At London Design Festival, VitrA London transforms through design and play

In partnership with VitrA London

VitrA has collaborated with designers Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead of 2LG studio on an installation inspired by sci-fi aesthetics and the work of the late French designer Andree Putman for ‘Playscape’, which is taking over VitrA London during the London Design Festival 2023. 

At the heart of the project is the Istanbul collection by Ross Lovegrove, whose futuristic organic forms serve as a starting point for an exploration of future bathroom design. Including basins, toilets, taps and showers, Lovegrove’s collection is inspired by the eclectic cultural diversity of the city from which it is named, its forms instantly recognisable yet functional and versatile. 

To accompany the designs, Cluroe and Whitehead have created a composition using tiles from the ‘Mode’ range, with black and white hues which they arranged in a chequerboard motif to form a backdrop to the sinuous silhouettes. The tiles are the focal point of a striking structure that nods to the playful forms of a playground, with slide-like formations, curved walls and a contrasting monochromatic shade of Tobacco used to create enclosed areas where visitors can explore the collection further. 

A centrepiece for the London showroom that offers a visionary interpretation of the materials and the bathroom collections, ‘Playscape’ also features a chequered, stepped structure adorned with plants, evoking the spirit of freedom and infinite possibilities of contemporary bathroom design. 

As part of the installation, VitrA offers a free virtual reality experience (Thursday 21 September 2023) in collaboration with Virtual Worlds, a software that transfers bathroom designs into 4D, letting visitors delve deeper into the designs in an immersive, interactive setting.

Says Whitehead: ‘Bold, boundary-pushing and aspirational, our design speaks of futures past and takes us into new territory, showcasing the elegant organic shapes of the Istanbul collection – contrasted with the graphic impact of monochromatic tiling.’

‘Playscape has been designed to re-imagine the way we experience our bathrooms,’ says Cluroe. ‘As if a spacecraft has landed in the VitrA showroom from the not-too-distant future.’

‘Playscape’ is on view at VitrA during London Design Festival, and will remain installed for Clerkenwell Design Trail, 4-5 October 2023. You can register for special events via https://london.vitra.co.uk/events

VitrA London, 64 Turnmill Street, London EC1M 5RR

london.vitra.co.uk