FAMILY bathrooms need to combine practicality, quality and comfort while catering to the taste and requirements of the young and old alike. Duravit has demonstrated its mastery over this fine balancing act with its Ketho and 2nd floor ranges of bathroom furniture and suites respectively.

“The family bathroom is the one room in the house where young foam fighters can have great fun and later, as teenagers, go on to create pandemonium in the mornings. At the same time, parents see the bathroom as a private space to relax and look for comfort and a welcoming atmosphere,” says a spokesman for the German bathroom specialist. “All this means that the bathroom furnishings have to meet the highest requirements in terms of durability, practicality and robustness.”

The high-quality workmanship seen in these two ranges ensures long-term durability, even when subjected to rough handling by children. The washing areas, mirrors, mirror cabinets and units are available in various dimensions and designs for maximum planning freedom to ensure an optimum layout.

Ketho ... thinking furniture into the bathroom.

Ketho
As a visual link between ceramics and the bathtub, the choice of bathroom furniture has a decisive influence on the overall mood of the bathroom. When developing Ketho, Duravit, therefore, chose to collaborate with renowned furniture designer, Christian Werner.

“For Ketho, Werner started to ‘think furniture into the bathroom’ and designed a range that is flexible enough to suit any modern bathroom ambience,” explains the spokesman. “The series is characterised by clear, rectangular forms with a delicate frame that adds a special subtlety to the furniture. The second characteristic feature is a continuous aluminium strip handle that cuts across the fronts at rhythmical intervals. Recessed between the wooden surfaces, it is also extremely comfortable to use by anyone – whether old or young, tall or small.”

The furniture is robust and durable and all items feature comprehensive melamine resin protection and bonded, waterproof edges that can withstand a great deal of splashing around. Thanks to the integrated SoftClose function with silicon end dampers, doors always close smoothly and quietly and, in doing so, spare both the user’s fingers and the material, the spokesman points out.

Different decors highlight the refinement of the form: white, basalt and graphite add subtlety, whereas garnet red creates a powerful blaze of colour. The matt structure of the surfaces makes them pleasant to the touch, a property that also features in the bath panelling.

“Ketho also offers a consistent design for all its bathroom objects, creating a harmonious overall appearance with which many people can identify and derive pleasure throughout the bathroom’s lifetime and at all stages in their life. Combined with good value for money, Ketho becomes the ideal range for the modern and demanding family bathroom,” he adds.

2nd floor
When designing the 2nd floor complete bathroom series, Sieger Design set out to create a comfortable ambience that, with lots of new options, sets standards for today’s family bathroom, the spokesman states.

The overall appearance is friendly and inviting and is characterised by elegant proportions, sophisticated details and the harmony of quiet lines.

2nd floor ... caters to the entire family.

However, the practical aspects have not been neglected either. “High material quality, practicality and aesthetics come together to guarantee a long service life: it’s possible to design highly individual bathrooms with ceramics, furniture, bathtubs and shower trays in a wide variety of different dimensions, easy-care wood and painted surfaces, ranging from rosewood, ebony and oak to high-gloss white,” the spokesman explains. “With a wealth of product variants, 2nd floor meets the needs of different users and offers surprisingly good value for money in this market segment with added value in terms of variety and design.”

Generous on the interior, the shallow design of the washbasins, bathtubs and shower trays harmonises perfectly with the slimline exterior. The range includes everything from the small cloakroom unit to the large double washbasin that, depending on requirements, is available with anything from the elegant wood surround to the floor-standing vanity unit. The drawers and doors in the furniture are self-closing and close gently to protect delicate (children’s) hands. Mirrors and mirror cabinets are easy to operate: a small contact-free sensor point replaces the light switch and thus increases the comfort of all bathroom users, as do the sockets next to the shelves inside the cabinets used, for example, to plug in a hairdryer.

Ketho ... robust and durable.

The 2nd floor bathtubs and shower trays are items of furniture in their own right since, in addition to the built-in versions, there are also various models with wood panelling. The model with an additional large storage shelf is particularly family friendly, he points out.

“This can also be used as a seat and features a shelf or drawer for greater storage space. If the bathtub is surrounded by a step, it also features a practical support that doubles up as a towel rail. The many practical details ensure that day-to-day life in the bathroom runs smoothly and also offer lots of comfort in the family bathroom,” the spokesman concludes.
Founded in 1817, Duravit is present in more than 90 countries and operates with 27 affiliated firms. The company has recently made substantial investments, opening a new factory in India and showrooms in Egypt and Tunisia while extending its facilities in Achern, Germany, to include a new high-bay warehouse.