Face à face by Jean Nouvel Design is the new concept of architectural bathtubs and washbasins marks the launch of the collaboration between Agape and the French architect.
For Nouvel, architecture is simultaneously depth of thought and rigor, and poetry and pleasure. Every element of his concept of the bathtub is perfectly calibrated to invite us into a space of relaxation, well-being, and dialogue. Showcasing the beauty of natural marble through the geometric language of two-dimensionality. These values are apparent in the collection’s name. In French, face means “surface” as well as “human face”.
Thanks to an ingenious system of invisible joints, the bathtub is constructed such that its surfaces appear to simply approach one another side by side. The effect is both imposing and light, essential and material, generous and functional. Surfaces brush against one another to become a backrest. Extremely precise design and careful attention to the proper angle of each surface means the bathtub becomes a comfortable nest where you can sit, lie down, read, and relax. A tribute to Jacques-Louis David’s iconic painting The Death of Marat.
“In the interiors of my architecture, the bathroom is a very important space. The placement of the tub, even more so. Even in the most complicated setups you should leave it free-standing, like a ship at sea. A spot where the light comes in, near a window with a view of the sky, the city and the landscape,” describes Jean Nouvel.
A vision of the bathtub as an epicenter of well-being, that finds its concrete expression in “Face à face”. An eye-catching project that needs space around it. An outdoor location is easy to imagine.
The poetics of two-dimensionality continues in the collection’s washbasins, available in the countertop, wall-mounted and freestanding versions. All channeled thanks to the suitably inclined plane of the basin, they combine vertical and horizontal surfaces for a rigorous architectural structure. A towel bar or storage component may be added.
These abstract objects use contrast to enhance, like the bathtub, the almost baroque splendor of the marble. This because choice of material is of fundamental importance to Jean Nouvel and to Agape: it must be natural and have a long story, like the finest marbles. For a bathroom where matter and formal purity find new architectural syntheses.
