Press

imm Cologne 2020

For this year’s imm Cologne, Laufen has asked the internationally renowned Swiss architects Gabrielle Hächler and Andreas Fuhrimann (afgh) to showcase its latest design creations and highly functional bathroom solutions. The result? An installation that pays tribute to the company’s manufacturing roots and to its wide range of products.

Jan. 10, 2020

Please download here the complete press-kit in German and English including photos:
www.laufen.com/LAUFEN@IMM-2020

THE BATHROOM GOES ON STAGE

Laufen’s new products and innovations were showcased on its stand at imm Cologne, for which the company has renewed its collaboration with the talents of internationally renowned Swiss architects Andreas Fuhrimann and Gabrielle Hächler, who worked together on two previous very important occasions, Laufen’s booths at ISH 2019 and a the Salone Internazionale del Mobile last April. The two architects have designed a stand that borrows closely from the bathroom manufacturer’s production process with its industrial look of the cement-bound chipboard panels, reminiscent of rough-cast concrete.
The booth has been designed as a big concrete box open on one side where single pieces from the Kartell by Laufen collection or the Cleanet shower toilets as well as WC were showcased as if on a stage bestowing an artistic dimension to the whole setting. The partition wall in concrete separated this open area from four rooms with high-gloss surfaces showcasing different bathroom scenarios: the blue setting hosted the New Classic collection designed by Marcel Wanders, the light blue one was for the Sonar line designed by Patricia Urquiola while the colourful range Kartell by Laufen designed by duo Palomba Serafini Associati was set in an elegant ochre space.

“For Laufen we wanted to create unusual, almost out-of-place and in some cases ironic bizarre elements that give the installation a lightness and a cultural dimension,” explained Gabrielle Hächler and Andreas Fuhrimann.

Sonar

The fourth generation of SaphirKeramik was showcasing in addition to its form and aesthetics some inspiring new possibilities for this material and this extremely slim material played a leading role at Laufen’s booth in Köln. Now that the Swiss bathroom brand has perfected the industrial process used to manufacture SaphirKeramik, it is able to offer new takes on the humble washbasin and even new applications for it, for example double washbasins in single-washbasin sizes, washbasin bowls with an integral overflow, or freestanding washbasins with a minimal footprint – new ideas that are simply unthinkable with conventional ceramic bathroom products.

To make the best out of SaphirKeramik, Laufen is collaborating with trendsetting designers like Marcel Wanders, Ludovica+Palomba Associati, Patricia Urquiola and Konstantin Grcic.

Laufen presented at imm Cologne both lines of its shower toilets, the top range Cleanet Riva and the user friendly Cleanet Navia.

The New Classic by Marcel Wanders
The New Classic is a new bathroom collection by Laufen. The celebrity designer Marcel Wanders was engaged to re-interpret classical styles using the material SaphirKeramik. Every item included in the ensemble brings together the designer’s flair and creativity with Laufen’s mastery of raw materials. The New Classic range encompasses washbasins, bowl washbasins, toilets, a bidet and bathtub, faucets, mirrors and accessories, as well as furniture. This individualistic collection won the iF Design Award 2019 for its sensual combination of aesthetics and
function.

Cleanet Riva by Peter Wirz
To satisfy both requirements to the highest possible standard Laufen has, together with the technology company Noventa AG, developed the Cleanet Riva shower WC, combining technical expertise with Swiss quality and design understanding. “Hygiene is a matter of trust – which is why this product already communicates cleanliness on an optical level”, says Peter Wirz. The Swiss designer managing to express freshness, purity and comfort through the unfussy pure design of Cleanet Riva. The extremely easy cleaning of the Swiss shower toilet also benefits the hotel: the solid ceramic body, removable seat and lid, interior basin without a flush rim and with a descaling function as well as thermal cleaning of the water-bearing internal parts ensure excellent hygiene, easy care and a long service life. Cleanet Navia by Peter Wirz The Cleanet Navia shower toilet focuses very much on user benefits and concentrates on keeping the user interface as efficient as possible. With its compact design, simple functions and attractive price, it is suitable for a very broad market. The Navia features the tried-and-tested intuitive operating concept, with a side-mounted controller for the standard functions plus an app to access the full functionality that Laufen previously developed for its popular Cleanet Riva shower toilet.

Sonar by Patricia Urquiola
When it originated Sonar, Laufen focused in particular on exploring the formal scope for new bathroom solutions afforded by SaphirKeramik. The expressive Sonar bathroom collection thus features novel washbasin designs that are simply not possible using conventional bathroom ceramics. Already the winner of an iF Design Award, the collection now offers even greater variety thanks to the addition of more washbasins, WCs, a bidet, a new bathtub and a suite of bathroom furniture, again created by Patricia Urquiola.

Val by Konstantin Grcic
Compact and demanding bathrooms call for intelligent equipment solutions, to make best use of the restricted space without appearing cluttered. The new SaphirKeramik washbasins that Laufen co-developed with designer Konstantin Grcic for the Val bathroom collection take on this challenge in a new and innovative way, concentrating particularly on compact and demanding bathroom layouts.

Kartell by Laufen by Palomba Serafini Associati
A 1970s revival is currently sweeping the fashion and furnishing markets – and entering the bathroom as well. But nobody is calling for a renaissance of the harsh colour schemes and frenzied contours that defined the decade – it took many years to rid the world of the final excesses of taste that flourished back then. The modular colour concept and timeless, simple design vocabulary of Kartell by Laufen represents a modern approach to bringing colour into the bathroom while observing the enduring principles of good taste. And with new options available, the possibilities of expression offered by this popular bathroom collection are now greater than ever.

The New Classic faucets by Marcel Wanders
In his creations for the new faucet line The New Classic, Marcel Wanders finds the perfect balance between an innovative design and an archetype for a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle – and takes the bathroom user on a journey to a bygone age. This versatile and technologically advanced range comfortably covers every bathroom requirement.

Bespoke design

Specially developed tailored products feature precisely the sort of special sophistication in design and functionality that gives high- end interiors their unmistakeably individual character. This is why Laufen has been busy developing its know-how and production capacity to be able to provide bespoke solutions in the bathroom too. To this end, the company works closely with designers and architects all over the world who are looking for a customer-tailored solution for a building project. The most recent example of this is Omniturm in Frankfurt am Main, for which Laufen worked closely with the architects and project managers to develop special bespoke vanity units.

Please download here the complete press-kit in German and English including photos:
www.laufen.com/LAUFEN@IMM-2020