Designed in partnership with Cologne-based studio KASCHKASCH, Villeroy & Boch has expanded its Antao collection with Antao Earth, a new range of statement surface-mounted washbasins which features the company’s hand-applied Artisan Glaze.
Reportedly inspired by the natural shape of a dewdrop, the basins are all considered to be truly unique as the glazing process creates subtle variations in colour and texture which vary with each individual product.
According to Villeroy & Boch, the colour palette across the new Antao Earth collection has also been inspired heavily by natural landscapes, with the new basin range launching in three nature-inspired colourways.
The Sand colourway uses a light and welcoming aesthetic that the brand says evokes a feeling of calm. Meanwhile, the earthy Terra variation is instead inspired by the surface of the Earth itself. Finally, Villeroy & Boch calls the third colourway, Smoke, a contemporary shade that reveals layers of depth as light moves across its surface.
“The challenge here lay in combining an emotionally appealing, highly tactile experience with full everyday functionality,” explained Florian Kallus, KASCHKASCH co-founder.
Other co-founder, Sebastian Schneider, added: “The physical complexity in the kiln is enormous. To extend such a structure to an entire basin in a controlled and reproducible manner calls for maximum precision at the interface between design and high-end ceramics technology.”