in 2005 with the bath added to the range in 2009. The bath has echoes of another iconic piece: the Spoon bath by Agape which was designed by Giampoalo Benedini in 1998. An absolute classic:
I think this next bath is what we refer to as a ‘Marmite’ product; you either love it or hate it. But which ever side you fall on, it is difficult to deny that it has become a classic; Le Cob bath designed by Joseph Licciardi and produced by Omvivo:
In the freestanding bath arena, it is easy to forget the hard working steel tubs; as they are often built-in, low grade and pretty dull. This however, doesn’t conform to type and is a great addition to the list, bringing that alien design into sharp focus: the UFO bath, again by Giampoalo Benedini (well, Benedini Associati) in 2003 for those amazing people at Agape (yes, I’m a fan and I can’t wait for an increased presence from them in the near future):
As we’re almost in the vicinity of plain odd, why not have a look at the ‘umbrella bath’:
None other than the Leggera by Gilda Borgnini for Flaminia, which also lands firmly in ‘Marmite’ territory. It is a tad new to be called a design classic, but it has all the markings, and although Flaminia’s marketing can leave you feeling a bit cold, at least they are pushing the boundaries. Good for them. I love the way the shower stand pushes through the taut fabric of the bath, merging into the design rather than appearing as an after-thought. That being said, if you have a bath, you’ve got to fill it and that means we should look to brassware.
Clearly, if you have read previous articles, I am a fan of Dornbracht. Their bad fortunes are slowly coming to an end, after the plant next to their factories exploded destroying some of their sites, and leaving them with a production nightmare they are still recovering from. In the style of mixing materials, I think that their Elemental Spa range is truly superb, in Corian and chrome plated brass:
And I have to also point to their Symetrics range and gush (pun intended) over it’s elegant simplicity and ultimate ability to add combinations that still look sexy:
Along similar lines is the Cut by Mario Tessarollo & Tiberio Cerato for Boffi, a real departure in functionality:
I think it would be difficult to ignore another Axor range here, one I alluded to earlier. It introduced a single lever that simplified the process of using a mixer tap so much that its shape literally defined its use. It was as light as a feather and was designed by Philipe Starck in the shape of a quill:
This was something really different when it came along, and I have to say look at anything from Axor and you won’t be disappointed. The idea of a single lever was nothing new though. An icon of faucet design is the Vola range designed by Arne Jacobsen (he of Egg, Swan & Ant chair fame amongst other things). This range has stood the test of time, almost unbelievably being designed in 1968, and featured a nifty single lever mechanism:
I think that the next logical step should be an item that combines the genius of Jacobsen with the humble basin. Originally, this was the case, but since has been replaced by a Marathon mixer. But here is the original recipe: add some glass, some sleek shut-off valves and a simple trap, enter stage right the Pollux 1:
Now glass basins elicit some negative responses from people, as they have gone off the boil in quite a spectacular fashion. So I will leave them clearly alone, with a note for further reading: America’s Cup, Host and Coup De Foudre all by Rapsel are great examples of glass basins at their best. As is the Series 3 version of this simple slab top unit: Geo Washplane, again by Omvivo (note the wall mounted Vola mixer):
And it would be difficult to pass over the basins of Alape, another fantastic company who made dish basins of real distinction by producing them in steel:
When it comes to Design Classics in bathrooms, it is easy to gloss over the porcelain basins of note that defined the modern look, which took us from the exuberance of the ’80′s into the more architecturally based ’90′s bathrooms. They concentrated on simple forms that have endured the test of time. On the roll call should be:
The Happy D basin by Seiger Design for Duravit
White by David Chipperfield for Ideal Standard
The Aquagrande range for Flaminia by Giulio Cappellini, Ludovica + Roberto Palomba
But this list could go on ad infinitum, so I’ll cease there with a nod to a late entry to this list, but to a company that remains a family concern after some 250 years, and who never cease to produce high quality porcelain:
Villeroy & Boch with the Memento basin. I think that their Subway WC is a classic design also worthy of note. They way it attaches to the wall set it apart from the competition:
Although the original Daddy of WC design, when things got sexy for the humble toilet pan was Mr Starck’s first venture into porcelain, the Starck 1 from Duravit:
Another classic has to be the Link from Flaminia, the last I’ll show of the porcelains:
Now how about something to go with your beautiful UFO bath? The whimsically titled John & Mary from Rapsel were great innovations that never really got the credit they deserved, but would work beautifully with the UFO:
Well, after the previous items we might be in need of a cold shower. This design classic is a bit off the beaten path, but is nonetheless a great piece of work: the Cobra shower, again by Rapsel, a company that often slips off the radar…
Another in the more simple shower styles is the Pipe by Boffi, designed by the ever brilliant Marcel Wanders:
If this floats your boat, then further reading is required at the Boffi website. I have to say that any trip to the Milan Fair is always punctuated by a visit to Boffi and they never, ever fail to impress. Design at its very best. Speaking of which, if we are finishing off on showers, the mother of them all has to be the original monster of a shower. Yes, you guessed it, from Dornbracht: the Rainsky M by the immortal Seiger Design
“With RainSky we have enticed the clouds from the sky into our homes,” says René Pier. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
Of course you may have some favourites that I haven’t covered that you’d like to discuss; some of you may wonder where to get them from or you just want to chew the fat over good bathroom design. In any case drop us a comment or follow us on Twitter @interiorporn or @Morphinterior; we’d love to hear from you. Until then, remember: “Design is not for philosophy it’s for life.” Issey Miyake
The most common request, whilst designing bathrooms in the London area, is to remove the bath and install a good shower design instead. “What?!” I hear thousands of estate agents scream! Apparently, the clamour for baths on property hunts is more important than a South facing garden (or is West the new South, I get confused?!). Estate agent babble to one side, removing baths from the property may be a bad idea, as every now and then you can’t beat a good soak. If you’ve got the room, do both (as in this image courtesy of S&E Glass Design).
