C.P. Hart’s inspiring new Chelsea showroom

C.P. Hart’s new Chelsea bathroom showroom, launching during London Design Festival (14th – 22nd September), is a brand new concept for the company – a working studio that meets the needs of interior designers and architects and aims to be the perfect environment to create exceptional bathrooms.

The showroom will feature a groundbreaking light sculpture, designed and fabricated by Jason Bruges. The sculpture will form a dramatic centrepiece, and also works in partnership with a large media wall within the showroom.

 

 

C.P, Hart website

C. P. Hart Youtube

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The Kartell by Laufen bathroom collection is born

Visitors to ISH in Frankfurt (12-16 March) will be the very first to see the results of an exciting new collaboration between two world leading brands – as the Kartell by Laufen collection is unveiled.

Kartell, the Italian brand and world leader in the industrial production of furniture and interior design items made of high quality plastic, and Swiss bathroom specialist Laufen, one of the world’s leading companies in the production of high end ceramics for the bathroom, are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement for the design, production and world distribution of a complete new line dedicated to the bathroom under the Kartell by Laufen brand name.

The artistic direction for the whole project has been entrusted to architects Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, the internationally famous designers and trend setters for bathroom ware.

The collection will be previewed for the trade sector at the ISH trade fair (in Frankfurt, 12-16 March), with the full range on show in Hall 3.1 Stand B51.

It will then be unveiled for the general public on the occasion of the next Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano (9-14 April).

A complete new bathroom collection developed through the synergies of the two brands. The Kartell by Laufen bathroom project will be distributed through the Laufen retail channels throughout the world.

Throughout the duration of ISH, Laufen will be running architectural/design tours, giving architects and designers the full run-down of this exciting new collection. Limited spaces available and can be booked in advance.

Bathroom innovation in materials from Laufen

The variety of choice can be a key asset of any brand, but the success of design, whether in a hotel or a home, relies on the importance of understanding the qualities of the materials it works with, on a practical as well as aesthetic level.  Here Laufen, explain this in the context of their wellness options available in solid surface, steel, acrylic and ceramic.

2012 saw the launch of Laufen’s first solid surface bathtub, as part of its new Palomba Collection. Solid surface has many advantages for the hotel bathroom, chief among them being the possibility to carry our repairs should any surface defects arise and its low sound transmission, so guests won’t disturb neighbouring rooms when it’s time to take a bath.

Ilker Hussein, Manager Global Projects at Laufen, comments: “Laufen is the only global manufacturer that is able to manufacture baths and shower trays from steel, solid surface and acrylic and ceramic – and there is a place for each of them, and a key benefit for each of them.“

However, it is not just wellness products – it is Laufen’s knowledge of crafting bathroom pieces from ceramic that has led to its success on a global level. The company is pioneering a new ceramic material, which results in ceramic pieces being up to 40 per cent lighter than fine fireclay, and with a brilliant white finish minus the normal yellowish tinge which is common with ceramic products. This new material allows much finer and sharper edges to be created and blurs the aesthetic lines between ceramic and solid surfaces.
However, the implications of this go well beyond aesthetic with a positive environmental impact due to lower weight of distribution alongside easier installation.

Ilker continues: “Washbasins are often the main focus of the hotel bathroom and by recently starting to offer solid surfacing for a seamless finish or ceramic basins that can be cut to fit in any space Laufen gives hotel designers total freedom of creativity.”

For hotel bathroom washbasins, however, ceramic still has the edge over solid surface in terms of practicality, in many instances, not least as it offers very high scratch, chemical and heat resistance. Ceramic can also be used to introduce individuality to the bathroom by adding colour, as it can be manufactured in various colour finishes including white, white matt, warm grey, black and matt black.

All in all, Laufen’s ability to craft fine bathroom pieces from a wide range of materials brings a whole new finesse to the hotel bathroom, at a time when contemporary design being pushed to its limits. Visit Laufen at London Sleep 2012, Stand G21 + G23, on 21-22 November 2012 to explore and discuss the material possibilities.

Telephone: 01530 510007
Web: www.uk.laufen.com

Laufen Palomba Collection

The Swiss bathroom specialist Laufen has added a new double washbasin to the Palomba Collection and reworked the furniture range. The successful collection has been continually expanded by Laufen since 2005 to include co-ordinating washbasins, WCs, bidets, bathtubs and shower trays.

Laufen extends the combination options in the Palomba Collection with a new double washbasin. Like all pieces in the collection, the double washbasin bears the ‛fingerprint of nature’ as Ludovica and Roberto Palomba call the organic design inspired by nature: two asymmetrical bowls of differing sizes are like lagoons, sunk into the 1600 mm wide and impressively flat ceramics. The user has lots of surface space around the bowls, while an elegant, chromed hand towel rail optionally ensures extra comfort – it is also available in appropriate widths for the Palomba Collection single washbasins 01, 02 and 12.

