SALVATORI X PATRICIA URQUIOLA – THE SMALL HOURS

Images coutersy of Salvatori

Inspired by the Peacefulness of Those Gentle Early Hours of the Day (1st publication on July 25, 2024)

“The Small Hours”, Salvatori’s first bathroom collection in collaboration with Patricia Urquiola, is a complete offering that combines natural stone with a range of materials and reflects meticulous attention to functionality, geometry, and colour. The name itself refers to that special atmosphere that accompanies daybreak, that intimate moment of solitary reflection just before the world awakes to a new day.

The collection captures this to perfection as Salvatori continues its exploration of the concept of the bathroom as a sophisticated yet calming haven, a place that restores the mind, body, and soul, while also sharing a design ethos that in some ways crosses over with that of a home’s living zone.

As such, it features a host of elements designed to create striking, highly personal bathrooms that make a statement, with wall-hung, countertop, and freestanding washbasin variants, a top with backsplash, shelves, drawers, a shower tray, round bathtub, and a mosaic pattern. There are also a series of accessories including round and rectangular mirrors in a range of sizes which can be customised with the phrase “Believe me or your eyes”. Rounding out the collection is a family of floating shelves made of steel, wood, and natural stone, and a stool in walnut wood, which serves to underline the evolution of the bathroom as a more holistic living space rather than purely functional.

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The leitmotif of the collection is the cylindrical shape, used to impose architectural rigour and bring harmony to the various elements. Through the use of simplified versions of the cylinder via pared-back, defined lines, the stone itself falls under the spotlight, ably complemented by a supporting cast of oak and walnut wood and steel accents.

On one hand, we have understated forms and the vivid touch of metal, while on the other is the innate naturalness of stone. Urquiola envisages steel as a form of glue that defines volumes and fine surfaces whilst also serving to disrupt the single-material approach. The combination transforms the bathroom into what could be described as a continuously evolving architecture of the senses. The result of this unexpected fusion is powerful, with the contrast between the solidity of stone and the smoothness of steel simultaneously generating a pleasing tactile and visual effect.

Salvatori is renowned for its mastery of natural stone and once again, this peerless material is used in an artful, respectful manner. The brand’s innovative approach can be seen in the way different textures and tactile sensations come together in The Small Hours, while a variety of types of wood add further interest.

There is also news when it comes to the choice of stone, with Salvatori’s emblematic neutral palette of Bianco Carrara, Crema d’Orcia, Silk Georgette®, and Ibeing joined by more vibrant colours such as Verde Guatemala e il and Verde Antico. These additions represent the perfect counterpoint between Salvatori’s philosophy of understated luxury and the distinctive style of Patricia Urquiola.

“The Small Hours” marks the latest of many collaborations for Salvatori with leading Italian and international designers and the third with Patricia Urquiola. Following on from her Kore miniature houses for the Village and the Taula table series, the Spanish designer moves into the bathroom space and in doing so offers up an intriguing new vision of the Salvatori universe.