With the average house in London costing more than £370,000, the size of bathrooms is likely to be compromised for the average person and makes affording the £30,000 bathroom above unlikely. Installing a new bathroom can deliver up to 5% increase in asking prices, allegedly. But will the absence of a bath in the main bathroom be an issue, if space or budget are a problem? On balance, is less in fact more when it comes to showers?
Less space: They can take up less footprint than a bath and help the room to feel more open and spacious, even when the dimensions are a bit tight as below.
Less water: According to the European Environmental Agency taking a shower can cut your water consumption by up to a third.: pause as you lather & get a flow reducing shower head, though. Mind you, with the pitiful water pressure we have in the UK, I shouldn’t worry too much about a flow reducer…
Less time: Obviously it is much quicker to grab a shower than to run a bath.
Less inhibitions: Removing walls and having the shower enclosure act as a wall itself will save about 10cm in space, but won’t save any blushes. Ahem.
Image from Morph project in Islington
At the end of the day, the perception of a walk-in shower room gives so much more of an impact than a standard bath layout. I think our friend Rupert the Estate Agent would use the phrase the ‘Wow Factor’ (see this blog on ‘How to choose you Estate Agent’ for explanation of the ‘Rupert’ appellation, by dear friend to Morph and award winning blogger Tracy Kellet). Certainly walk-in showers are very de rigeur, but what happens if you are confronted with a space like this?
Image from Morph project in Kensington
Well, after you’ve called in the damp surveyor and sorted out the obvious, the other immediate problem looking at this image is that there is not enough room to swing a cat. Even a 70 x 70cm shower cubicle (otherwise known as the ‘elbow basher’) won’t sit easily next to a WC on this wall. Any shower design starts with a ‘design anchor’; the beastie sitting in the corner that can’t be moved (without additional costs). In this case, it’s the soil stack on the left. Not only is it defining where the WC will go, but it’s also going to define the waste level for the shower and the size of enclosure. Our answer was to give the client a huge shower, with integrated shelving:
Image from Morph project in Kensington
We raised the floor of the shower and created a wet room, with the added benefit that if the damp issue hadn’t been resolved, the membrane would keep damp out as well as the water in. The cistern for the WC was actually installed in the roof space above and we straightened the waste run to the soil pipe so it could be rodded from the WC in case of blockage. Sometimes the very thing that is causing the issue, is the actually the answer you are looking for. “There are no problems, only solutions”… for ablutions (sorry John). The shower design for me is primarily about the intelligent use of space. In this bathroom below, the client had a pitifully small shower enclosure & separate bath. But why have a cramped shower when you have enough space for 60cm diameter shower head and room for two?
Image from Morph project in Bayswater
Any good interior designer will be acutely aware that our efforts are geared towards enhancing our clients’ feeling of ‘well-being’. Often, in our research to draw together plans we act as dieticians for kitchens and alternative therapists in bathrooms; and it is true that baths offer more benefits to the stressed human body than showers. Basically, you can’t get a whirlpool spa into a shower although some companies come close with the extreme functions on their shower heads: they can take the skin off, massage the neck and shoulders, flood the room with colour changing light therapy, make you fell like you’re under a cloud burst and pick the kids up from school. OK, not the last one, but you get the picture. In the bathroom above, the Raindance Rainmaker from Hansgrohe is the last choice before jumping into serious money for shower heads. Well, I’ve started now so I might as well show you this:
No, there is not a hole in the ceiling and the picture wasn’t taken during a rain storm. That beauty in the background is RainSky M from Dornbracht and is quite possibly the one of the most expensive shower heads on the market. Possibly.
I could go on ad infinitum about different shower heads, but the focus here is on the use of space and how shower design impacts on the overall aesthetic of the bathroom scheme. Hopefully you have had a taster of how much impact a shower can have if designed into the space correctly. We not only write about good design, we tend to practice it as well. Should you need any further advice or are looking for a great bathroom, we are here to help. Meanwhile, in the event that you feel you can’t achieve a walk-in shower if it means sacrificing a bath; don’t! We have the answer to that as well…
