Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has created a bathtub for Italian brand Agape that is supported by a frame of tubular steel.

The curved form of the compact Cuna bath was produced by thermoforming a solid-surface material into the desired shape.

Solid surface is a manmade material usually composed of a combination of marble dust, bauxite, acrylic, epoxy or polyester resins and pigments.

It is most commonly used for seamless kitchen countertops, but its water-resistant properties also make it suitable for bathroom fixtures.

The white tub rests inside a copper-coloured steel frame, which creates a ring around its base and a support around the top lip.

"This small and compact bathtub proudly displays its structure emphasising its delicately rounded shapes," said Urquiola.

A similar metal structure was used by Tal Engel to create a bath design, although his tub is woven from thin strips of wood veneer using a traditional Asian boat-building technique.

Cuna is also available in a range of combinations that mix external surfaces and structural elements.

Another of Urquiola's tubs for tight spaces is named Lariana and made from white solid-surface material Cristalplant.

"Lariana is a compact bathtub of reduced dimensions," said the designer. "This feature, combined with double wrapping, gives lightness to the solid structure and accentuates the linear form of this modern product."

Urquiola is one of the world's most sought-after product designers, and regularly works with brands like Moroso, Glas Italia and Kettal.

Last year she was named creative director at Cassina, where her first major project was to revamp the Italian furniture brand's showroom in Midtown Manhattan.