Artedomus Experts: Episode 3 – Italian Bathware Innovation with Agape

On a recent design odyssey through Italy, Artedomus team members visited bathware specialist Agape’s sublime countryside home in Mantua to learn more about the brand and its unparalleled ranges.

Established in 1973, Agape has been transforming bathrooms for more than half a century. For Artedomus, the exclusive Australian supplier of Agape’s elevated range of bathware, encountering the brand first-hand on a recent Italian odyssey was an invaluable way to share knowledge and build relationships.

“They have the broadest range of different finishes, which I think makes them stand out in the industry as far as being a truly innovative company.”

The Australian team learnt about the history of the brand from its co-founder and director, Emanuele Benedini. “My brother [Giampaolo] was an architect in Verona and was working in the bathroom world – he convinced my father to invest a small sum to create this company,” Benedini told Artedomus managing director Phil Brenton in wide-ranging conversations over good Italian food and wine. “I decided to join the company, starting with a commercial role. We understood that there could also be a market niche where the tub became a characteristic element, as bathrooms were getting bigger and bigger. We also started to make fixtures and fittings.”

Agape has always focused on innovation – viewing the bathroom beyond a single, formal module – which led to creating products in a variety of unusual materials, from stone to solid surfaces. “They have the broadest range of different finishes, which I think makes them stand out in the industry as far as being a truly innovative company,” says William Pearse, Artedomus’s Melbourne senior business development manager.

Agape’s base is a beautiful property just outside of Mantua in Italy. “The place is special, it’s our origin.”

Agape’s base is a beautiful property just outside of Mantua in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. “The place is special, it’s our origin,” says Benedini. The main, pink-toned building houses standout collections like Vieques, designed by Patricia Urquiola and one of Artedomus’s best-selling ranges. It includes a traditional farmhouse-style bath in steel. Another highlight is the Ell Grid pedestal basin by Benedini Associati – a rectangular column washbasin made of white solid surface or marble in different finishes. “There’s no other pedestal basin like it on the market,” says Pearse.

Pearse is also a big fan of the standalone DR bath by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan: “Its very sculptural, organic shape can be rotated in a room in a number of different ways, depending on how you want to express its form.” And he describes the Sen range as one of the top three classics in the tapware and bathware accessories market. “The Sen is a linear design statement that incorporates integrated taps, shelves, towel rails and showerheads in brushed anodised aluminium or brushed aluminium.”

The collaboration between Artedomus and Agape reflects a beautiful marriage of innovative visions.

“We’ve spent a lot of time wandering around Verona and seeing beautiful architecture and immersing ourselves in the culture. Coming to this property and seeing the bathware – you can see where the inspiration comes from,” says Yas Bahar, Artedomus’s Victorian state manager. The team also visited the Agape 12 Showroom in Milan, where the three levels are filled with products across its bathware and furniture ranges.

The collaboration between Artedomus and Agape reflects a beautiful marriage of innovative visions. “It’s a pleasure working with Artedomus … we have grown little by little with mutual trust, and you have had great faith in us,” reflected Benedini.

Stone, tiles and surfaces by Artedomus. Bathware by Agape. Production by The Local Production.