Swiss bathroom specialists Laufen have been at the forefront of sanitary ware manufacturing and design for more than 130 years. Through the symbiosis of design, quality and functionality, their products transform a humble bathroom into a living environment with limitless design potential.

The design potential of Laufen’s revolutionary SaphirKeramik is demonstrated by the new bathroom collection, Val, which has been crafted for the Swiss bathroom specialist by Munich-based designer Konstantin Grcic. Simple architectural lines, extremely slim rims and thin walls, together with fine surface structure, make the collection’s washbasins unparalleled future icons of design that push the boundaries of material potential. Val includes washbasins, washbasin bowls, storage dishes and two bathtubs.

The Munich-based designer Konstantin Grcic is not only one of today’s most influential designers but is also recognised for his ability to take new materials and production methods to their limits. With the new SaphirKeramik range, Laufen gave Grcic the opportunity to push back, and at the same time redefine the design boundaries for ceramics in the bathroom.

The Val bathroom collection is a further development of the SaphirKeramik project, benefiting from the experience gained by Grcic and Laufen in the course of the SaphirKeramik project.

Although Grcic adopted central aesthetic characteristics from the studies, he transformed them into a design that is on the one hand simple, functional and architectural, but on the other hand, has no lack of expressive details. In the process, he benefited from Laufen’s vast experience with ceramics, since over the past decades the company clearly demonstrated that it is capable of developing innovative materials and then transferring outstanding designs to an industrial process.

Simply aesthetic

The central component of the new collection is a rectangular wall-mounted washbasin, available in widths of 450 to 950mm. Its main characteristics are straight geometric lines, rims with narrowly defined radii and gently rounded corners which emphasise the thin-walled SaphirKeramik. 

“The simpler some pieces are, the more aesthetic they are,” Grcic says. “When they are installed in a bathroom, one must not look at them in an isolated way, but rather observe them as part of a complex environment. The simpler they are, the better they appear.”

Val also includes a rectangular and an asymmetrical washbasin bowl, which developed from conceptional pieces in the SaphirKeramik project. Each bowl features an integrated shelf made from a tactile surface structure, creating semi-dry areas that are ideal for storing soap and cosmetics. “These surface structures and patterns are decorative on the one hand and functional on the other. They prevent items from slipping off or leaving unsightly marks”, Grcic explains. 

Sentec Bathtub for Val

To match the SaphirKeramik objects Grcic has designed a freestanding bathtub (160 x 75 x 52cm). The oval tub appears light and elegant, and thanks to its extremely slim rim, harmonises perfectly with the filigree washbasins. Since Laufen manufactures the bathtub using solid surface Sentec material, it can be made with a single wall in one casting, without having to sacrifice an integrated overflow. In this way, the bathtub is far lighter than double-wall tubs produced using other solid surface materials. The velvety, matt white and easy-to-clean surface flatters the skin, inviting the observer to a relaxing bath at first glance. 

Discover Laufen’s Val SaphirKeramik collection by Konstantin Grcic