The year 2014 marks the 25th year of Duravit’s elite partnership with “starchitect” Philippe Starck. What began as idea development in autumn of 1989 with an up-and-coming designer and architect has since grown into a multitude of design-forward bathroom pieces, including three collections, kitchen sinks, accessories, saunas, steam showers and technological toilets.
Says Duravit USA president Tim Schroeder, “Duravit’s relationship with Philippe Starck was a pioneering move for the design industry. We believe that the Duravit and Starck collaboration pushed the boundaries of bathroom design, transforming the space into one for living and relaxation.”
After five years in development, the Starck 1 series was introduced in 1994. The line’s aim was to rediscover authenticity, with its shapes harkening back to traditional buckets, tubs, and washing bowls. This first collaborative effort was well received, garnering the Good Design Award, iF Product Design Award and Design Plus Award. This collection’s signature vanity, affectionately known as “the Bongo,” remains a company classic today and underscores the forward-thinking perspective of Starck’s designs.
The Duravit-Starck lines continued to grow when in 1998, Starck 2 launched. This minimalist ceramic collection focussed on high quality, inviting, and affordable design: a “democratic design” according to Starck, an early addition to the now ubiquitous movement. Starck 2 continues to be recognized for its clean lines and minimal design, all of which were inspired by the organic movement of water.
Starck 3 followed in 2002, featuring an extensive range of products with an understated aesthetic and with a rich offering of commercial options. Starck 3 continued the company’s winning streak, receiving the Red Dot Design Award, iF Product Design Award and the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Other key products and updates have been introduced since, most notably the SensoWash series in 2011, which fuses technology and design and introduced the U.S. to the shower-toilet concept. Starck attached particular importance to the design of the intuitive wireless remote control, which is used to operate any and all of the seat’s numerous functions.
Over the course of their 25-year partnership, Starck and Duravit have become a driving force in the design industry, creating unique and timeless products that define simplicity in the modern bath. The year 2014 represents a marker worthy of celebration, but Duravit and Starck continue to look to the future of their partnership and further evolution of bathroom design.
ALL ABOUT DURAVIT
Founded in 1817 in the heart of Germany’s Black Forest, Duravit is a leading supplier of sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, whirlpool tubs, accessories and wellness ideas. Duravit operates in 60 countries worldwide and has been honoUred with numerous national and international awards for its innovations in design and technology. The company’s collaborations with such internationally renowned designers as Philippe Starck, Phoenix Design, EOOS, Norman Foster and Sieger Design yield forward-thinking, environmentally conscious and award-winning products that bring the bathroom to life.
Duravit USA headquarters are based in Duluth, GA. Trade and interested consumers may visit Duravit’s state-of-the-art showroom at 105 Madison Ave., in the heart of New York’s newest design district.
For more information on Duravit, visit www.duravit.us