Given the bent of PR material surrounding Ross Lovegrove's Freedom bathroom collection, for Vitra one might be forgiven for thinking the object in question were some exotic species of plant life, or perhaps an interstellar phenomenon of intermingling nebulae. But no. The Freedom line of ceramic fittings (basin, bidet, and wc) has been described as "sculptural," "organic," and "biomorphic." But the best characterization of Freedom comes from Lovegrove himself: "a different, asymmetrical way to approach how we move. I am here following the lines of the materials more closely, and you should not oppose them. When you strip off and get into the bath it is like being in a sculptural paradise: sound, light, the change in surroundings, that’s what counts" (Stylepark).

Freedom washstand. Designed by Ross Lovegrove for Vitra.

Lovegrove's point seems to be that bathing-like life, if we extrapolate the organic metaphor-does not follow the formal constraints of the straight line or the harsh angle. Just as water sculpts stone smooth with the curved arc of its passing, so too does it interact with our bodies. The bath should thus be-for lack of a better term–a "soft" experience. Freedom reflects this sculpturality with big round forms, smooth contours, and a high gloss alabaster finish that encourages elements to blend seamlessly with the surroundings.

Freedom WC and bidet. Designed by Ross Lovegrove for Vitra.

Freedom Washstand and Washing stand. Designed by Ross Lovegrove for Vitra.

Freedom Washstand and Floorstanding washing stand. Designed by Ross Lovegrove for Vitra.

Beyond suggesting the truth of how our bodies interact with liquid and light, Freedom also connotes a certain airiness-a separation from the earth that might be quantified as "atmospheric." And the collection quite literally resembles clouds. All of these evocations point toward the bath as a place of refreshing repose, somewhere to strip bodies as well as minds and revel in the purely sensorial: "contours as seemingly liquid as the life-enhancing water they channel, Freedom is a truly liberating bathroom experience."

Vitra's Freedom Collection includes standing and wall-mounted basins, WCs, and bidets, as well as matching mirrors with touch-sensor technology and cabinetry in white and glossy black.

Via KBTrends.