Designer Q&A: Jo Love X VADO

With this months over-riding theme on surfaces, and it coinciding with the month of love, it only seemed appropriate to talk about Omika – a new of range of taps, showers and accessories designed by Jo Love, Design Director at Love Interiors for VADO.

Designed to echo elements of nature, Jo Love’s Omika perfectly unifies contrasting surfaces using intricate geometric handles and a smooth body and spout. The Omika range, inspired by contemporary minimalism, fuses textured, geometric patterns with strong, clean lines to offer a jewel-like glisten whilst elegantly complementing modern architectural trends. We sat down with Jo Love to find out a bit more about her and this collaboration with VADO.

Jo, Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you started in design leading to your work at Love Interiors?

Art, Design and History have always been top of my interests.   

I studied art and design foundation at de Montfort University, and then my final degree at Kingston University. After a few jobs in the construction and architectural sector, I soon set up on my own business. My company grew, and we took on an architectural side to the business which gave us the opportunity to run projects from the ground. In 2006 I sold the company in search of new challenges.  

Running my own business hadn’t left me and I started designing a model for a business that suits modern living. I wanted to create jobs for people with the same values as my own. Our designs must have integrity and we very much believe that structure and framework give you opportunity to be creative.  Love Interiors enjoy creating interiors for your well-being and we’re constantly looking for new ways to improve our interaction with our environment on all levels, globally and how that filters down to our homes. The decisions we all make and how they are influenced. I’m conscious how spaces and materials can affect you how you feel. these are all things we take seriously at love interiors.

How did the collaboration with VADO come about?

I knew the team at VADO already and I’m always inclined to specify VADO in our Interior Design work. I’m a big fan of their products for their service, quality and the reassurance for our developers, but I was missing our design element.

I went and presented with my designs that I felt were very VADO and we started from there. Working with Andy Breeds, ‎Head of Product Management was great – learning and understanding about all the technical implications of harnessing the water. What was the brief set by VADO for this design?

The brief was to create a range that was a celebration of VADO.

“I would define ‘Omika’ as a way of life; be kind to yourself, simplify your focus and allow yourself time to enjoy the finer details.”

What did you use as your inspiration for this collection?

I kept drawing Omika in concept designs and felt that there was a market for a modern tap that was beautifully detailed and that worked in a variety of locations.

I presented them with ideas for a product that I felt was missing in our designs, something that we would specify if it was available. The movement of the controls were at the forefront of the designs for me and I wanted to be able to move them with ease whilst you had wet hands. I was also interested in the cartridge sizes and the quality of the internal parts, I was keen to hide the cartridge thus avoiding the lump that you get on the side of many taps, this helps keep the main body smooth and sleek and reduces the size so the tap is much smaller and less intrusive on the wall. It’s like bathroom jewellery. Fine and delicate but strong.

The Omika pattern for me is a geometric representation of water. The word “Omika” is the word that kept coming to me when creating the designs. “Om” represents the words mono and minimal and “ika” represents the water pattern. It also means “kind” in the Indian native language, Telugu.

So I would define “Omika” as a way of life; be kind to yourself, simplify your focus and allow yourself time to enjoy the finer details.

If you could sum up the Omika range in one word, what would it be and why?

Really struggling with one, but it’s like a beautifully crafted watch, lots of detail behind the body and thoughtfully proportioned so maybe singularity or integrity.

Contact Jo Love Studio