How did you develop your first ideas for Duravit designs?
In my work for Duravit I have used predominantly iconic shapes. Many people said they were archaic, but they are not. Archaic means to be bonded to the past, while icons, on the other hand, are timeless. I step into the background and attempt to place all the symbols in a wider context. All the symbols bear the stamp of time and history and so gain a meaning which can be understood in different cultures across the world. On the one hand, we want the highest quality, reasonable prices and mass production, while on the other we want unique items for ourselves. That is human nature. So it is all the more important that the sustainability of top-quality products should never be in doubt. Sustainability is fundamental. Because you’re not going to exchange your washbasin every three months, it’s part of the house and can last for generations.
What role does the bathroom play for you in your own house?
The bathroom for me is an extended living room. On the one hand it refreshes and revitalises, on the other it is a peaceful place to relax. We like to spend time here. For example, a bathtub has three functions in my eyes: Visually it is a sculpture which acts as an eye-catcher, intuitively it is a sofa on which we can sit down, and functionally it is a tub in which you wash yourself.
How much design does a bathroom series require these days?
Design is going through an important phase. Today it is integrated into society – almost something normal. Apart from the design, it is simply a matter of the honesty and utility of a product. The first thing is to seek out absolutely honest partners and dependable industrial concerns such as Duravit. Then you design a product which is really useful. Design will never save lives, but it can make life easier. We create design objects for a genuine utility.
What advantages do your design objects have?
I asked myself: What do we really need? As anything which we do not really need is pointless. And everything which is pointless is a danger to our society, and sooner or later it will be outdated. In the ME by Starck range, for example, it is mainly a question of our real needs, of you and me. Without a defined style, without any influence from trends, with no promotional effect. It is simply a matter of what we really need. With the product development team at Duravit, we kept the focus on real ergonomics, real movements. The point is how the water can best flow, how one soils as little as possible, and how one can most easily clean.
Why do you work with such a company like Duravit?
My credo is, "If you are fortunate enough to have a good idea, then you have the duty to share it". It’s easy to design a beautiful object, but if nobody buys it, it’s of no interest. That’s why it’s worthwhile working with a partner like Duravit. We’ve already been doing so for almost 30 years; indeed, you could say we are joint authors of a unique story.
