Wash your face in a golden shell

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Italian designers from Varm successfully melted simplicity and beauty, art and craft, retro and modernism.

In the heart of Italy, in province Viterbo, a small town named Civita Castellana is surrounded with endless green fields and scent of an art. Civita Castellana is small if measured by its population, but it is the home of many fine craftsmen that are more artist than just workers. That Italian town is the place where some of the world's most beautiful pieces of ceramics are born.

Varm italian ceramic bathroom sink

The Varm is a company founded in 1978 and they at first produced decorated ceramics. It seemed naturally to extend the production to something similar yet different, and bathroom sinks are fine example of a craft that meets art.

If we take a look at bathroom sinks and bathtubs we can see that minimalism is flourishing. It seems that every pieces of a bathroom that aims to be "luxury" or "artistic", must be very simple, with little and details, stripped down as much as possible. While we at Histerius have nothing against minimalism, a short look at different pieces from different manufacturers look so similar and unexciting. There are as little elements as necessary and nothing more. The only difference are slightly different dimensions and some colour or lack of it.

Varm italian ceramic bathroom sink

No, Varm is something totally different. While some other manufacturers think that straight lines, and straight lines only, means modernism, designers at Varm turned to organic shapes. Obviously inspired by millennium of Italian art heritage and nature around them, they chose shells, circles and water as inspiration.

The Varm has several lines of bathroom sinks: Free line, Artistic round, Fiori, Duna, Pitagora, Ca, Sculpture, Corday, In/Out, Linea Pura, Grace, Mikado, and Chicane. Those names are chosen very well. Free line sinks at the first looks like someone draw them by hand. Artistic round follows the water and looks like a vortex. Fiori looks like a flower (fiori), Duna is rounded, Pitagora is straight and squared, Ca is like a small bathtub, Mikado is Japanese, no doubt about it...

Varm italian ceramic bathroom sink

But our favourite line is Sculture (sculptures). It is the product line when art and craft are joined in a beautiful way. Sculture remains us of shell, yet it follows the natural water flow. Contrary to some popular beliefs, its curved lines make it and ideal addition to modern bathroom. In English: Sculture will break harshness and straight line of a modern bath and bring in a bit of life. It will also fit well in "older" or "retro" or another bathroom type, and indeed it will fit nicely into every bath.

Varm italian ceramic bathroom sink

For those who love gold there's also golden, chequered version that looks just beautiful. Two versions, leaf and shell, are on the pictures for you to enjoy. But, you must be careful when choosing Varm bathroom sinks. If you don't pay attention it may happen that it put every other detail in your bathroom in a shade. Because Varm designer successfully melted simplicity and beauty, art and craft, organic and square, retro and modernism. Great design.

February 24, 2008

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