Gradina Ⰱ - Travertine bathroom furniture
A collaboration with mining based artisanal handicraft "Gradina" from Obrovac as a part of funding program of the Croatian Chamber of Economy.
This series of bathroom elements carries unique traits of the traditional craft of stone processing. The fact that stone processing is so deeply rooted in Croatian tradition, and yet somehow it looses the battle with modern mass produced furniture was the main reason his project was even started. It was decided to promote traditional forms of stone processing, but with a modern twist that could adapt the program so elements could be mass produced. Currently in Croatia, it is rare to see stone furniture with well thought design elements, and the reason for that could be the fact that in these modern times, cheaper and more accessible materials are avaliable, leaving stone in the luxury category.
These objects were created to communicate between traditional Croatian coastal building techniques and modern technologies, speaking for both the today and the traditional, modern and the inherited. The traditional is given much attention, showing the material's potential, texture and functionality above all.
A machine process is applied to the stone, forming the part of the stone user interacts with. The rest of the form remains unprocessed. The sink has a formed part around the drain and the zone housing the faucet, while the rest of the base remains a natural rock found in nature. Applying the process to more rocks individuality is achieved through the crude parts of naturally formed stone, making every piece unique.
According to tradition, the processing of the stone leaves a very minimal and purely functional form contrasted to the estetics of the stone texture. The only form factor that could be considered purely decorative would be the logotype inspired by the traditional Croatian interlace, applied to every piece, thus creating a unified series.
