Making waves: Roca brings the Med to Milan
Roca’s immersive, Mediterranean-inspired installation by Cobalto Studio pulses with the rhythm of the sea at Milan Design Week 2022

A pure white installation designed by the multidisciplinary Cobalto Studio and paying tribute to the spirit, shapes, scents and colours of the Mediterranean, with a nod to sustainability too, represents the Fuorisalone debut of Barcelona-based bathroom brand Roca.
On show at the University of Milan (until 13 June), the installation, Influence, is inspired by Roca's new ‘Ona’ bathroom line (ona meaning ‘wave’ in Catalan) and provides an immersive experience, transporting visitors to a Mediterranean oasis that seems to pulse with a wave-like rhythm.
To calibrate the installation’s fluctuating brightness, Cobalto Studio interpreted data gathered from a buoy deployed in the sea off Menorca – capturing fluctuations in wave intensity on the day of the spring equinox, thanks to a research system called REDEXT (Deep Water Boats Network).
The rhythm of the waves is reflected in the amplitude of golden light impulses, producing an immersive, sensorial experience. ‘It’s breathing as the sea,’ explains Cobalto Studio’s founder Gabriel Escámez. ‘By day the sounds surround you, and you can enjoy the optical effects, as well as the poetic and philosophical focus. Yet to me, it’s even more amazing by night.’
The installation also references Mediterranean traditions and architecture, including Cobalto Studio’s take on talaiots (Bronze Age megalithic structures indigenous to the Balearic Islands) and proto-rationalism (Influence employs reusable materials, tying in with the idea of optimising natural resources).
‘It’s about the Mediterranean, because [that] is where I was born, but it could be wherever, because we are focused on the concept of vernacular design, as in my [view] we all need to move to another perspective, and focus on the materials that are around [us],’ says Escámez.
As visitors experience the sensation of being embraced by the sea, the installation’s series of sculpted white volumes frames pieces from Roca’s ‘Ona’ collection.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
‘I think we are arriving at Fuorisalone in a very good way with this project and this installation. We wanted to have the right format,’ says Marc Viardot, Roca Group's corporate marketing and design director.
‘It was important for us to come with products,’ he adds. ‘I believe visitors come here for inspiration but also for information on products they can use later on, and the “Ona” collection is very complete and democratically positioned, ecological, functional… with all the innovations and finesse [needed] to stand out.’
INFORMATION
Influence is at the University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, until 13 June 2022
roca.com
cobaltostudio.com
Cristina Kiran Piotti is an Italian-Indian freelance journalist. After completing her studies in journalism in Milan, she pursued a master's degree in the economic relations between Italy and India at the Ca' Foscari Challenge School in Venice. She splits her time between Milan and Mumbai and, since 2008, she has concentrated her work mostly on design, current affairs, and culture stories, often drawing on her enduring passion for geopolitics. She writes for several publications in both English and Italian, and she is a consultant for communication firms and publishing houses.
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campus
The Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Extreme Cashmere reimagines retail with its new Amsterdam store: ‘You want to take your shoes off and stay’
Wallpaper* takes a tour of Extreme Cashmere’s new Amsterdam store, a space which reflects the label’s famed hospitality and unconventional approach to knitwear
By Jack Moss
-
Titanium watches are strong, light and enduring: here are some of the best
Brands including Bremont, Christopher Ward and Grand Seiko are exploring the possibilities of titanium watches
By Chris Hall
-
Eight designers to know from Rossana Orlandi Gallery’s Milan Design Week 2025 exhibition
Wallpaper’s highlights from the mega-exhibition at Rossana Orlandi Gallery include some of the most compelling names in design today
By Anna Solomon
-
Bentley’s new home collections bring the ‘potency’ of its cars to Milan Design Week
New furniture, accessories and picnic pieces from Bentley Home take cues from the bold lines and smooth curves of Bentley Motors
By Anna Solomon
-
StoneX partners with Wallpaper* for material alchemy at Milan Design Week and beyond
The natural stone purveyor teams up with Wallpaper* for a three-year partnership of material adventures, starting with an exhibition at Triennale di Milano
By Simon Mills
-
David Rockwell’s Milan Design Week presentation is a love letter to cork
Rockwell Group’s Casa Cork installation showcases this under-appreciated material, which is infinitely recyclable and sequesters carbon for decades
By Anna Solomon
-
Emerging galleries to discover during Milan Design Week
Wallpaper’s Milan editor has the inside track on the younger design galleries coming to town
By Laura May Todd
-
Buccellati brings the forest and Furry Animals to Milan Design Week
The jewellery and silverware maison falls back on tradition for its Milan showcase, presenting its now-emblematic collection of intricately crafted creatures
By Laura May Todd
-
Where next for Salone del Mobile? Maria Porro on the future of the world’s biggest furniture fair
Ahead of Salone del Mobile 2025 in Milan, we sit down with its president to talk design, data and forging the event’s future in a fast-changing world
By Hugo Macdonald
-
What to see at Milan Design Week 2025
A guide to some of the events the Wallpaper* team is checking out at Milan Design Week (7–13 April) – from public installations and major launches to standout venues and must-see exhibitions
By Hugo Macdonald