The Personal Touch

Neri & Hu designed the Ren collection of storage furnishings with the Chinese ideogram for 'human' as a point of departure; the character resembles an inverted 'Y'. The frame of this dressing table is Canalatto walnut, surfaces are wrapped in fine saddle leather, and brass hangers suspend shelves and mirrors. arksf.com

Leggy Design

I'm charmed by this mash-up of post-modern and mid-century design. Designed by Arter & Citton,  the lacquered cabinet sports an asymmetric angular bump; the sink basin follows that line. Tapered ash legs jaunt outwards, giving the piece a most solid footing. The STRA8 vanity is available in 20 colors. hafrogeromin.it

Hybrid Style

As an example of audacious design, it would be hard to top this vanity. Combining Op-Art and Louis XV style creates a piece that would be the center of attention in any bath. I'm fascinated by how the grid works with the contours of the chest. moissonnier.com

Decisions, Decisions

A palette of four panel styles isn't the only design option for the Retro vanity. It can be configured as desired: for single or multiple sinks, with cupboards or drawer modules, at high or low heights. Perhaps the most curious choice is the leg treatment—long or stubby, the tapered supports can be installed singly or in eye-catching clusters. Designed by Toni Sabatino. badenhaus.it

Seeing Double

Such a simple and smart idea: offsetting the sinks from the mirrors yields a near full-length looking glass, a feature extremely handy in the bath. The Origin collection of fixtures and furniture, with its rounded lines, lends itself well to this design. inbani.com

Everything You Need

On the rare morning where there is time to spare for la toilette, having the option to sit [rather than stand] is a genuine luxury. The appropriately-named Narciso vanity facilitates this in a very compact footprint. Designers Andrea Parisio and Giuseppe Pezzano have put both sink and storage within an arm's reach without creating any feeling of confinement, thanks to the unit's modular make up. ceramicacielo.com

Old is New

There's an archaeological aspect to this design that makes the piece feel both new and familiar to me. Brass rods tie the trio of basalt columns together in a way that's distinctly architectural; it's easy to imagine the pedestal is a fragment of a stone structure from ages past [or present]. The width of the openings between the pillars can be adjusted, allowing the construction to fit into spaces of various sizes. stoneforest.com

Deep Thoughts—or Not

Arik Levy's design for the Bowl sink has got me thinking. With its shallow, flat basin, it looks more like it should be floating on water than containing it. It's always good when design shakes up one's perspective on form and function. inbani.com

Aesthetic Equilibrium

I just noticed that several of my posts over the last week or so have mentioned balance, symmetry, stability...it's that ol' subconscious making itself heard again. This bath fits that pattern, too, with the offset-yet-mirroring design of the vanity. And speaking of mirrors: Of course there are two of them in the room. Balance, you know. stevenvolpe.com

Japan, Via Milan

Designer Stefano Cavazzana cites the bento box as inspiration for his new Oblon bathroom fixtures. Similar to the bento's functional form, the interchangeable basin, its rim, and accompanying tray/lid can be stacked in different color combinations. The collection premieres at iSalone this week. novello.it

Material Switch-Up

Mixing marble and smoky glass, the Bespoke vanity makes a suave entrance at iSalone this week. While combining opacity and transparency in a single unit has been done before, the application protocol has been upended by designer Carlo Colombo; usually it's the sink that's glass, not the cabinet. antoniolupi.it

You Can't Be Too Thin

No, there isn't any Photoshop trickery going on in this picture. Realizing that not everyone needs a cavernous basin in the bath, the design team of Benedini Associati, Andres Jost, and Diego Cisi created a shallow sink that measures a mere 1.5 inches deep. It's part of the scheme that gives the Ell the appearance of floating planes. The Corian counter is both sturdy and light enough to be supported by wall brackets. agapedesign.it

All of a Piece

The folks at A-Cero Design created the Spirit II vanity—which also, for all intents and purposes, includes a sink, too. With counter and storage elements offered in stone and wood, it's a cool way to mix materials without disturbing the overall form. Speaking of form: I think that's best feature of this modular design. Tapered and curved, it's a most welcome departure from the basic blocky model. porcelanosa-usa.com

A Clean Break

I see this vanity and sink combo as a contemporary version of the pitcher-and-bowl washstand of yore. The basin is now integral with the counter, and the pitcher has been replaced by a plumbed-in faucet, but the forms and functions remain true to the original design. whiteceramic.it

Out of the Ordinary

There's an integral light surrounding the mirror of the Shell vanity; when it flickers on, the cove is illuminated in a way that emphasizes its depth and contours. Designer Ora ïto calls the collection [developed for Ronbow] an example of 'simplexity': the mix between the simplicity of a form and the complexity of its function. I think it's an exciting approach.

Industrial, Aged

Like all recycled elements, the antique machinery that's been deployed as a base for this bathroom sink has me wondering about its origins. Perhaps the gears and girders were once part of a derrick or other kind of pumping device—which would be quite fitting [pardon the partial pun] considering the context of its current incarnation. antoniomartins.com

Lemonade, Anyone?

The Play vanity takes the design obstacle posed by pipes in stride. With a detail that's sure to please plumbers, the 'missing' drawer also adds a bit of asymmetric panache to an otherwise ho-hum piece of furniture—without sacrificing storage capacity. royogroup.com

Twisted

Taking a quick breather between two snowstorms, I'm compelled to keep this post brief. The Accademia console is offered in gold and silver metal, with quite the selection of basins. The flexed crossbar basically precludes its use as a spot to hang towels—a precautionary design move that I applaud. teuco.com

All Walls

Not all bathrooms have sun-filled, Palladian windows framing a freestanding tub. [Thank goodness.] Some are awkward, dead-ended spaces. This is a novel way to loosen up a closed-off room; pull the sink away from the wall and float the mirror from the ceiling. agapedesign.it

Fantasy Florals

A few consecutive days of overcast skies and stubbornly cool temperatures, and it's time to face reality: Summer has checked out. Allow me one more bit of denial, please, in the form of this flower-bedecked vanity designed by Marcel Wanders. Part of the Quadro collection, the mosaicked piece is a limited edition that will be released, oh so appropriately, next spring. bisazzabagno.it