The Swisse homewares company employed acclaimed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders to create a new bathroom range that borrows inspiration from the brand’s SaphirKeramik material.

Laufen’s New Classic range – which earned the iF Design Award for 2019 – includes washstands, washbasin bowls, toilets, a bidet, a bathtub and accessories, alongside furniture. 

The combination of Wanders’ design flair and spirit with Laufen’s exemplary raw materials produced a bathroom range that gives equal balance to aesthetics and functionality.

Wanders built upon Laufen’s SaphirKeramik materials, yet also incorporated his interpretation of contemporary design to create a range featuring both gentle feminine curves and rugged, harsher masculine elements. This fusion has been deemed unparalleled in the sanitary ware industry.

The designer addresses how the New Classic range demonstrates the ability of SaphirKeramik materials to adopt an iconic feel. 

“This lightweight yet resilient material gave us the unique opportunity to celebrate the beauty of fine porcelain with our elegant, soft lines,” says Wanders. 

The range’s evident embrace of Neoclassicism, and a contemporary hunger for product functionality, contributed to a collection focussed on the romantic allure of the past and also everyday utility. 

Laufen intended for bathrooms to be completely fitted out with the New Classic, which resulted in a versatile collection. Countertop washbasins with a width of 600, 800 and 1200 millimetres, a 500-millimetre-wide hand washbasin and a 500-millimetre-wide washbasin bowl allow for installation in a variety of locations.

Additionally, the Laufen washbasin bowl has overcome a common roadblock. Although the SaphirKeramik’s walls have a thickness of three millimetres, Laufen managed to create a bowl with an integrated overflow and outlet which means water will be safely retained in the bowl.

The bathtub is 1900 by 900 by 580 millimetres, which garners attention yet also invites the user to indulge in a relaxing and spacious soak. The tub not only boasts therapeutic rewards, but the back-friendly form and skin-soothing Sentec material also delivers ergonomic benefits.

The Neoclassical aesthetic of the collection comes through in the wall-hung bidet and rimless toilet bowls that also offer convenience and style. 

Laufen has also launched a range of bathroom furniture and accessories alongside the New Classic collection, such as the walnut vanity stand that is compatible with the countertop washbasins and also functions as a towel rail.

Accessories include a wall-mounted shelf, soap dish, toothbrush holder and toilet brush holder. 

Photography by Laufen. 

See Laufien’s past bathtub designs.