burgbad, Coco

Coco: the essence of quiet strength

03/16
burgbad, Coco

 

Coco is straightforward, simple, geometric – and yet extremely graceful all the same. Although burgbad’s new bathroom furniture collection is designed with graphic, almost minimalistic clarity, it has a surprisingly feminine appeal: slender, delicate and style-conscious, but also unobtrusive and understated. Developed in collaboration with Spanish design studio Lievore Altherr Molina, the collection seems tailor-made for sophisticated, urban interior design that interprets the bathroom as a modern-day boudoir, as a retreat for enjoying the quiet hours at the beginning and end of the day. 

burgbad, coco

Coco is made for creating sophisticated interior design concepts – even in small urban spaces – and turning the bathroom into an aesthetic island of calm defined by quiet but compelling good looks and clever functionality (photo: burgbad). 

burgbad, Coco

Thanks to an extremely slender mineral cast vanity top, which is just 6.5 mm thick and fully integrated with the cabinet, and the clear, flush design language, the unit creates the impression of a self-contained, homogeneous whole (photo: burgbad). 

burgbad, Coco

A mirror cabinet with poetic lighting: thanks to the smooth gradient of the mirrored surface and the indirect lighting, Coco’s perfectly circular mirrored door conjures up associations with a glowing disc hovering over the horizon and transports the invigorating power of dawn or the tranquillity of sunset into the bathroom (photo: burgbad). 

Lacquer or veneer: vanity cabinet with two pullouts equipped with tip-on technology and self-closing sides. Although the fronts look as if they are divided, the pullouts extend the entire width of the cabinet. By playing with vertical and horizontal veneer patterns, the front creates a rhythmic, vivacious impression (photo: burgbad). 

First and foremost, Coco’s character is defined by the unusual design created by Jeannette Altherr. The delicate base, the svelte, balanced proportions and the homogenous unit formed by the slender mineral cast vanity top and cabinet emphasise the furniture-like character of the collection, which also includes a tall cabinet, illuminated mirror and mirror cabinets as well as a handy bench and towel ladder. Coco focuses on the essentials – both in its design and its functionality. 

 

The vanity unit brings together all the individual elements of the design: a clearly delineated, perfectly round bowl set into an elongated mineral cast rectangle, an airy base – made of metal like its vintage predecessors – and handle less fronts with varying grain patterns. The roundness of the mirror and bowl add a feminine element that counterbalances the straightness of the surrounding cubes. Coco deftly plays with geometric shapes and graphic lines, curves and angles, vertical and horizontal planes, uninterrupted expanses and filigree elements. And hovering above everything else is the perfect circle of the mirror. 

 

Washbasin with a spacious ledge and captivating layout 

The modern washing area with its small bowl provides more space for storage functions than for boisterous water games. Thanks to its extremely thin mineral cast top, which is just 6.5 mm thick, the console-like vanity unit looks remarkably homogeneous. It is available either as a wall-mounted version or as a floor-standing model with a black metal frame made of softly rounded profiles (height: 870 mm). With a uniform depth of 500 mm, the vanity console comes in four different widths, ranging from a 600 mm single basin version all the way to a double vanity with two basins that measures 1500 mm across. In the 900 mm and 1200 mm wide models, the asymmetrical position of the bowl in relation to the wide ledge creates an even more suspenseful layout. The fronts are also attractively structured: some models are asymmetrically separated into two or three individual areas with almost invisible divisions. 

 

Another striking effect is created by the real-wood finishes: the fronts feature both wide and narrow leaves of veneer with grains running in different directions – a pattern that is reversed on the lower pullout of the wall-mounted model. This play with vertical and horizontal grains gives the fronts a rhythmic, vivacious look.  

 

Storage space solutions for different needs: open or closed, mounted on the wall or standing on the floor 

The wall-mounted version with space-saving trap has two pullouts that are arranged one on top of the other and equipped with convenient tip-on technology and self-closing slides. The lower drawer is 160 mm high and thus slightly shallower than the upper pullout, which is 240 mm high. The double vanity unit features four separate, asymmetrically distributed pullouts with one wider and one narrower drawer per level. The floor-standing vanity cabinet on the metal base replaces the lower drawer with a roomy open shelf. 

 

Additional storage space is provided by the two-door tall cabinets (height: 1760 mm, depth: 350 mm, width: 350 mm), which are available either with two interior drawers or with external mirrors on the doors. More than anything else, however, Coco provides an unusual amount of shelf space: on and under the wide vanity top, in a wide mirror cabinet with an open shelving element and on a wide, low storage bench (height: 420 mm, depth: 350 mm, width: 700 mm). The bench adds a cosy, flexible element to the bathroom design and can be placed under the wall-mounted vanity unit if required, where it provides a handy surface for fresh clothes and towels or can even double as a step for little feet and short legs, enabling children to be part of rituals like washing hands, brushing teeth or having a quick wash. 