The furniture range in the designer series has now also been reworked: the new vanity unit for the 01, 02 and 12 Palomba Collection washbasins, as well as a new, very high quality, white synthetic resin surface for the entire furniture collection are truly impressive. An innovation is that the new vanity units are combined with an extremely shallow siphon, so that siphon cut-outs in the drawers are not required. This translates into more storage space for the people using them. The Swiss bathroom specialists have accordingly modified the proven siphon design for this exclusive new development and also secured the exclusive distribution rights.

Roca Gallery by Zaha Hadid Architects

I became aware of the Roca Gallery recently after speaking to Roca – it’s a striking concept building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects to showcase the company’s products and provide a meeting space.

Rather than create a fixed gallery solely for products though, Zaha Hadid developed a flexible space for Roca, where café bar, library, multi-media wall, reception and video screens are dispersed so visitors feel they are in an active design centre; a research hub that is much more than just a showroom.

The concept for Roca London Gallery designed by Zaha Hadid Architects is inspired by the various phases and states of water. Water acts as the transformational element moving across the façade, carving out the interior and moving through the main gallery as individual drops.

There are very interesting stories about the building and the design process the project underwent at the Roca Gallery website.

Many manufacturers have invested in spaces like this in London – the Material Lab springs to mind, as well as the Vitra showroom which often operates as a gallery.

Rimless WCs

At Ecobuild earlier this year, I noticed the trend for innovation in bathroom design, particularly with regards to reducing water use. In WC design, the rimless development is an example of this.

Twyford Bathrooms were one of the first to develop this concept, with their Rimfree product having been first conceived in 2007. With no rim, there is nowhere for germs to grow, and it is hygienic and quick to clean, reducing maintenance budgets in commercial environments.

Roca also have a rimless product, called CleanRim The Gap. It also has no rim, making toilet cleaning easy, and its water tank uses 30% less water than Roca’s other current dual flush systems.

RAK Ceramics have launched a similar product, the RAKRimless, that eliminates the need for a hidden rim or channel.

Compare WC products, from a variety of manufacturers, on ESI.info. We have 62 product profiles, suitable for a variety of applications ranging from domestic to public washrooms.

Three baths using unusual materials

These baths are made from something a bit different – traditionally enameled ceramic is the material of choice, but this can chip easily, has limitations in the shapes it can be manufactured into, and does not hold heat as well as some other materials. We look at glass, concrete and composite baths.

Glass
The Naked bath concept is supplied in the UK by THJ Solutions. The acrylic bath is finished with a coloured glass top and a frame that can be customised with shelves, towel rails and panels. It has proven popular for both the residential and commercial sectors.

Guest post: hygiene in hotel bathroom design

Sanitaryware manufacturer Laufen provides insight into how new technology can help hotels with cleaning efficiency and whole-life costs.

The specification of sanitaryware and furniture for the hotel bathroom is an important element of the overall design of the space, not only in terms of its design and aesthetics to please the eye of the guest, but also on a practical level to ensure that it works in terms of housekeeping too.

By investing in a quality, trusted brand of sanitaryware hotels are not only investing in products that will meet the high expectations of their guests but also ensuring they are getting a durable product that will last the test of time.

One of the main considerations in hotel bathrooms is ease of cleaning, something that is provided by Laufen’s award-winning surface finish LCC (Laufen Clean Coat). This innovative finish seals the tiniest pores of the ceramic glaze, making it hygienic and extremely easy to clean.

Laufen also offers a simple ceramic shelf to co-ordinate with many of its sanitaryware ranges, including its news Palace and Living Square washbasins which have been designed specifically with the hotel bathroom in mind. The ceramic shelf sits below the basin, providing handy open storage for towels and toiletries while being easy to wipe clean.

Above- Laufen’s Living Square washbasin, which can be specified with the manufacturer’s hygienic Laufen Clean Coat.

Space-saving bathrooms

The space saving bathroom, by Design Oddyssey, incorporates shower, basin, WC, cistern and storage in a 1600mm long unit. It has a clean, industrial, sleek design.

Source: Doornob Design Ideas.

For purely functional applications, the stainless steel prison WC and sink by Kent Stainless fulfils the most basic requirements for prison use, along with the usual security and safety features. Without being insulting to Design Oddyssey, I did notice a similarity in the two products!

Design to shape sustainable behaviour

It’s not all straw trousers and cardboard chairs, as Benjamin Hubert said.

A post this week on Mel Starrs’ blog that argued Green certification is no substitute for good design, especially when it comes to LEED and BREEAM – evidence that the building actually performs as designed is more important than ticking certification boxes.

This reminded me of a lecture at Ecobuild in March, chaired by Oliver Heath, which focused on designs that help shape people’s behaviour.

Elisabeth Buecher and Aurélie Mossé, of textile design company Puff & Flock showcased the Spiky shower curtain design. The ‘spikes’ inflate after four minutes spent under the water, taking over the space and discouraging long water-wasting showers.

Sofa So Good, designed by Puff & Flock for Ercol at the Milan Furniture Fair 2010, has woolen elements including arms (in the literal sense) that encourage you to cuddle up and keep warm so you don’t have to put the heating up. It also has customisable sections- developing a more personal relationship with your furniture, means you’ll be less likely replace it with something new after a short time.

More information on Sofa So Good is available on the Puff and Flock blog.