The "Kartell by Laufen" bathroom collection is characterised by the combination of two materials that could hardly be more different. The Italian company Kartell uses plastic, one of the youngest materials in human history, to create high-quality furniture and design objects. The Swiss bathroom specialist Laufen, on the other hand, is an expert in ceramics, one of the oldest materials used by man, and handles it in various formulations in a way that very few other companies can emulate. While Laufen has always created its designer bathroom concepts using traditional ceramics, from vitreous china to fine fireclay, "Kartell by Laufen" is the first time the revolutionary Saphirkeramik has been used, the result of years of research and development work by the Swiss manufacturer in preparation for its launch onto the market.
In the new bathroom collections, these two materials – plastic and ceramics – come together: in Saphirkeramik Laufen has been able to bring a sophisticated design language to the washbasin. With a radius of curvature of 1-2 mm and a folding radius of 2 mm, it barely resembles conventional plastic design language. The secret lies in the formula, which gives the ceramics an exceptional hardness and folding strength – similar to that of steel – through the addition of the mineral corundum. Naturally it still retains all the advantages of classic sanitaryware: along with total hygiene, these include the insensitivity of the material to caustic detergents and mechanical abrasion, a long lifespan and total safety in contact with drinking water.
A further innovation that is seen for the first time in the "Kartell by Laufen" range concerns the linearity of the drain outlets, which extend across the entire width of the washbasin, giving the design a whole new look. To coordinate with this, Laufen has developed a new, concealed drain hole, which can be combined with an overflow that is also concealed. While in conventional washbasins the concealed drain hole is always open, the new solution from Laufen allows the water to accumulate by means of a pop-up without running any risk of overflowing.
The drain holes on the shower trays and overflows on the bathtubs in this range follow the same design concept. The overflows on the bathtubs are equipped with atmospheric LED lighting. In the air whirlpool bath configuration, the overflows are also endowed with aromatised misting.
