Australian Maker Victoria + Albert Experiments with New Tub Design
Photo courtesy Conran and Partners
Tom Burke
New product development manager for Victoria + Alberta Baths
Photo courtesy The Manufacturer
Tim Rundle
Industrial designer for Conran and Partners
Photo courtesy Conran and Partners
Conran and Partners—known for its collaborations with such global household brands as Virgin Atlantic, W Hotels, and Barclays bank, has brought its long insights on how consumers typically use products to bear in a new design for Australia manufacturer Victoria + Albert Baths.
“When we began this product design project, we never envisaged the tub in isolation,” says Conran industrial designer Tim Rundle. By that he means that in addition to considering end users, Conran and Partners also focused on what would make the most of Victoria + Albert’s best asset—a lighter-than-cast iron composite of volcanic limestone and high-performance resins that renders the tub’s hefty shape as an easy-to-install mold.
Its hollowed-out, back-to-wall profile is practical for small spaces such as apartments and boutique hotels, without sacrificing bathing and deck space or style. The Eldon measures 68 7⁄8” long x 33 1⁄2” wide x 23 5⁄8” high. And unlike profiles made of heavier materials, it doesn’t have the usual exposed plumbing. A void underneath the tub affords ease of installation and conceals pipework.
“For us, the key was this back-to-wall installation,” says Tom Burke, new product development manager for Victoria + Albert. “It allows you to get as close as possible to the beauty of a freestanding tub while still being practical and space saving.”
