For today’s post I’ve chosen to highlight Antonio Lupi, bathroom furniture, as an example for Italian design excellence (which – in opposite to the general opinion – you don’t always automatically get just because it’s Italian….).
It starts with the use of materials that are with no doubt typically Italian, like walnut wood in natural colours and white and black marbles, all carefully combined and manufactured with best-in-class quality. Stylistically there are connotations of the 20’s and Art Deco, especially when it comes to the forms used. Strict geometries meet a modern playfulness.
The colour scheme is based on black and white or deep brown and creamy whites, with pops of bright 80’s colours in the accessories. There is a – like everywhere on the fair – a mix of matt and glossy surfaces, especially all the glass adds lots of gloss to the scene. Antonio Lupi mixes glossy with frosted glass, and uses light to create calming moods and bring out the best of the translucent material and colour. While glass is a “natural” material in bathrooms, it is also prevalent that is gets applied more than before, which might have its root in the attempt of working with more sustainable materials.
Like in the kitchens at the fair, Ceppo di Gre, the particulated Italian marble in grey-beige colours gets featured at Antonio Lupi. For the moment the white classics Carrara and Calacatta still have a place, but the hype has significantly weakened and made room for other beautiful stones from the region.
To me the brand is a stand-out example of Italian design class, elegance paired with knowledge about crafting materials and innovation in style. Bellissimo!