We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Emanuele Pangrazi about their original and creative Bathroom collection design work. Emanuele Pangrazi is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original bathroom collection works.
Emanuele Pangrazi ("EP") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work CATINO Bathroom collection. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
EP : I don't think that there has been an inspiration or a particularly well defined principle, but there have been several factors that have enabled to achieve this result. I'm generally attracted to the humanist project, the impact that this has on people and what this tries to communicate. According to this line of thought, I try to make sense of what I do to create the semantic relationships between shape, memory, and communication. You know when you have a thought in your head that you can't quite see? Then you read a sentence somewhere and everything becomes clearer, because It's the best way to explain what was just a confused idea in your mind. I would like my projects to be like that sentence...
EP : Through this project I have tried to create a collection that could combine functionality, ease of use and a minimal aesthetic, together with details that have a nostalgia of the past.
EP : I hope that this award will bring me increased international visibility, usually I don't care much for direct marketing because I'm more focused on the project and its more operative aspect.
EP : This particular project took about a month to complete. Three or four days to develop the initial concept that defines the "appeal", and the rest of the time was spent developing the style and the technical details.
EP : The project was commissioned by DISEGNO CERAMICA who were already familiar with some of my works done for other companies in the same sector. The assigment they gave me was to develop a collection. I was not given any constraints so I simply thought about what I would like to have in my bathroon and the project came about quite spontaneously.
EP : The Catino collection is produced by Disegno Ceramica, an Italian bathroom manufacturer, they commissioned me to design a new range for them.
EP : Mainly the idea of reducing to a minimum the shape without gimmicks, trying to evoke a poetic simplicity linked to the actions of everyday life and caring for ourselves.
EP : To be honest I do not think that I was directly influenced by a specific design or designer, though it is evident that the pure and primitive shapes that make up the series are well-known archetypes in our collective memory. I simply followed the flow of my drawing without over- analyzing the process and the result turned out to be an expression of my visual experience and a vision of the world as I know it.
EP : The collection was designed for those who appreciate the elegance of simplicity and the solidity of the materials used. This series is produced entirely in Italy respecting high quality standards for both the ceramic products and the accessories in solid wood.
EP : I think this project can be distinguished from others by a mix of interesting factors, first of all the grace of these elements which break the usual formal of contemporary bathrooms. The sinks are deep and capacious, accessories and gestures recall functions which have been lost, benches made of solid wood are robust and durable, and finally the geometry is clean and well considered. In fact, we are facing a new typology of collection.
EP : I went for the obvious choice. The whole project revolves around the metaphor of a catino. In Italian, catino means basin or a circular water container and it was widely used during the Etruscan civilization. What better name can there be than one that brings to mind the history of your model?
EP : I usually work with a pen and some Pantone to sketch the ideas and outline style, then I start to work on the CAID in order to deepen the experimentation using 3 dimensional visualization.
EP : The most striking aspect is represented by a disarming simplicity, where it plays a key role in the poetic sense of composition and balance provided by the search for golden proportions.
EP : I do not know, but I would say mostly the advanced production techniques and technology. Before firing the shapes and large volume ceramics tended to become deformed due to their weight. The company had to develop a good production set-up in order to make it possible.
EP : To be honest, I saw a newsletter by chance, I signed up and I tried to upload some pictures on the competition site ready. I thank the organization of A 'design award for having instructed me on how to improve my presentation. Among other things, this is the first time I have entered a design award competition and I must admit I am extremely pleased about winning!
EP : I can’t say at this time, you always learn something from every experience. Certainly I understand that I work better when a company gives me "carte blanche". I have more responsibility, but at the same time greater freedom of expression, and that trust is almost always rewarded.
