With Patricia Urquiola’s sculptural sensibility and Laufen Space’s groundbreaking SaphirKeramik material, the Sonar collection reimagines what bathroom design can be – tactile, technical and beautifully refined.

In the quotidian realm of bathroom design, where form is commonly dictated by material constraint, few collections have rewritten the rules to the extent that Sonar has. Conceived in collaboration with the ever-visionary Patricia Urquiola and underpinned by the revolutionary properties of SaphirKeramik, Laufen’s latest evolution of the Sonar range moves beyond conventional boundaries, offering product and proposition.

A new material vocabulary reshapes the basin

SaphirKeramik, a material that has liberated designers from the traditional limitations of ceramic, is fine yet robust, malleable yet enduring, allowing for the formerly unattainable moulding of precision shapes and ultra-thin profiles. What was once dismissed as an indulgent form fantasy now takes its place in the hard reality of functional design. For Urquiola, it opened a rare creative field where sculptural ambition and everyday utility converged.

The result is a language of texture and geometry not often seen in the bathroom space. Urquiola’s signature D-shaped basins are softened by an angled front and subtly tiered texture, expressing a poetic reverence for water’s movement, specifically how sound flits across its surface. The tactility of the collection goes beyond finish. This is not ornamentation for the sake of it; the design carries meaning, metaphor and purpose in equal measure.

Design thinking that goes beyond form and function

In this expanded iteration of Sonar, Laufen presents new washbasin formats, toilets and an oval, free-standing bathtub, each speaking the same design dialect but offering new interpretations. Perhaps most compelling is the compact 1000mm double bowl washbasin. Traditionally, dual sinks belonged only to generous floorplans. Now, thanks to the space-saving profile of SaphirKeramik, this piece slips into tighter urban bathrooms without compromising proportion or layout. The basin’s underbelly slopes imperceptibly, ushering water to a concealed outlet. This type of elegant detail typifies the collection’s understated engineering.

Eschewing novelty, the new additions deepen the Sonar narrative with a free-standing bathtub, formed from Marbond – a high-performance composite developed by Laufen – that furthers the soundwave motif in its outer shell. Its form is generous but never overbearing. A narrow ledge accommodates an integrated faucet, while a circular dish perches lightly on the rim, ready to coddle a candle, a glass or a weathered bar of soap. It’s a moment of quiet luxury, where detail meets desire.

Sonar’s success lies in how fluidly the two meet. Even the sanitaryware, often the forgotten element in bathroom design, has been refined. Both floor-mounted and wall-hung toilets in the collection are rimless, a feature that improves hygiene without disrupting the collection’s visual rhythm. The addition of a bidet and the carefully considered head and back rests reflect Laufen’s intent to shape a complete environment rather than a collection of standalone pieces.

While Sonar has already earned accolades on the international stage – including an iF Design Award – its most compelling legacy may lie in what it signals for the future of bathroom design. With materials like SaphirKeramik and Marbond enabling innovative forms, a new design language is spoken, one that values both sensory connection and spatial intelligence.

In reimagining the washbasin, Laufen hasn’t just updated a typology, it has opened a new chapter where the bathroom sets a stage beyond that of daily rituals, but for design to speak with clarity, precision and emotional depth.

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Images supplied.