When I first laid eyes on the mysterious Washbasin Ammonit by Bagno Sasso, I admit I had no idea what I was looking at. Photographed from just above, the sculptural concrete sink loses some of its three-dimensionality (just like those Escher prints that seem to recede and jump out at you at once). I first thought I was looking at a strangely dark snail shell; then reason kicked in and I imagined a longish side table with a bold decorative inlay; only once I realized that the somewhat ominous black murky trail was a harmless trickle of water, did my perspective right itself and I rightly registered one of the more unusual and interesting basins I’d ever seen.

Washbasin Ammonit. Designed by Bagno Sasso.

The piece shines for the way it embraces the asynchrony of organic forms, a bold move that’s somewhat unprecedented in a washbasin (with the possible exception of the politically-laden Erosion Sink). The choice also makes Ammonit quite a commitment since the swirling design claims large pieces of real estate, perhaps leaving less counter space than one is accustomed to. But this is really a small caveat: the basin requires a width of 25 inches and the vanity ranges in length from three to nine feet.

So, pragmatically speaking—and perhaps with the exception of cost—there’s nothing to stop you from installing Ammonit in your very own bathroom. The piece is bound to transform your morning wash from a mundane experience into a fascinating encounter with natural forms. My only inquiry (relying on the long-standing notion that, in the Southern Hemisphere, water rotates down the drain in the opposite direction) is this: is Ammonit on the market in Australia?