Gulf Construction Online - Starck makes his mark with Duravit

Germany & the Mideast

Starck makes his mark with Duravit

01 March 2005

Duravit, a leading German sanitary ceramics manufacturer, hopes to strengthen its presence in Middle East markets with the recent launch of the Starck X bathroom range. Designer Philippe Starck has teamed up with Duravit to introduce the new products.

The Starck X launch marks two decades of successful collaboration between Duravit and the French designer.
“With internationally-acclaimed products and bathroom ranges, Duravit has made a major contribution to turning the impersonal wet-rooms of yesteryears into a haven of well-being,” said CEO Franz Kook at a grand ceremony to mark the launch.

Starck X
The new range of products comprises a wide variety of models – 16 ceramic articles, five items of furniture and three bath models that characterise a new bathing culture and hence the lifestyle of the people who use them.
“The sculptural character of the Starck X washbasins elevates them to the status of exclusive works of art, unrivalled and matchless,” he says.
The basic form of the range is defined by 40 cm tall cube-shaped toilets and bidets. The designers have used innovative details. The 89-cm high washbasins in cylindrical or conical forms enter the bathroom stage on a ceramic pedestal.
Rectangular washbasins, 57 cm wide, rest on metal consoles, and in a wider version measure 110 cm, featuring an additional shallow shelf recess in white, yellow or platinum.
About the elegant collection, a Duravit spokesman says: “Philippe Starck focuses on the individual who from the contact with water draws new energy to cope with the stress of everyday life.”

Baths
“The spacious acrylic bath is the ultimate invitation to wallow in the luxurious indulgence of the water world.
“Cubist, understated and minimalist, the baths have their sophistication hidden in the detail.”
As well as the established built-in version, there is a freestanding model with pioneering features that guarantee relaxing water play. Featuring a translucent water channel around the rim, individual interplays of colour can be produced via remote control.
Instead of an overflow, white stones with a dirt-repellant impregnation absorbs the overflowing water in the surrounding channel. “Water-resistant, straight wooden inserts - placed on the rim of the channel – add a homely touch to the watery paradise,” he says.
“On the interior, the bath models have one or two sloping backrests and the exceptionally spacious model with no sloping backrest guarantees a sensual bath-time experience.”

Product range
Duravit’s product range marketed throughout the world includes sanitary ware, bathroom furniture, shower trays, bathtubs, whirl- and well-being systems and accessories.
“The unexpected domestic and international success of the Philippe Starck bathroom range not only took the trade world by storm, but also Duravit which had trouble in keeping up with demand,” says the spokesman.

Awards
“Starck’s work has brought him numerous prizes and awards. His bathroom ideas have revolutionised the sanitary ware sector and created a new awareness about bathrooms among customers and architects alike. The new Starck baths are poised to become classics and yet, at the same time, appeal to the current design spirit,” he says.
“Starck’s washbasins appeal to demanding individualists as well as to architects planning public washrooms.
“Thanks to their unfussy, clear-cut shape, they can also be integrated into the existing architecture of a private residence, apartment or public building. The comfortable acrylic baths from Duravit can also be equipped as a whirlpool,” the spokesman says.
The Starck X presentation took place at the new 11 million euro Duravit Design Centre in Hornberg.
Starck, who is the inspiration behind many of Duravit’s award-winning bathroom classics, is also behind the design of the new Duravit headquarters, communication and exhibition centre.
“Now we have a home that shows all what Duravit offers,” said Kook. “The whole range of Living Bathrooms is here at Duravit.”
“A ‘mega-toilet’ is a major feature of the new building. Functioning as an observation platform, it rises up 12 m over three storeys, from the top of which visitors can enjoy a panoramic view over the area.
Besides Starck, Duravit’s list of designers includes Frank Huster, Sieger Design, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Phoenix Product Design, Norman Foster, Michael Graves and James Irvine.
Duravit’s co-operation with Starck goes back as far as 1994 and has defined bathroom culture with a number of design classics. In 1994, Starck teamed up with Axor and Duravit to present his first complete bathroom: Starck 1.
“For the bathroom specialists and also for the designer, this was a bold step: it marked Starck’s first venture into the world of bathroom design and, at the same time, Duravit demonstrated that it had the courage to back an extraordinary design,” says the spokesman.
“After the resounding success of the first products from the new partnership, Duravit was in no doubt that the way ahead was to continue with the Philippe Starck designs. More than 10 years have passed since and during the intervening years, this collaboration has proven to be extremely prolific and successful,” he adds.
Duravit produces Starck’s ceramic sanitaryware, bathroom furniture, and bathtubs, while the high-end brass accessories are produced by Axor, a luxury brand with Hansgrohe.