subject: Roca Polo; A great value Bathroom Set with great design flair! [print this page] Roca Polo; A great value Bathroom Set with great design flair!
Britain has a lot to answer for when it comes to state housing. I had a friend that lived on a council estate which was clearly designed to remind the inhabitants of their station in life. The buildings were pre-war dark bricked edifices with narrow stair wells and dark corners. The waist-high walls of the wind-swept corridors were brick and punctuated every few meters with a small opening covered in iron bars. Every time I visited this friend I would leave feeling quite depressed and breathed a sigh of relief when I got back to my humble but well lit and open home a few miles away.
So you can imagine my surprise when on visiting Bolzano - a small alpine town in Italy, I discovered that their state housing looked more like a private block that you might find in the better parts of London.
The buildings had light coloured exteriors and large balconies, covered in window baskets so the tenants could fill them with colour. And this they did with gusto. They were lovely and go to show that basic things needn't be unattractive and that if we invested more time in good design we can lift the spirits of those less fortunate than ourselves.
I noticed the same thing with another latin proponent of good design. This time it was a Spanish Bathroom manufacturer called Roca, who's basic 4 Piece Bathroom set called the Roca Polo shows that basic doesn't have to mean unattractive, or lacking quality. The simple toilet and basin have been designed to look good in pretty much any environment but haven't been over engineered, so they're still eminently affordable.
So there it is. Manufacturers and architects take note. Good design makes people happy. End of rant.
