The Fonte stool is in stained elm ash
Monica Graffeo has designed Fonte, a project inspired by the Japanese philosophy of personal care. Fonte (which means “fountain”) is a collection of washbasins, showers and receptacles in Corian® and bathtubs in Korakril complete with solid elm wood accessories. At the heart of the collection is a series of washbasins that formally develops the image of the bucket-basin in a clean and delicate way. Fonte was inspired by observing the everyday reality of the bathroom combined with a love for the Japanese philosophy of water. Everywhere you go the bathroom is a place that inevitably becomes filled with essential items for ourselves and for others. In Western bathroom culture, these objects are seen to spoil the perfection of the ambient, whereas in Japanese culture they are placed on display and contribute to the harmony of the room. This project originated from a study of how we look after ourselves as well as a desire to create objects that differ from each other yet have specific functions and, together, create attractive landscapes. For this reason the collection contains elements of the natural, rural world, such as milking stools, dry branches and trees.The totem-style washbasin with different levels was inspired by the fountain, the traditional hub of country life. The accessories also hark back to the rural world, to objects of the past such as buckets, basins, milking stools and trees.
