The Italian bathroom manufacturer Flaminia has harnessed the stellar talents of Nendo to sprinkle a little stardust over its 70th anniversary celebrations. It is a collaborative relationship that has worked wonders for the brand since 2010 –combining the Italian rigour of ceramic sanitaryware with the whimsical imagination of Oki Sato’s studio. (Indeed, Flaminia’s creative director, the legendary star-maker Giulio Cappellini, was one of the earliest patrons of Nendo when the fledgling studio first ventured to Milan.)
Fast-forward almost two decades and, during Fuorisalone 2024, Flaminia launched two new product families from Nendo, first in the brand’s flagship at via Solferino, and later in the week at a special event titled ‘Nendo in the Stars’ in a Porto Nuova penthouse with panoramic views over the city.
First up is ‘Box’ – a series of countertop ceramic washbasins available in a range of colours, inspired by the curiously compelling activity of unboxing. Nendo’s nod here to the process of opening packaging comes in the form of two gently protruding wings that grace each edge of the rectangular or square basin. As ever with Nendo, the witty device has a canny, practical dimension too; the wings catch any rogue sideways splashes. Elegance and efficiency combined.
One of the blessings of a lengthy collaborative relationship between brand and studio is the cumulative trust that builds, which in turn encourages the pushing of boundaries and perhaps even the breaking of new ground. Evidence here comes in Nendo’s second project: ‘Tub-Lamps’, whereby the studio has literally turned an idea on its head. Taking familiar round sink and oval bathtub forms, Nendo has upended them and created a range of shapely, curvaceous, stroke-able, ambient lamps, for the bathroom or elsewhere.
Exploring the world of lighting is a first for Flaminia – but why not? Such is the beauty of long-lasting relationships built on trust; you never know where they might take you next. Seventy years on and fresh as ever.
