If you asked people to name the most relaxing pieces of furniture they can think of, you'd probably have quite a few mentioning hammocks and bathtubs. So you might think that combining the two into one item should yield an exceptionally relaxing experience. That's just what UK-based design group Splinter Works is aiming for with its latest piece. Called the Vessel, it is a sleek-looking bathtub that is suspended in the air like a hammock.
Splinter Works constructed its unusual bathtub from a carbon fiber weave, which is strong enough to hold a person and water while still giving the Vessel its smooth curves. The center of the carbon fiber layers also contains a foam core to insulate it and keep the water from cooling too quickly.
As you might imagine, installing the Vessel can be a bit tricky. It's been designed specifically for a wet room, so ideally it would need a space for its 2.7 x 0.8 m (8.9 x 2.6 ft) frame to fit directly over a floor drain. The tub anchors onto two opposite walls with stainless steel brackets and requires a standing tap installed over it to provide water. The designers are also offering custom sizes and a drainpipe option if needed, but that's not the full style they're going for.
The Vessel does look like it would be comfortable once you're in it. But as any cartoon character will tell you, it's the getting in and out of a hammock that's the hard part. Even if the Vessel won't sway like a hammock, applying a hammock-like design to a bathtub, something which isn't known for its ease of ingress and egress either, and you could have a recipe for disaster, or at least some less than graceful bathtub exits. Still, it could all be worth it just to find out what it's like to bathe while seemingly floating in mid-air.
Splinter Works is offering the Vessel right now in black, red, blue, yellow, pink, bronze, and silver color schemes. No info on pricing has been revealed, but considering it's being offered as a limited edition luxury item, don't expect it to be cheap.
Source: Splinter Works
