TWO leading companies, one Italian and the other Swiss, joined hands to design and launch a complete integrated solution for the bathroom – the Kartell by Laufen – which made its debut at leading fairs early this year.

Kartell from Italy represents creativity and colour, and is iconic. The family company has revolutionised furnishing made of plastic materials over the past six decades. Its partner in this venture, Laufen of Switzerland, has gained a reputation over the past 120 years for remaining committed to innovation in the production of ceramic sanitary ware.

The Kartell by Laufen took more than three years to develop and is a complete bathroom that features chic yet understated aesthetics. With constant research, Kartell has enhanced the feel and appearance of plastic while Laufen has revolutionised ceramics by making it an adaptive material.

“The two companies have a great deal in common, which is why they have chosen each other; they have an industrial approach to production, a vocation in research and technological innovation, an international market, a distribution network with hundreds of retailers all over the world and a genuine passion for quality design,” says a spokesman for Kartell.

Kartell by Laufen bathroom is composed of SaphirKeramik, a revolutionary material that has performance characteristics that were previously thought unattainable. With a radius of curvature of the corners of 1 to 2 mm (hitherto up to 7-8 mm) for washbasins that are thin as blades, SaphirKeramik is a material weighing half that of normal ceramics but matching it in terms of mechanical resistance. This avant-garde material is scratchproof and is resistant to chemical agents of detergents and limescale, the spokesman says.

The task of designing this new solution was entrusted to the award-winning designer Ludovica + Roberto Palomba. “It is an architectural project that speaks a new language – innovative, rich in emotion, transparency and colour. The Kartell by Laufen bathroom is the synthesis of the work we have done in recent years in the world of the bathroom and represents an important step forward in this sector,” says the designer.

Design and total quality are the watchwords in the creation of Kartell by Laufen bathroom, which takes shape as an integrated architecture; where washbasins, sanitary ware, faucets, units, shower bases, bathtubs, lights and accessories coexist, affording maximum flexibility and while meeting the tastes of all.

The vitreous transparency of latest generation polycarbonate and the sheer edges of the totemic freestanding washbasins attract those that love minimal, lunar, rarefied white environments; the amber plastic, the round softness of the washbasin, the bathtub in the style of an infinity pool will entice a public that looks for aesthetics and relaxation. The rigid geometry of the ceramic items is tempered by the multi-coloured lightness of the plastic elements,” says the spokesman.

The new bathroom collection will be distributed all over the world through the Laufen retail channels.