‘Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shore-line
Cornered by the cactus and the pine
Here I wander where sweet sage and strange herbs grow
Down a crumpled sun-baked stony road.’
– Formentera Lady, Islands by King Crimson
As the winter trudges toward spring, we all still need a dose of blue skies and sunshine. A daily reminder of dry warmth and achingly beautiful Mediterranean landscapes, described poetically by jazz inspired 70’s band King Crimson. But feel free to insert your own soundtrack, whether it be a Café del Mar Terrace Mix, Chicane, The Isley Brothers or the old Beatles track – you get the picture.
Such inspiration can often be found in the most surprising of places. The ‘Sunlit Days’ colour palette, inspired by the largely undeveloped Costa Almeria in southeast Spain, forms an integral part of Concept Cubicles System’s new Vanities range. And what better place for a spot of quiet contemplation?
In these unusually challenging times few of us have been able to enjoy a carefree, timeless week with our ‘sunburned feet on a dusty track’ (Chris Rea – On the Beach), the delicious first shock of dipped toes in an azure sea. Or just walking along a sunset beach at Barceloneta, Cala Mesquida, Zakynthos or Carboneras, Almeria. We have had to get by with holiday videos, mood music and a few olives washed down with a Rioja perhaps.
For many of us, such a trip has been largely in our heads, poring over photographs from a 2019 holiday to a Spotify playlist from back when everything was so simple.
Under a monotone UK winter these memories, images and sounds serve to create atmosphere,
The true beauty of these rocky coves and sun-bleached towns next to the sea is the simple purity of the colour palette have. As designers, we love the familiar rusty reds, sage greens, dusty ochres and icing coloured villages tumbling down to salty aquamarines – all under a sheltering sky of deepest cobalt. These stunning colours are now available as materials that can bring that little oasis of happiness in people’s daily lives.
Very often neutral greys are chosen in construction, and to be fair it is a usefully safe option, like a sensible suit that covers both formal occasions and business life. But perhaps after this colourless time, we should be inspired to not play it safe. To use colour in a bold and evocative effort to bring joy and warmth to people’s lives. They deserve it.
You deserve it.
An inspirational centrepiece to our Superloos installed at Material Source for you to experience for yourself.
Sunlit Days is made from Cosentino’s Silestone HybriQ+ technology, which enjoys excellent sustainability credentials:
You can find out more on our new Sunlit Days Vanities page
As we begin to emerge from the longest winter we may all remember for the rest of our lives, figuratively speaking, Designers have an opportunity to make sure we never forget the simple pleasures of a Mediterranean holiday, making a Superloo even more super.
But we should give the last words to George Harrison, who perhaps understood us all far more than he realised:
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