In the bathroom with designer Philippe Starck

Bathroom manufacturer Duravit and ‘starchitect’ Philippe Starck have been creating modern, innovative bath products together for nearly 20 years. Here, they sat down to discuss Starck’s organic aesthetic, their past work together, and what’s next for the two.

Philippe Starck’s flowing, modern forms have fused with the company’s timeless design for nearly 20 years. With a recently updated Starck 2 collection released in 2013, Duravit sat down with the prolific designer to delve inside the product range and explore his thoughts on all things bathroom design.

Philippe-Starck-Interview-Adelto-08

Mr. Starck, which new design concepts can we expect from you in the bathroom?

A new form can be of interest for certain products, however, in the bathroom, new forms are irrelevant as the focus here is on truthfulness. Now that the throwaway society has had its day, there is only one modern parameter and that is the elegance of durability:
every purchase must be made for life – and for the life of the next generation.

Philippe-Starck-Interview-Adelto-01

The new Starck 2 products are much more refined. What do you think is so special about the Starck 2 series?

Twenty years ago, we used strong symbols to create an iconic design, which was also very minimalist. Over the years, we have further honed this design. The technical specialists at Duravit have succeeded in translating these more refined forms into specific products. And it has been shown that less really can be more – however, only when the reductions are made in the right places.

Philippe-Starck-Interview-Adelto-02

So is the new Starck 2 a bathroom series that will last forever?

The new Starck 2 programme takes its lead from the intelligence of ergonomics. This means that we can talk about a collection that is shaped by intelligence and elegance – the elegance of movement, the elegance of truth: parameters that also stand for timelessness and
durability.

Newsletter

A weekly newsletter for inspiration:

Subscription Form