Agape interprets bathroom furnishings through an architectural lens

For Milan Design Week 2022, Agape uplifts the contextual relevance of a bathroom as a sanctum in a household. For over four decades, the Italian brand has focused on conjuring the profound emotions, sensations and experiences in the literal heart of domestic life – the bathroom. Through their exhibition ‘Here.There.After’ Agape has aligned its conceptual thoughts with Alessandro Andreucci, Benedini Associati, Marco Carini, Jean Nouvel Design and Patricia Urquiola, to view elements of a bathroom from an architectural lens. The exhibition will be on view from 7th June 2022 till 12th June 2022 at the brand’s showroom Agape12, via Statuto 12, Milan.

Agape’s iconic product family is enriched with sculptural bathroom elements viewed from a microarchitectural perspective. The face a face bathtubs and washbasins by Jean Nouvel design, exude a stark geometric charisma contextualising architectural monuments in an urban landscape. Jean’s products comprise two-dimensional stone slabs that seem to brush against each other delicately. Complimenting the purity of form in the face a face bathtub is the freestanding version of the Ell washbasin by Italian designers Benedini Associati, Andres Jost and Diego Cisi. The washbasin defies the rule of the thumb by being pushed away from the wall, only to create an architectural statement based on subtraction. The result is a washbasin that is as simple as a surface and a column, nothing more.

Further on, Patricia Urquiola transcends the concept of a bathroom to the primaeval setting with her Cenote washbasins. ‘Cenote’ is a Mexican word for ancient natural caves which were a source of fresh water and a spiritually important scenery in the pre-Columbian culture. The designer transports the user to a raw, earthy experience, away from the mainstream decorative style, by giving her basin a rough refractory stone exterior finish. The Cenote basins hold the architectural composition of a circular body and an extremely linear base with a powerful material presence.

Not just the washbasins, shower rooms or the bathtubs hold importance in composing a bathroom, but also the accessories for comfort. Marco Carini’s Vis-a-vis stools and the Rendez-vous daybed benches upscale the modular arrangement with their playful and whimsical character. The materials that formulated these products add a sense of lightness and aesthetics to their personality. Both collections are made with a rarely used material – cork, thus displaying an evolved and intelligent approach to artisan craftsmanship. The vis-a-vis stools are conceptualised as an ever-evolving picture in architecture while the Rendez-vous daybed is focused on the architectural concept of repeating patterns and rhythm. Marco uses cork ropes for the day beds which are hand-woven in an alternating sparse-dense pattern. Alongside these seating elements, Alessandro Andreucci crafted the Voila system of integrated containers with rotatable mirrors to store usable everyday bathroom objects. The discrete and minimal design of the storage space can be delicately flushed with the walls, just like a well-finished column. The latest additions are also joined with Sen-Agape’s iconic, intimate and evocative faucets and accessories which will also be displayed in the exhibition.

Manual craftsmanship with a hands-on artisanal approach to designing the elements of the bathroom is the company’s dialect and vision. The elements, even though mass-produced, hold the same uniqueness in character and aesthetic finishes. To make the bathroom equipped for a sensory experience, Agape continuously develops products for intimate spaces.

STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.