The new centrality of the radiator

Tubes, an Italian company internationally renowned for its designer radiators and towel warmers, returns to the International Bathroom Exhibition with a new 270 square metre stand curated by Studio Palomba Serafini, with whom the company has collaborated since 2004.

The Tubes stand is enlivened by micro-architectures housing precious caskets. The layout symbolises the desire to give the radiator an aesthetic and cultural centrality, transforming it from an object to be hidden into a cult element, made visible and appreciable as a decorative feature. Each installation acts as a showcase, where Tubes products are confronted with two-dimensional silhouettes of historical design or functional objects. The heart of this space is the radiator, traditionally relegated to the background but here exalted as a work of art, a sculpture to be exhibited and enhanced, both for its functionality and its aesthetics.

The company presents a new concept of "heat accessory" through the new products, JJ and DOTS. designed by Ludovica Serafini+Roberto Palomba as well as a selection of proposals that highlight the strong identity of each heating element designed. The products on display emphasise the variety of solutions and finishes offered by the company, 17 of which are galvanic, a number unequalled on the market, and its strong predisposition to contract, supported by its in-house production and research and development department. One area is dedicated to electric heating management systems.

Among the products on display is the iconic add_On by Satyendra Pakhalé, celebrating its 20th anniversary. An important milestone, from which emerges the durability of Tubes projects, whose success is renewed year after year.

The exhibition is also energised by a video work created by Alessandro Gomiero and generated with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI). The video, reproduced on a videowall of about 16 square metres, is not only an interpretation of the company's products, but is a work that blends technology and design, exploring the world of Tubes radiators and their shapes with a creative vision and a game of emulation.

In addition to the important presence at the trade fair, Tubes is also exhibiting at the Fuorisalone: the company is one of the protagonists of the new Aqua project at Archiproducts Milano, curated again this year by Studiopepe, an exploration of interior design in which the furnishings are perfectly integrated with shapes and materials inspired by the aquatic element. Just as in the Aqua exhibition concept is a harmonious blend of form and function, so the Tubes heaters, surprising in design and no longer recognisable as such, become elements to be exhibited and contribute to the transformation of spaces. Three products were chosen by Studiopepe for the Aqua project: MILANO/totalcolour, Origami and Scaletta.