Zaha Hadid X Porcelanosa Part One: VITAE Collection Bloggers Launch

“Water is the origin of life, source of regeneration and purification. The presence of water evokes the life cycle of human being. In most cultures and religions it symbolises life and fertility”

If you are under the illusion that if “you’ve seen one bath tub, you’ve seen them all”; it’s time to wake up, reinvigorate your creativity and enter the launch of the Zaha Hadid x Porcelanosa’s new bathroom collection, Vitae… prepare to be astounded by this all-encompassing bathroom experience.

Very recently, I received an email inviting me to the invitation only bloggers launch of the new Zaha Hadid x Porcelanosa bathroom collection. I won’t lie to you, I honestly thought I was sent the email by mistake. The late, Dame Zaha Hadid is truly one of the greatest architects of our time and any other, teamed with Porcelanosa’s rich and extensive design styles I knew this was not one to miss.

Topped up with caffeine and filled with excitement, I headed up to London for the launch on a beautiful Thursday morning. The launch was at the Zaha Hadid Design gallery in Holborn. I don’t think even I was prepared to be as stunned as I was about to be.

Greeted by the lovely Harriet of whom invited me to the event, before long I got chatting to the collections designers and the marketing queen for Porcelanosa, Marta. Before the unveiling of the collection, we were invited to take a tour of the gallery. 

(Keep an eye out for part two of the blog post where I will take you on a tour of the gallery!)

Vitae is latin for 'life'. With a design exploration into the concept of life and the existing relationships to water as the "architecture of nature", this extraordinary collection was born. Immediately the identification of water is dominant within the design of the collection. Beautifully flowing curves and shapes create the free-flowing style of each piece.

The theme and attributes of the collection encapsulate heightened use of the senses. The first piece we were shown was the bath tub. As you can see from my photographs the piece was presented with an accompanying projection.

There is no escape from the strong presence of Zaha or the sense of life within just this piece alone. It was shown to us that there is no overflow present in the sides of the bath. This is to allow the shape and form of the bath to run freely, without interruption to the aesthetic. To create this, the overflow has been concealed within the plug along with a hidden built-in sensor to prevent any overflow of water. 

There are no extrusions from the bath tub. There is a pop-up shower of which is built into the bath panel and there are no protruding or invasive taps. The water runs into the bath through a delicate opening in the side panel (pictured), creating a fountain of flowing water. The taps are condensed, elegant and subtle. In order to create a full sensory experience; touching down on the tap, your heartbeat will be detected and the built-in spa will work in sync with your heartbeat.

To incorporate the senses Marta asked us if we would like to "eat one of the stones”… looking around the room with confusion I was a little dubious, but nonetheless I picked one up and took a bite (I should really be less trusting!). To my pleasant surprise and relief, the stones were carefully created from chocolate and covered in a sugar shell made to look like stone. This was to reiterate the element of nature and the emphasis of water and natural materials.

I can honestly say that I had never eaten a stone before, but I would certainly recommend it. The chocolate sensory type though – not the on-the-ground, unhygienic, break-your-teeth kind...

Moving around the collection, the next piece was the sink basin, shelves and vanity unit. The sleek lines and curves of each item entirely captured the sense and feeling of flowing water, whilst holding onto the distinct design styles of Dame Zaha. Again, there is no visible overflow in the sink. The design concealed the overflow in the same way as with the bath tub. The design of the tap also mirrors water flow, the curved shape is elegant and ergonomically functional.

Moving onto the toilet. Never have I ever seen such elegantly shaped toilets. They appear to float as the pipes are covered by the design of the base. Each element of the design has again encapsulated the elegance and shapely flow of water. The design of the toilet seats and flush remind me of water droplets, curving downward into a smooth, round shape.

Harriet and Marta described the design of the shower as “galactic”. I can completely identify with that. However, I still see the strong presence of water and water fall in the design of the shower head and unit. To incorporate a whole body experience, the shower head is extremely large- enough to cover the whole body with water. This is the only kind of shower head in existence, Porcelanosa researchers have searched far and wide to ensure this collection is truly one of a kind. 

 

Reaching the end of the launch, we were shown a presentation  which visualised the design concept, creation and paid tribute to  Dame Zaha. This was a sensory experience in itself. The projection of the short film onto the bathroom set was creatively exhilarating. The story behind the concept cinematically came to life here, from beginning to end.

After the projection, we were taken back upstairs to enjoy a spread of delicious snacks and drinks. I was the last person to leave the launch as I fell in love with the collection, the gallery and was so enthused by the collection I wanted to talk continue my learning. Thank you to everyone at the launch for letting me get my images and talk about interiors for a long old while!

The Vitae collection has been in design and production for the last two years. Zaha Hadid and her team had been working in partnership with Porcelanosa for the collection. Due to the passing of Zaha in March of this year, her design team along with Porcelanosa have taken the project over the finish line. The sadness of Zaha's passing must have been incomprehensible, but her essence, strength and passion lives on vividly throughout the Vitae collection. 

Throughout the collection, certain things where profoundly clear; the innovation that has gone into creating the collection was astounding, the essence of Zaha and Zaha’s recognisable design style flooded through and the passion that has gone into executing the project from the initial concept, to the production of the pieces was second to none.

The collection can be seen emulated in a live space in the below images. This is where you really see the collection come to life. For those of you who still shop on the high street, this is something to definitely aspire to or just admire. I think I am still a few steps away from my Penthouse in New York, but when I do get there – I’ll know who to call to design my bathroom suite! 

Coming away from the launch, we were given a presentation bag which included the collection brochure, a Porcelanosa magazine, a USB with further information and images and, my favourite, a beautiful Porcelanosa candle- which, may I add, smells absolutely divine.

We were truly spoilt by Zaha Hadid and Porcelanosa staff and I would like to extend my gratitude to all of those who ran and attended the launch and put up with my nattering throughout. I came away truly inspired and felt extremely privileged to have been invited to the launch of this exquisite collection. 

The collection will be available to the public from September of this year. To find out more, click on the links below.