Page 50 - Designing Ways 256

SURFACE
SOLUTIONS

Agape’s New Architectural Bathtub and Washbasins by Jean

Nouvel Design: “Face À Face”

Mantua, Italy

ace à Face by Jean Nouvel Design
is a new concept of architectural
Fbathtubs and washbasins that
marks the launch of a collaboration
between Agape and the French architect.
For Nouvel, architecture is
simultaneously depth of thought and
rigour, as well as poetry and pleasure.
Every element of his concept of the
bathtub is perfectly calibrated to invite
us into a space of relaxation, well-being,
and dialogue. Showcasing the beauty of
natural marble through the geometric
language of two-dimensionality. These
values are apparent in the collection’s
name, with "Face" meaning “surface” in
French, while also referring to a “human
face.”
Thanks to an ingenious system of
invisible joints, the bathtub is constructed
in a way that makes its surfaces appear
to simply approach one another, side
by side. The effect is both imposing and
light, essential and material, generous and
functional. Surfaces brush against one
another to serve as a backrest. Extremely
precise design and careful attention to the
proper angle of each surface contribute
to the bathtub becoming a comfortable

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