Good design can inspire, and sometimes even enthral. Very seldom, however, does it actually turn you on - unless of course you are looking at Washbasin 01 by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba.

Inspired by the linga and yoni, it is not hard to imagine why.

Like the Hindu icon, Washbasin 01 from Laufen's Palomba Collection has a sculptural quality that is imbued with symbolism of power and fertility. But perhaps thankfully though, through the Italian designers' Reductionist eyes, references to human organs are not as overt.

What the partners and designers have distilled from the icon instead is the essence of an intimate ritual that takes place in a small sanctuary found in every home - the bathroom.

In Singapore to give a talk to local architects earlier this week, Roberto Palomba also took the time to speak to BT and expound on his approach to design.

Mr Palomba, 46, studied architecture at the University of Rome in the 1980s, a period marked by excess and consumerism, and defined by opulent design.

Rejecting this ethos - 'decoration is not my thing' - he became interested in making design more 'democratic' instead. 'Design is not luxury,' he adds in halting English.

To make design more democratic, function and production processes have to be reduced to its essence, hence Mr Palomba's interest in Reductionism, which simply put, is a school of thought that subscribes to the notion that everything can be reduced to the sum of its parts. For Mr Palomba, it is also a kind of filter: 'In our society, we have so many images from TV, the Internet and advertising media - we need to clean up our brains.'

To this end, his interest in Asian culture and philosophy, like Zen Buddhism, dovetails quite nicely with his other intellectual pursuits which results in a minimal but organic aesthetic that is quite unique.

But operating from such a lofty plane, does he mind that he has essentially become the guru of bathroom design?

The short answer is that he does not.

While the Palombas are engaged in architecture, it is through industrial design (the design of utilitarian objects) that they believe they can influence, and perhaps even improve, the lives of a wide spectrum of people. 'Industrial design affects the lives of millions of people, (and by designing products for them) they share their lives with you,' says Mr Palomba.

Another challenge for the Palombas is to make their designs, if not cheap, then at least affordable.

To produce the collection, the Palombas and Laufen had 10 people in its R&D labs in Austria come up with a solution to produce the organic, ceramic form. (If your bathroom sink looks boring, it is probably because it is the cheapest and simplest form to mass produce.)

With the Washbasin 01 going for $6,776, it can hardly be called cheap. What is important to note, however, is that before Washbasin 01 was conceived, such a design was not even available because it could not be mass produced. A bespoke model could probably have been carved out of marble but the cost would have severely limited the number of people who could own and use one. So the Palomba Collection is as 'democratic' as it can be at the moment.

The collection, which is produced in Europe, encompasses washbasins, WCs and bathtubs, and prices start from $1,168.

To make it cheaper for the masses, the collection could in theory be produced in that land and of the proletariat, China. But apart from the fact that Laufen has no plans to move its production to China, Mr Palomba also says that there are quality control issues. This is not, however, going to stop some enterprising Chinese manufacturer from producing knock-offs, if they have not already done so.

Copies are the bane of every designer because of the loss of royalties but Mr Palomba concedes that it is inevitable, especially if the design is good. Still philosophical, he adds: 'But what you get with a copy is just an illusion. It's like being in love with someone who says 'I love you' to everyone. It's not real love.'

Source : The Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Reprinted with permission.