Room for thought

Design masters like Norman Foster and Philippe Starck have kept Duravit at the peak of bathroom design.
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 How has bathroom design changed in the last 20 years?

Kook: Bathroom design is more liberal today; you cannot say that there is just one trend out there as there are many ideas and products available for different settings. When I started working in this profession it was not usual to have a series of sanitary ware; we would design individual units and the customers would combine the elements themselves.

What we have developed is a range of different design styles to complement any development; a series gives the developers one design language. For example our new PuraVida range is curved and feminine, and before this Duravit has developed many strong, rectangular minimalist shapes; for example, our rectangular design of Vero still is very successful. The designs of Starck 1, 2 and 3 moved away from the rectangular shapes.

 In the competitive market what do you think your company offers to architects and developers?

Kook: Our strength at Duravit, which appeals to architects, is that we are not just selling bathrooms, we are selling design. The architect or interior designer wants to have a good bathroom that will enhance the design, but often they don’t have a deep knowledge of the bathroom. We have so many different series and different options that the architect can specify something that will complement a project.

Every design series has its own philosophy and personality, so you can create a certain identity and theme in line with what an architect desires. We have strong competition, but we have an advantage because of our ‘designed’ concepts and the fact that we can offer full solutions for bathroom - ceramics, bathtubs and fittings - so we can give one design language to a developer.

 What do you see as the future of bathroom design?

Kook: The bathroom, as an increasingly important living space, will move towards greater use of technology. Electronics, light and sound, electronic pictures and cleaning systems will advance the bathrooms. The technological advancement will need to be incorporated into the design; the bathroom needs to look good and function well.

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 Is water conservation an important element of bathroom design?

Kook: Yes. Especially in the Middle East, where water is expensive and it goes through a long process to get clean. On the other hand, people are willing to invest in water when it helps to revitalise the body. You mustn’t use water when it is unnecessary, but with a water-saving shower you can use less water and still feel refreshed.

 Duravit products have been specified for the Burj Dubai, can you tell me more about this?

Kook: The architects have specified products from the Starck 1 series predominantly, with a special focus on  the so called “barrel”,  a vanity unit designed for Duravit by Philippe Starck. We have delivered more than 1,000 barrels to Dubai, as well as almost 4,000 WCs and bidets and more than 1,600 baths and whirlpools.

 How has collaboration with architects benefited Duravit?

Kook: We profit from the contact with architects; we discuss their needs. Some products are developed after a specific requirement from an architect. When you talk about bowls, that is the wash basins and the plate, and they can be cylindrical or conic and we have several forms. These designs first came about with of the architecture for hotels, as it suited the structure, and we developed them accordingly for other projects.

Architects might want to have a different approach to the bathroom design of their project, and we try to listen and come up with the best possible solution; it is a win-win situation because we are pushed to create innovative designs and the end product is something that complements the architecture.

Duravit was one of the first bathroom companies to collaborate with designers; We have collaborated with Sieger Design, Norman Foster, Philippe Starck, Phoenix Design, Michael Graves, Massimo Iosa Ghini, James Irvine, Frank Huster, Jochen Schmiddem, EOOS, Andreas Struppler and Herbert Schultes. We profit greatly from this collaboration. Absolutely!

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