Collaborations have been getting a lot of attention in the Indian home segment recently. Take Bengali designer Sabyasachi’s textured wallpapers and furnishings with vintage colourways for Asian Paints, for instance. Or Delhi-based Obeetee, known for its luxury rugs, which has had collaborative collections with designers Tarun Tahiliani, Raghavendra Rathore and, late last year, Shantanu and Nikhil. But bathrooms, now that is a different ball game. And this is where designers are stepping in now to add their creativity.
Bathrooms are a sanctuary, a retreat, and their spa-like possibilities have been explored extensively during the pandemic. This goes beyond the usual scented candles and potted plants for your musings on the toilet. With pale walls and antique mirrors, sometimes they resemble the sitting room albeit with added benefits like a good long soak. Bathroom collabs, therefore, benefit from a designer’s eye, as seen with VitrA. The Swiss furniture company collaborated with British designer Tom Dixon last September to bring out ‘Liquid’, a collection of sanitary ware fittings and furniture. With round edges and generous shapes, they can also work as standalone pieces. Liquid, to be launched in India later this year, has taken inspiration from Victorian churches.