 

Cabinets with a mirror instead of mirror cabinets 

The design of the mirror cabinets in the Coco collection is no less unusual. Rather than being completely mirrored, they take the form of a shelving element with an open compartment and, in some cases (depending on the width of the carcass chosen), a door. Like all the inner surfaces of the Coco carcasses, the interior of the cabinet features the same lacquered or veneered finish as the outside, which creates an extremely sophisticated and upmarket look. 

Thanks to their mix of materials, asymmetric structure, open elements and warm lighting, the mirror cabinets make a much less hermetic impression than classic models. 

In line with the asymmetrical approach of the design concept, they only ever have one mirrored door which – in models with a width of 900 mm or more – can be mounted on either the left or right side (widths: 600, 900, 1200 or 1500 mm). Only the biggest of the mirror cabinets, which is designed to match the size and function of the double vanity unit, has two mirrored doors with an open shelving compartment between them. 

The mirror cabinets are also available in two different design versions that provide different amounts of storage space: a lower model with a circular mirrored door that projects beyond the edges of the cabinet (carcass height: 400 mm, mirror diameter: 700 mm) and a higher, entirely right-angled model (height: 600 mm) with square mirrored doors that sit flush with the carcass. In both cases the doors, which are mirrored on both sides, cover a vertical function bar containing a magnifying mirror and power socket. 

Atmospheric lighting that echoes the rising sun

For the lighting concept, burgbad and Jeannette Altherr came up with a design that is as simple as it is intelligent: the colour-variable LED lights integrated at the top and bottom of the mirror cabinet shine their indirect light on both the washbasin and wall. As a result, they not only provide unusually atmospheric ambient lighting but accentuate the cabinet too, giving it a very sculptural, almost magical quality. The surface of the mirror itself is screen-printed with a smooth gradient that transitions into clear glass towards the outside of the circle, allowing the light to shine through the edges of the round mirror door from behind to create an extremely homogeneous effect. 

 

Thanks to the adjustable LED lighting around its circumference that allows the user to choose any setting between warm and cold white, the circular illuminated mirror from the Coco collection is enough in itself to bathe the room in an atmospheric light. But for those who like things a little more unusual and appreciate the way the collection plays with right-angled and circular shapes, the mirror cabinet with the round mirrored door is the ultimate answer. Even in daylight, it provides an eye-catching highlight that centres a room’s energy on the vanity unit. But when it’s dark outside, it becomes the focal point of the entire ensemble and, like a glowing disc hovering over the horizon, brings the invigorating power of dawn or the tranquillity of sunset into the bathroom. 

 

A towel ladder and accessories emphasise the cosy atmosphere 

The collection is rounded off by another element that underlines the cosy, living-space character of the design: a towel ladder which, like the tower rail that can be mounted on the side of the vanity unit, is made of black painted metal. Like all the components of the Coco range, the towel ladder looks as if it can just be picked up and taken along next time its owners move house. A line of accessories designed by burgbad puts the finishing touches to this idea. 

 

An island of calm amid the turbulence of urban life 

But the unusual design language that sets Coco apart from classic bathroom furnishings isn’t the only thing that’s special about this collection: its flexibility and compact functionality are no less remarkable. Its dimensions and combination options make Coco an ideal choice for sophisticated interior design – especially in the modestly-sized bathrooms often found in urban areas. Even in small spaces, the collection can be used to implement wellness concepts that see regeneration as the logical outcome of focusing on the essentials.  

 

On-trend matt finishes for furniture fronts and mineral cast vanity tops 

The warm and premium finishes available for this collection aspire to the same goal. The colours for the lacquered fronts – White, Champagne, Sand, Reed, Light Grey, Grey and Dark Grey – are available with both a high-gloss and matt finish. Customers can even choose between a gleaming or matt, velvety finish for the white mineral cast vanity top. The soft feel of the latter option gives the design a particularly sensuous appeal. The furniture carcasses are also available in a wide range of real wood veneers that are applied to all visible surfaces: besides an extensive selection of oak finishes (Natural, Light Grey, Fineline Light, Fineline Light Grey, Authentic and Tobacco) customers can also opt for Natural Walnut or Natural Bamboo. 

 

Room to regenerate 

Coco is a combination of Scandinavian poise and sensuousness – a hallmark of German-born designer Jeannette Altherr, who moved to Barcelona in 1988 to continue her studies. Together with her partners Alberto Lievore and Manuel Molina, she has been developing products for clients such as Arper, Thonet and Foscarini since 1991. Jeannette Altherr attaches great importance to giving her creations a warm and cosy feel and has designed every last detail of the collection along these lines: the furniture-like character of every single element, as well as the care lavished on the details and balanced proportions – on the interaction between the basin and mirror, the relationship between the surfaces and volumes, the interrelated structure of the pullouts and shelving compartments and the combined effect of the materials – all this is geared towards creating a sense of wellbeing and equilibrium. The user draws strength from the intuitive feeling that everything is as it should be. It’s as if the collection had found the golden ratio for the bathroom. 

 

Further information: 

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