03 May 2012

nendo for Bisazza

nendo's Oki Sato speaks to Luo Jingmei about his collection for Bisazza Bagno.

That the Japanese have a knack for coming up with the most succinct and simple design solutions for everyday living is an understatement. This is exemplified in nendo's collection for Bisazza Bagno's third collaboration that comprises a bathtub, sinks, drawers and accessories that draw from the notion of dual functionality and spaces encased within each other.

The collection's quiet poetry echoed the venue that Oki Sato, Nendo's creative director, was commissioned to dress up.

The exhibit, entitled 'Transparent Mosaic Maison' also contained Bisazza Bagno's earlier two collections with Jaime Hayon and Marcel Wanders as well as nendo's new mosaic patterns (Hana-Flower and Kumo-Cloud), Bat Chandelier and an "experiment" of a marble block covered in its transparent mosaics.

"This is the third collection for Bisazza. Obviously, it's quite different from the other designers' [pieces]. We tried to mix the Japanese bathroom with the European-style bathroom, and the concept was everyone being in the water together.

"In Japan in the past there were a lot public baths but you don't see much of these anymore. It was about going into the same bathtub with people you don't even know [where] there's a sort of communication. That was the feel I had for the collection, with everyone inside the bath – not literally everyone being in the bath, but all the objects...the entire collection being together was the image that I had.

"That was the reason why the taps...and some containers...are all inside the sinks. We [also] did some clocks – when you put them together they're one whole clock.

"We used Larch wood for the sinks and the bathtubs. That was another challenge because we wanted the thickness of the edges to be the same for the bathtubs and sinks and shelves...mirrors, trays, and everything, so it creates a sort of uniformity.