The new FFQT Collection was released at the 2022 Salone del Mobile trade show in June.
From shared values of sustainability and formal experimentation between Quadro Design and the design studio Formafantasma, comes the new FFQT collection. Available from Autumn 2022.
“Sometimes design is effective when it is at its most subtle state. What stands out is the service it offers. The FFQT series aims to be equally timeless in its use, intuitive and quiet in its presence in the home. Faucets are among the most used objects in the daily life and provide the most precious resource: water.”
Formafantasma.
This is what Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, aka Formafantasma, say when commenting on their project for Quadro Design, which, to imagine performing the opposite operation of going from a three-dimensional object to a drawing, translates into the use of the perfect shape of the circle, in an almost mathematical combination of intersections and concentric repetitions of elements. There are many symbolic implications of the chosen form: movement without beginning and without end, perennial cycle of life and time, impalpable and transparent primordial substance, intellectual and spiritual dimension. All traceable with varying degrees of abstraction to the element of water, conveyed by the design object itself, and to an immaterial condition of harmony associated with self-care.
The FFQT collection, far from being an abstract thing, was born from the analytical research typical of the designers’ approach to their projects and from their knowledge of the company. For Formafantasma’s context, process and detail are the three fronts of attention to investigate the dynamics that from the world of ecology, history and sociology are able to influence contemporary design.
It is precisely the ecological theme that ideally and in practice sees the company and the creative minds coming together towards a parallel direction. Enrico Magistro, the brand’s creative soul and co-owner together with his sister Elena, states: “Quadro Design has founded its philosophy on sustainability from the foundation, choosing and working with a noble material such as stainless steel, and pursuing production that respects the environment and resources in a long-term perspective, just as Formafantasma designs ponder the weight that industrial design processes and subsequent industrial production have historically had and will always have on the ecological order of the planet.”
In addition to the normal elements that make up a bathroom collection – washbasin and bidet mixers, wall-mounted elements and spouts, shower and bathtub units – the series will include a sliding rail with a built-in water outlet, a shower kit with magnetic connection and a mechanical rack-and-pinion adjustment, and a special outdoor shower column (but there will also be an indoor version) onto which the common 5/8” garden hose can be plugged. An addition, therefore, to the outdoor elements within the Quadro Design product range, which, being manufactured in AISI316L stainless steel, are particularly high-performance and resistant to outdoor installations. The entire collection will also be accompanied by three accessories, two shelves and a mirror, to be positioned at will on the various tube elements.
From micro to macro-projects, made by nature or man-made, having a value content is a need and a way of thinking about design: the new FFQT collection of bathroom and outdoor taps by Quadro Design wants to be a virtuous example of this.
Material: AISI316L
Series: Bagno
Finishes: AS
Bathrooms, WC & Outdoor environments.
Highest grade 316L Stainless Steel in order to guarantee quality and atoxicity. It is totally recyclable and atoxic, since it doesn’t undergo any galvanic treatment like brass and doesn’t contain lead.
Water savings.
Every single product sports an areator which saves water bringing the flow down to 5 litres per minute. This means a very high water saving and environmental help. Tests showed a 20% reduction on water consumption in an average house: the Earth and your wallet will thank you!
Stainless steel is a material well-know for the following characteristics:
Durability.
Stainless steel’s alloying elements form a thin, transparent “passive layer“ on the surface. Although this passive layer is only a few atoms thick, it instantaneously restores in presence of oxygen from air or water.
Recyclability.
The selection of stainless steel brings performance and the protection of our natural resources together.
Actually the stainless steel industry has an excellent environmental track record: use primary energy sparingly, save non-renewable resources and reduce the waste stream
Health & Corrosion Resistance.
Stainless steel is easy to be cleaned and for this reason it has been normally chosen in the food and catering industry.
Obviously materials used normally at home must have all the necessary maintenances and there is no rule exception for the stainless steel. It should be easily cleaned, nevertheless it is extremely important to carry out the maintenance operation with care and through using suitable cleansing products that don’t damage the passive layer distinguishing the material.
Established in 1951 as manufacturer representatives, this third-generation family-owned company has a continuing policy of representing specialist manufacturers of quality products for the plumbing and marine industries. SA Plumbing Supply's parent company - Shipwright Agencies Ltd - experienced the marine sector weakening toward the end of the 1990s and thus diversified into the plumbing sector, specialising in niche products that were a point of difference from the norm.
In early 2014, Shipwright Agencies Ltd created a new brand - SA Plumbing Supply Ltd - to convey a name that had greater relevance to the plumbing industry. We are a small boutique company where you receive personalised service that goes the extra mile to get the best products without paying for an arm and a leg.
Quadro (Italy) was the first brand onboard during the Shipwright Agencies era in early 2000, specialising in stainless steel tapware with highly architectural origins and is Green to boot.
Over the years, SA Plumbing Supply has sourced quality European brands to introduce to the New Zealand market. Director Sean Paterson regularly travels to European Trade Shows, such as Salone del Mobile in Milan and ISH in Frankfurt, to ensure SA Plumbing Supply is at the forefront of leading product procurement.
In 2015, SA Plumbing Supply began marketing Goman (Italy) as a specialist supplier of accessible bathroom products that changed the perception of the disability market (accessible doesn't need to be ugly). Subsequently 2017, Hewi (Germany) increased the market share of highly architectural accessible products by introducing the System 900 range, which has set the standard for Hotels and luxury homes.
2018 saw the introduction of the Cinier range of Olycal Stone Radiators and LED Lighting. Cinier's Olycal Stone Radiators serve a functional purpose and double as art and lighting.
Following the ISH Trade Show of 2019, SA Plumbing Supply became the NZ distributor for EverLife Design (Italy) and Pellet (France). EverLife Design, in particular, has been well-received for its original concepts and simple lines.
In the winter of 2019, the Universal & Accessible Bathroom Design brand was created to address the bigger picture of Universal Design in the home. This showcases the best of all brands and looks for any budget.