When it comes to bathware, sourcing unique and beautiful pieces for the designer bathroom can be a challenge. The talented tailors of Saville Row assure us that ‘the suit maketh the man’, the designers might argue that ‘the basin maketh the bathroom’.
Statement bathware is a focal point, offering an opportunity to set the scene. Artistic and functional pieces command attention, with mirrors, lighting, tiles, tapware and flooring often playing supporting roles. Stiles, tile and sanitary ware retailer, sources contemporary bathware with a unique and sustainable South African story.
One of the passionate and driven local suppliers is Zabella Bathware. Handcrafted in a small fishing village on the West Coast of South Africa, this company is redefining South African bathware.
The enterprise was founded with the ambitious vision of creating employment for local craftsmen and utilising sustainable, indigenous and locally sourced materials.
Founder Bruce Meyer was researching Italian terrazzo techniques for industrial flooring when he stumbled on a unique concept with exceptional applications in bathroom furniture design.
‘Terrazzo flooring has a long and rich history that dates back over 1 500 years. This Italian terracing material was originally created by Venetian marble workers who developed new uses for discarded marble chips,’ explains Bruce.
‘Terrazzo is renowned for its beauty and intricacy,’ continues Bruce. ‘I wanted to create a proudly South African version of this classic, which speaks of the beauty of our coastline and the skill of our coastal communities.’
The Zabella Bathware range incorporates organic materials into its unique aggregate, including repurposed glass, natural stone, native seashells and abalone shells.
‘The abalone shells we utilise are sustainably sourced from several commercial aquaculture farms along the South African coast,’ says Bruce. In recent years, a considerable abalone farming industry has developed and this high-value product has been dubbed ‘white gold’.
The abalone shell used by Zabella is an eco-friendly and recyclable product. The shell is diverted from landfill, carefully washed, crushed and then polished to expose its colour and shimmering luminescence. The artisans use an epoxy resin to bind the aggregate, ensuring that the sanitaryware products are durable and easy to clean.
Stiles CEO Steve Joubert draws immense satisfaction from offering the Zabella Range. ‘We pride ourselves on being a community-driven South African company, supporting local industry and artisans,’ says Joubert.
‘We travel the globe to find unique and interesting tiles and sanitaryware,’ he explains, ‘but it’s fantastic when we discover an absolute gem right on our doorstep.’
The Zabella basins are named after members of the Meyer family, including Bruce’s children, Zak and Isabella, his mother, grandmother and wife. This nostalgic touch underpins the founder’s passionate drive to create a legacy of beauty and sustainability for future generations.
The countertop basins are available in six shapes and two colours (black and white), with four aggregate options. The freestanding basins are cast in contemporary shapes, including a deep square, ovals and rounds.
The Zabella products pair beautifully with modern wall-mounted and countertop basin mixers and a wide variety of tile and flooring products.
The Inge White Abalone Basin has proved to be a popular option with Stiles’ customers due to its compact size, trough-like oval shape and lustrous, iridescent shell particles. It is ideal for a narrow vanity or compact powder room.
The Zak basin, like all the other shapes, is also available in a white finish with seashells, glass or abalone aggregate.
The Berry basin has a modern square shape and the abalone nacre compliments tapware with bronze and champagne metallic finishes.
Zabella has recently launched its first freestanding bathtub, the Ruben. For the month of August, with every Ruben bath purchased, you will receive two basins of your choice from the Elinda or Zak basin ranges.
Visit any of Stiles’ Somerset West, Paarl and West Coast showrooms to see the bathtubs and basins in person, or visit the Stiles website to find out more.
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Picture: Supplied
