A Playful Approach to Tapware – Chromablock by Wood Melbourne

Combining a minimalist aesthetic with a distinct playfulness, Chromablock is the newest collection from Wood Melbourne. Stepping away from the ennui of chrome, Founder Oliver MacLatchy has teamed up with Georgina McWhirter to create a collection of vibrant tap handles in matte poured resin.

Australian design studio Wood Melbourne makes bath and kitchen fittings that are defined by a geometric, pared-back aesthetic. Traditionally working with concrete and reclaimed timber, the brand has taken a new direction with the collection, which represents a new epoch as Oliver experiments with colour and medium whilst maintaining the minimalist form Wood Melbourne is known for. The innovative new range is an inspired collaboration with New York-based design editor Georgina McWhirter, whose influence undoubtedly shows in Chromablock’s vibrant look and feel.

The fun, light-hearted nature of Chromablock separates the collection from current tapware trends dominated by brass and neutral tones.

Chromablock features mix-and-match tapware in both colour and shape, which enables either uniform pairings or playful juxtapositions. The collection includes Kahn, a cylindrical tap handle named after architect Louis Kahn and his proclivity for circular voids, and Corbu, a cube handle with Le Corbusier’s nickname. The handles for bathroom basins, tubs, showers or kitchen sinks can be paired with any Wood Melbourne faucet and backplate – in brass, concrete, blackbutt timber or Carrara marble.

The fun, light-hearted nature of Chromablock separates the collection from current tapware trends dominated by brass and neutral tones. Georgina injects colour and vibrancy into the characteristic circular and square faucet handles. The 12 colours in the range are deliberately ‘off’, exploring the liminal space between primary and secondary colours. Hues include a burnt orange-red Hot Sauce and mustard-tinged olive Dirty Martini.

Chromablock features mix-and-match tapware in both colour and shape, which enables either uniform pairings or playful juxtapositions.

These colour choices draw inspiration from the art world; Le Corbusier’s Polychromie Architecturale key cards, Douglas Sirk’s lush Technicolor cinematography and William Eggleston’s 1970s colour photography, as well as zeitgeisty interiors by contemporary Italian studios such as Dimorestudio and Marcante-Testa.

Sustainability lies at the forefront of the collection. Each piece is made by hand from 80 per cent Australian plant-based resin. The use of resin is also a first for Wood Melbourne, representing the brand’s enquiry into new mediums that support sustainable design.

Traditionally working with concrete and reclaimed timber, the brand has taken a new direction with the collection, which represents a new epoch as Oliver experiments with colour and medium whilst maintaining the minimalist form Wood Melbourne is known for.

Wood Melbourne effortlessly encapsulates sustainable, playful and approachable design with Chromablock. Intertwining a laid-back minimalism with bright colours creates an equally intriguing and unique collection, affirming that bath and kitchen fittings merit their very own personalities and can markedly elevate any space.