Calma & Tempo by Sanycces

The designer Jorge Herrera has created Calma and Tempo for Sanycces, two freestanding bathtubs that grew out of the same idea and ended up taking different paths. They share a Mediterranean vision of the bathroom, understood as a space for taking one's time, and they complement each other: Tempo puts the emphasis on function and on the textile detail of its rope; Calma, on the purity of an enveloping form designed for rest.

In this article we look at the origins of the two bathtubs, what characterises each of them, the wooden trays they share, their main technical data and what to bear in mind when specifying them. Both received the Red Dot Award in the Product Design category in 2022.

Two bathtubs with the same Mediterranean roots

Calma and Tempo are the first collaboration between Sanycces, a manufacturer of bathtubs and bathroom equipment based in Burriana (Castellón), and Jorge Herrera, an industrial designer born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria who founded his studio in Valencia in 2008. According to Sanycces, the brief set out three guidelines: a simple product, with a depth of accessories, that would blend in with its surroundings.

From there, Herrera worked on the brand's own idea of Mediterranean character until the original concept split into two models. As he explained at the launch of the bathtubs: “The challenge was to make the product feel natural without giving up the Mediterranean, by introducing materials such as fabric and wood. We delved into classic Japanese baths, tea ceremonies, car interiors, looking for gentle, pleasant forms…”.

Both bathtubs respond to a change in how the bathroom is used: the bathtub is no longer just a hygiene fixture but becomes a place for rest and self-care, linked to a slower way of living. Hence the importance the designer gives to accessories, such as the trays, and to warm materials.

Tempo: a rope that captures time

The more functional of the two bathtubs, with a textile detail that makes it recognisable.

Tempo is based on the idea of a rope that captures time. The outer body of the bathtub folds to house a rope that wraps around it and seems to hold it in, as if it were a cloud or a fabric held by the rope itself. It is a rope you can touch while bathing and which, according to Sanycces, has no equivalent on the market.

The rope also organises the colour. The exterior of Tempo can be painted entirely in a single colour or only up to the rope, in two tones, so that the transition between them is hidden beneath it. The rope is closed with a metal clasp which, according to the description submitted to Red Dot, is offered in six finishes designed to match the taps; they are the same six as Sanycces' Loop taps: matte black, chrome, gun metal, brushed nickel, brushed gold and brushed rose gold.

“Tempo's geometry was born to meet a functional need. Aesthetic, yes, but functional,” Herrera sums up. The bathtub has no plinth: instead, a small radius softens the junction with the floor. In July 2022, Sanycces extended the family with a freestanding washbasin that keeps the rope and the same customisation options.

Calma: the space between one moment and the next

A concave, enveloping form, designed for rest and for sharing.

Calma is designed to seek tranquillity in the moment of bathing. Herrera defines it through the idea that calm is “the space between one moment and the next” and through the Japanese concept of ichigo-ichie, which celebrates unrepeatable moments. Subtle, simple things calm us, and the bathtub translates this idea into a soft geometry reminiscent of the volume of a tea bowl.

Its symmetrical form allows two people to use it at the same time and offers a comfortable neck rest at the top. Calma also has an exclusive tray that rests on one end of the bathtub and creates a surface to put things on while bathing.

Plinth or legs

Calma was conceived as a highly customisable product. Its base is a separate plinth that can be painted or made in wood to contrast with the bathtub; the 2022 catalogue shows it in solid iroko. It can also be mounted on a metal frame with legs, which lifts it off the floor, accommodates unevenness in the flooring and reinforces the sense that the bathtub is floating.

The standard finishes are gloss white and matte white, but they are not the only options: the same catalogue shows a Calma with a chocolate brown body and a black plinth.

Wooden trays named after winds

For Herrera, the trays are a priority element, and both bathtubs share the same range. Each tray bears the name of a Mediterranean wind and an engraved phrase that evokes it.

• Mistral: an elongated 86 × 20 cm tray for freestanding bathtubs, in shelf format, placed at the foot of the bathtub. The catalogue associates it with the wind that dies down at nightfall and clears the sky.
• Gregal: a smaller round tray, 30 cm in diameter, in satellite format. Its phrase alludes to the Mediterranean wind that shapes the waves; the catalogue shows it in iroko.
• Calma tray: exclusive to this model, it rests on one of the sections of the bathtub.

Calma and Tempo technical data

The table summarises the main data from Sanycces' technical data sheets. Both are freestanding bathtubs in sanitary-grade acrylic with a click-clack waste and integrated overflow.

Sanycces has been making bathtubs since 1993 from sanitary-grade acrylic sheet reinforced with resin and glass fibre, a material the brand describes as robust and timeless, with a warm surface that is soft to the touch.

Key points for specifying Calma and Tempo

• Position and installation: these are freestanding bathtubs seen from all sides. The data sheets include rough-in diagrams for freestanding and wall-mounted taps; it is advisable to fix the position, waste and taps before the building work is closed up.
• Weight in use: the data sheets give a capacity of 340 litres for Tempo and 345 for Calma. Added to the weight of the bathtub and of the person using it, it is advisable to check the load on the floor slab, especially in refurbishment.
• Colour: Tempo accepts a single colour or two tones separated by the rope; the clasp is coordinated with the tap finishes. On Calma, the plinth can contrast with the body.
• Calma's base: the plinth gives a more compact look; the legs lift it off the floor and help when the flooring is not perfectly level.
• Use: Calma, being symmetrical, is also designed for shared bathing; Tempo, with a more upright backrest, has a more functional character.

Red Dot 2022 and other awards

Both bathtubs won the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2022 for exploring a new kind of relationship in the bathroom. The jury highlighted Tempo's welcoming appearance, pleasant texture and ease of customisation; and Calma's subtle appearance and symmetrical form, designed for shared bathing.

That same year, according to Sanycces, Calma and Tempo were included in the ADI-FAD Delta Awards selection, and Calma was a finalist in the product design award of the Asociación de Diseñadores de la Comunidad Valenciana (ADCV, the Valencian Region Designers' Association).

At Matter we help you plan the complete bathroom: bathtubs, taps, wall and floor finishes and the materials that go with them. Come to our material library to see and compare materials and finishes with your technical team.