An Exploration of Colour and Texture – Design Series by VOLA (Matt White)

Inspired by the sensory touchpoints of the many interior landscapes that enrich our lives, VOLA’s Matt White range is an exploration into the fascination with colour and texture. As part of the brand’s architecture-and-design-focused digital platform ‘On design’, VOLA partners with Belgian architect Benoit Viaene to create a unique experience with the range in an emotionally-charged setting.

Located deep in the Belgian countryside, a collaboration between Benoit Viaene and VOLA emerges as an expression of space and a deep-seated connection to our interiors. Through the many tactile variations and use of colour and surface, the project is an exploration into design and the sensory touchpoints that guide our experiences. The collaboration is a key component of VOLA’s architecture-and-design-focused digital platform ‘On design’, in which leading designers expand on the important narrative of design in our lives. In describing the collaboration between Viaene and the Matt White range, VOLA says that “the latest release is showcased within a unique and rich textured design scheme, with the new product colour and finish, where we have released photography, product footage and an article looking at the emphatic purity of matt white in a new light.”

The collaboration was released one year on from the original launch of the Matt White range and shows an intentional timelessness. In describing the range and its diversity, VOLA says, “it is inspired by the delicate tactile forms found in nature; like eggshells or a perfectly honed pebble, matt white is truly a pure finish.” The ‘On design’ platform has created an outlet for VOLA to connect their core values ingrained in a passionate approach to design with an appreciation of engaging with like-minded designers. The accompanying video series explores the narrative that emerges between space, place, and designer and the many emotive elements that exist within those spaces. The Matt White range evolved in a similar way, through an observation of industry, through close collaboration with designers, and from VOLA’s continued exploration with colour.

Located deep in the Belgian countryside, a collaboration between Benoit Viaene and VOLA emerges as an expression of space and a deep-seated connection to our interiors.

In the collaboration with Viaene, VOLA says, “we have explored how the use of design, with form and texture, can be used to create atmosphere, sensation and the sense of wellness within a design scheme. Only by considering these touchpoints from the offset, can a designer truly shape a whole space, transforming an interior into a seamless experience that emphasises seemingly small, everyday interactions to create a more satisfying whole. The article explores this idea further with the use of natural materials and how they are used to connect us back to nature and engage us with our surroundings, transforming the intangible feelings of atmosphere and sensation into emotional responses.” The emotive energy created through these subtleties, contrasted against the smooth form and finish of the Matt White, allows for a sense of balance to be created.

VOLA’s use of colour is well known and has been the underpinning of the brand’s finish selections for years. In describing this lineage, VOLA says, “in 1968, just over five decades ago, the very first prototypes developed by Arne Jacobsen started life in just two colours, grey and orange. Soon after, all VOLA products were available in a range of ten colours, simply numbers 01-10. Not only was VOLA the original creator of the modern tap but they were the first to introduce a full spectrum of colour to tapware and bathroom design. Arne Jacobsen’s goal was totality. As an architect, he wanted a holistic overview of a project.”

The Matt White range evolved in a similar way, through an observation of industry, through close collaboration with designers, and from VOLA’s continued exploration with colour.

Through collaborating with Viaene to create a uniquely custom space to express the diversity and depth of the Matt White range, VOLA also expresses a continued appreciation of the importance of working alongside designers in understanding space. VOLA expresses its own understanding of tone and texture in space through the new range, and the ‘On design’ platform allows the dialogue to continue.

“Not only was VOLA the original creator of the modern tap but they were the first to introduce a full spectrum of colour to tapware and bathroom design.”

VOLA expresses its own understanding of tone and texture in space through the new range, and the ‘On design’ platform allows the dialogue to continue.