Yves Behar on VOLTA’s revolutionary architecture
The acclaimed designer shares insights on his inspiration for the washbasin’s groundbreaking vortex form in conversation with LAUFEN at Milan Design Week 2026.
The LAUFEN stand at Milan’s Salone del Mobile 2026 represented the evolution of the brand’s visual identity, presenting an extensive portfolio of our most sophisticated collections. Among these was VOLTA, a pioneering washbasin born from LAUFEN’s inaugural collaboration with the internationally garlanded designer Yves Behar.
The washbasin was first launched as a prototype at major trade fairs in 2025, and in 2026 was presented as a collection available for purchase. To celebrate the occasion, we asked Behar – the mind behind the Samsung Frame TV, SodaStream and other industry-defining innovations – a few questions about his inspiration for the basin’s unique concept, its sustainable features and his affinity for water.
Interview with VOLTA’s Yves Behar at Milan Design Week 2026
How did the partnership with LAUFEN begin?
“My collaboration with LAUFEN started when we saw the new kiln, the new electric kiln. It was important for this new collection to match the philosophy of CO₂-free manufacturing. This is the first time ceramics have been manufactured very sustainably. We use a unique technique that LAUFEN developed, they’re the only ones that have it, called Saphirkeramik, which allows for the profile of the ceramic to be very thin. Instead of having a thick edge, you have a very thin edge, just 2-3 millimetres, and that allows for this beautiful rim, as well as the details inside VOLTA to be elegant and to feel lightweight.”
What was the inspiration for VOLTA’s innovative design?
“The innovation came from a simple observation, which is that when you’re in the bathroom and turn on the tap, the water goes straight from the tap into the outlet. But in nature, when we experience water, it’s in a river, it’s in the ocean, it moves slowly, it calms us down by its beautiful motion. I wanted to slow down the way we experience water in the bathroom. And for that reason, we created a circular motion, a vortex, where the water comes around and finally exits.”
You have a special relationship with water. Can you tell us more?
“I have a unique relationship with water because in many ways water has shaped my life. I was a swimmer, then a wind surfer, and I am now a surfer. I have a lot of appreciation for the ocean, the sea, how we need to protect it, how it’s really a rare environment and how we need to preserve it as much as possible.”
Tell us about VOLTA’s water-saving features.
“VOLTA has many features that preserve water. For example, because of the vortex, it’s self-cleaning like in a river when you have the sediments that move down the river: you don’t have particles that stay in the sink. We also have a little pool area at the bottom so you don’t have to fill the whole sink when you’re brushing your teeth or when you’re shaving. You can just fill a smaller area of it.”
What do you think the future of the bathroom holds?
“For me, the future of the bathroom is a place of zen, it’s a place of relaxation, it’s a place of peace. It’s where we take care of ourselves, our bodies, our minds, and I would like to continue to build this line of products, VOLTA, as where we meet nature, where humans meet nature in the home.”
The VOLTA collection comprises wall-hung, bowl and floorstanding versions, available in white, white LCC, white matt and black matt.