Try as I might to navigate through the encroaching confusions of the web, I can’t seem to extract an English language treatment of the recent Morphing Collection by Zucchetti.Kos. And that’s a shame, because I’d love to hear how the Italian wordsmiths doubtless employed by Z/K have wrapped their romantic tongues around the sumptuous and exquisite contours of this line of classic meets modern bathware. There hangs an unspoken tale, perhaps, but we do have a couple of tidbits of translated adulation.

To wit, “We have decided to overturn old rules and hit the heart of the city in order to, in a more immediate way, meet with our visitors and reach them with the language and the means that has always put the Zucchetti.Kos Group at the forefront of generating new lifestyle expressions.”

Morphing. Designed by Zucchetti.Kos.

The Look of Cast Iron without the Baggage of the Past

The above, though perhaps a bit clunky, gets to the heart of the appeal of Morphing, a contemporary meets classic assemblage of tubs, sinks, cabinets, and accessories designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba. So wherefore the classic in Morphing? In its striking resemblance to the iconic cast iron pieces that constituted the crème de la crème of the bathrooms of yesteryear. Wherefore the contemporary? Not just in the slight tweaking of the classic profile (most especially, the foreshortened legs of the tub and the ultra-thin side panels of the open cabinetry), but also in the materials palette: a composite of aluminum tri-hydrate, polyester, and acrylic resin (tubs and sinks) counterbalanced with cabinets of cherry wood, wengé, or white lacquer.

For anyone who’s even thought about transporting a cast iron tub or sink, the above increases the appeal of Morphing ten-fold, since the new-found portability means installation does not necessarily forecast abject permanence. For younger folk—who may be blissfully unaware of the excessively weighty restrictions of the iconic clawfoot—this is but a bit of proof in the pudding, as modern, long-lasting materials have become de rigueur in high end A&D.

In regards to Morphing’s aesthetic (and aesthetic versatility) a look is worth a thousand words, and the deft touch of vibrant red and brilliant black upon such archetypal looking pieces confirms that Morphing has it both ways; with one foot in the past and one squarely planted in the here and now, the collection remains classical yet eminently modern: “surprisingly ‘family’ and at the same time highly innovative… Morphing blends tradition and aesthetics with contemporary art, new materials, and references to classic types.”

Via InteriorDesign.