Australian design studio Wood Melbourne is known for minimalist, geometric bath and kitchen fittings designed and made by founder Oliver MacLatchy in effortlessly cool, pared-back concrete and reclaimed timber. Now, his characteristic circular and square faucet handles get a jolt of color courtesy of New York- based design editor Georgina McWhirter (senior editor at Interior Design magazine), whose love of unusual chromatic combinations crop up time and again on Instagram The Eye Spies.

Shunning the ennui of chrome and the market over-saturation of brass, Chromablock is a collection of minimalist (in shape) but playful (in color) tap handles in matte poured resin—a new medium for MacLatchy. Kahn, a cylindrical tap handle named after architect Louis Kahn and his penchant for circular voids, joins Corbu, a cube handle with Le Corbusier’s nickname. Pair two of the same or play with architectural geometries by juxtaposing Kahn with Corbu. The handles for bathroom basins, tubs, showers, or kitchen sinks can be paired with any Wood Melbourne faucet and backplate—in brass, concrete, Blackbutt wood, or Carrara marble—or mount sans backplate flush to a sink or wall.

The 12 colors are deliberately, evocatively ‘off,’ exploring the liminal space between primary and secondary hues. See the burnt orange-red Hot Sauce or mustard-tinged olive Dirty Martini. They take inspiration from such references as Le Corbusier’s Polychromie Architural keycards, Douglas Sirk’s lush Technicolor cinematography, grunge makeup artistry by Terry Barber, William Eggleston’s 1970s color photography, the Memphis Group, zeitgeisty interiors by contemporary Italian studios such as Dimore studio and Marcante-Testa, and retro 1950s pastel bathroom tile. In color we trust. 

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Ordering information

Backplates are sold seperately and can be selected from the Backplates for Kahn & Corbu taps  or Tres back plates in our online store.

What am I getting?

1 x pair of chosen tap handles
1 x pair 40mm "hidden" brass back plates
1 x pair ceramic discs to fit Aust/NZ standard breeches

If you are ordering outside of Australia please email us first (hello@woodmelbourne.com) to get the correct wall/breech fittings.