Agape and the Wood Trend

A couple of years ago I was at the Salone di Mobile in Milan I visited the Agape showroom in downtown Milan for the first time. It was a real revelation. Agape was the first with their matte porcelain, egg-shaped tubs, which have since been copied by Waterworks (among others).

Gabbianno- GAB350 – design: G. Pasquali

I think it was in that show that the emerging trend toward soft, natural, hand-rubbed woods was born. Naturally, (no pun intended) you would expect to see it in furniture. But, Agape’s crisp, teak sinks, showers and accessories were breathtakingly sensual and new. Design perfection! Well, almost…

CUBE – CER770 – design: Benedini Associati

While these are visually stunniny, the Joan Crawford Clean Freak in me has a problem with the cleaning issue. How do you clean a teak bathroom sink that’s got toothpaste stuck on it – especially in the little, square corners? Soft Scrub? Hmmm… I’m sure there are people wealthy enough not to care about such silly things. Just get a new one, peasant!

Woodline – CER760M – design: Benedini Associati, 2002

For the rest of us, these beauties must be placed in a low-use bath, such as a powder room. Anyway, watch for the emergence of this arboreal trend. IKEA has already picked it up with some of their wood Molger bath mats.

Where would you place these sinks? Are these too impractical for reality?