200 years of Duravit with Frank Richter
We hear from Frank Richter, CEO of the Duravit AG, about the company’s roots, the Duravit DNA and the bathroom of the future. Here’s what he had to say.
CEO of Duravit: Dr. Frank Richter (left); Headquarters of Duravit AG: Duravit Design Center in the Black Forest (right)
200 years of Duravit. What does Duravit stand for today?
Duravit started out as a ceramics specialist, before going on to become a manufacturer of sanitaryware products. Today, Duravit AG is a leading international manufacturer of designer bathrooms. Duravit has carefully managed its brand, which is synonymous with holistically designed bathrooms. In fact, we see ourselves as interior designers for bathrooms as living areas, and have ourselves played a key role in establishing the new significance of bathrooms over the past 30 years.
Does Duravit have its own unmistakable DNA?
Our aspiration is to make designer bathrooms come alive. This is guaranteed by highest quality, original design and comfort-enhancing technology. This brand essence defines our DNA worldwide, and it distinguishes everything we do. For us, the bathroom of the future is the ideal combination of these three core competencies, and in order to continuously advance our expertise in these areas, our product management works closely with research and development departments both inside the company and externally, as well as with our designers.
Luv guest bathroom, console plate in White Structure (Quartz Stone), furniture in Night Blue (left); Giamo: the first design series by Dieter Sieger for Duravit (right)
What is it that accounts for Duravit’s quality?
Duravit is universally recognised for its long tradition and outstanding expertise in the field of ceramic processing. We have been involved in the production of top-quality and precision ceramics since the time our company was first established, and in this area in particular, close collaboration with our R&D team has allowed us to create a continuous stream of innovations, including DuraCeram, HygieneGlaze 2.0 and c-bonded, a process that makes it possible to seamlessly combine ceramics and bathroom furniture. Our product development combines software-supported simulation techniques with series of tests conducted on physical models. In the areas of bathroom furniture and wellness technologies, too, Duravit’s quality is evident in the combination of craftsmanship with high-tech. This combination in every area is certainly one of the most significant factors.
Does Duravit have a uniform design language?
Duravit has a precisely formulated and recognisable design language that is unique, and which is clearly based on fundamental archetypal forms. We are contemporary without being trendy, more straightforward than opulent, and always timeless. We integrate comfort-enhancing technology, but never at the expense of design, with the result that we have been able to create a consistent design language that extends beyond the individual products in the bathroom. In the Duravit design language, everything fits together to create an overarching whole.
The freestanding DuraSquare bathtub with L-Cube furniture and DuraSquare washbasin in the back Material of the bathtub: DuraSolid® Furniture and mirror: L-Cube by Christian Werner Faucet: C.1 by Kurt Merki Jr.
How much technology does the bathroom of the future need?
We always put ourselves in the user’s shoes, and we never accept technology for technology’s sake. Comfort-enhancing technology should be sustainably integrated into an appealing overall design, and should generate added value on a daily basis. Duravit continually develops innovations in all areas, from materials engineering to flushing technology and electrical engineering for light, sound and whirl systems, and the look, feel, acoustics and usability play an important role here, too. It is this unique interplay, paired with our innovative prowess, that makes it possible to intelligently digitise the bathroom. This is how Duravit is able to satisfy the current and future demands of our customers.
The DuraSquare washbasin sits on top if a height-adjustable metal console, shown here in black matt with a glass held in the colour Cubic Line. Mirror: L-Cube by Christian Werner
For more visit www.duravit.com.
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