FIR ITALIA FOR OUTDOOR FIXTURES: THE FORCE OF COLOUR FOR A PRESTIGIOUS VILLA ON LAKE COMO
Intended use: Residential
Location: Bellagio, Lake Como, Lombardy
Year: 2021
Type of work: Outdoor project
Product: Melrose 20
Finishing: Dark Graphite custom for outdoor
A luxury residence with park and swimming pool in Bellagio, one of the most popular destinations on the shores of Lake Como, is the location where Fir Italia has launched its new solutions for outdoor taps and mixers.
Project
The project, which saw the debut of the Novara-based firm in outdoor fixtures, entailed the complete renovation and extension of an old mountain hut, for which natural materials such as wood and stone were used. Namely, stone took centre stage for the veneer of the villa’s outer walls as well as for the swimming pool area, and gives a strong local feel to the residence: the native stone used was found on site during excavation works. That is why the designers wanted the shower to also be made from stone: the shower body is a single block, fitted with the shower head and taps of the Melrose 20 collection, in the Dark Graphite colour in a custom finishing for outdoor. This was a great opportunity for the company, which was able to prove the high level of its customisation techniques also in an outdoor project.
Producing outdoor taps and mixers involves taking into account the continuous exposure to weathering and significant temperature changes, and doing so for a luxury residence means designing a product that is able to blend in with the local aesthetics.
In order to address both needs, Fir Italia carried out a specific outdoor treatment (based on its innovative Advanced Superfinish Process (ASP), a mix of cutting-edge production processes), applicable to all the taps and shower heads finished in the numerous variants of The Outfit program: thanks to this treatment that makes taps suitable for outdoor use, Fir Italia has combined resistance (proven by the many lab tests performed, including the thermal shock resistance test – reference standard UNI EN 1367-5) and advanced colour technologies, which means that the company is at the forefront in technological development in this industry.
Solutions
The architects that designed the residence opted for a classic style for the shower solution, with wall-mounted shower head and taps (Hot & Cold), a choice that is perfectly embodied by the Melrose 20 collection in the Dark Graphite colour finishing, which is well suited to the substantial presence of natural stone in the whole project. The shower head is fitted with the “Fast & Easy Clean” anti-limescale nozzles, to simplify cleaning operations to the point it can be carried out with a simple hand movement.
