Our largest project to date, the 11ft wall consists of three panels with a flush-mount mirror above the sink. Extending from the MetaMATERIAL wall a thin chair rail molding, running between the composite-clad walls, wraps the rest of the bathroom and merges with a custom knee wall countertop situated behind the bathtub. As a final detail, the sink cabinet is fitted with custom MetaMATERIAL cabinet pulls.
We began our process by designing the palette and pattern for our MetaMATERIAL. Inspired by our geometric Retrograde pattern but with the inclusion of our fine-detailed organic Frequency pattern, we landed on a playful, fractured design in our Chameleon color way.
After finalizing our material design, we hand-mix all of our pigments for the project and start casting the shaped inserts. Each insert is cast in our Los Angeles studio using various techniques to achieve the different line qualities and pattern variations needed. Starting small and working our way up to larger forms, the resulting shapes and patterns are made intuitively through a process of addition and reduction. We pour blocks and sheets, then cut and recast the pieces using our digital blueprint to guide the way. As we cast the different iterations of the project, we organically stray from course and let chance and play create the final pattern. Like a big puzzle, we cut out and interlock our inserts and then respond to the pieces left over to make new combinations of color and shape that we couldn’t initially plan.
After the final panels are cut to dimension and surfaced, we sand and polish them to a satin finish that is as smooth as glass.
