New Age Balance

Believing the bathroom to be a sanctum, Italian firm Gessi runs a research department that develops products such as Equilibrio, a series of faucets that evokes the tranquillity of nature.

It was a chance encounter on a Sardinian shorefront between two visionary, creative characters. In this foreordained fairytale collaboration, Gessi’s founder and president, Gian Luca Gessi, stumbled upon artist and philosopher, Marsel Lesko while the latter was balancing stones in the Mediterranean waters. It is a creative convergence that has since been transported from the Italian riverbank straight into bathrooms worldwide through a series of exquisite, sleek luxury taps inspired by Lesko’s practice.

Named Equilibrio, the line conveys the art and aesthetic of stone balancing - showcasing a strong relationship with water and relaying the energy that is created when the stones are aligned. These parallels were turned into physical archetypes by Lesko and designer Giuseppe Maurizio Scutella. The result is an idiosyncratic form that replicates two ergonomic stones balancing upon each other. Mimicking the materials and contours of natural stones from the quarry, Equilibrio brings an elemental slice of life back into our living spaces, a reminder

Equilibrio conveys the art and aesthetic of stone balancing.

of our fundamental connection to nature.

Gessi ’ s sales director, Luigi Leonetti, explains the painstaking process taken to recreate this likeness. “We tried placing many different materials together, such as stone or wood, to see how they worked in the context of a bathroom. Even the paints that we used are unique. They make brass look like stones to simulate natural elements. It is equivalent to what you would find outdoors,” he says.

Lesko insists that his role in the development of Equilibrio is minimal, believing strongly that the power of the product lies in the hands of the end-user. “The faucets are a tool to reach an experience, but the experience itself is the responsibility of the person using it.”

Gessi is a firm advocate of creating an experience of holistic wellness within personal spaces, believing that how you interact with your home surroundings is essential to living a balanced life. The company runs a Private Wellness department, an arm that carries out extensive R& D and forges collaborations with creatives from various fields to bring about a warm, thoughtful approach to its products.

Leonetti underlines the importance of crafting these beautiful experiences.

“Our vision is to improve the everyday lives of people. We are

“The paints make brass look like stones to simulate natural elements.”

convinced that when people are exposed to a beautiful environment, they feel much better intrinsically. It’s the same as when you are walking through a museum or experiencing a song or a piece of art and you feel uplifted.”

Advocating the bathroom as a sanctum within every home, Gessi believes that it is one of the most intimate, important spaces where you find yourself at the start and end of each day.

Leonetti says: “The concept of private wellness is that we want people not just to wash themselves, but to consider the bathroom as a place of rejuvenation. It is where they begin the day alone and regain lost energy at the end of it. And this is a simple yet profound process.” www.gessi.com ≠