For many years light was simply reduced to its basic function: providing brightness to enable vision-related tasks to still be done even after dark. Now it has been recognised that light has a tremendous influence on people and their health. Light significantly determines our well-being, it controls our sleep / wake patterns and during the day it regulates the release of a wide range of hormones.
Designer Dominik Tesseraux on his design philosophy, the design process and the challenges presented by steel-enamel as a material
Every two years the Solar Decathlon takes place in California. The highly acclaimed university competition for sustainable construction organised by the U.S. Department of Energy has been honouring energy self-sufficient building innovations for future living concepts. From 130 entries submitted, two European teams qualified. Duravit supported both of them.
Music transports us in time and emotion, it can take us on a journey down memory lane, have a calming effect, or cheer us up – Sound Wave from Kaldewei harnesses this power in innovative ways and combines it with the therapeutic effect of a hot bath to create an entirely new bathing experience.
Création Baumann, the Swiss innovative textile specialist, artistically fuses refined weaves and light. This autumn the company is launching “eLumino”, an exclusive textile product with embroidered LED elements that shine, glow or shimmer depending upon the desired look and which can even be dimmed.
Bathroom furniture specialist Burgbad is known for its broad spectrum of washstand solutions and mirror cabinets, for solitaire collections and the architectural furniture range rc40. The new system Cconceptwall is a modular programme that integrates a wide range of different functions. It is about to blur the boundaries between the washstand and furniture. This project is the result of burgbad's collaboration with one of the most renowned designers of Europe's creative scene: Marc Sadler.
The Dom Hotel Cologne is one of the oldest grand hotels in Europe. No other hotel in downtown Cologne offers a better view of the city's stately landmark cathedral. In order to increase the hotel's capacity, the neighbouring Blau-Gold-Haus (Blue-Gold House) has been remodelled and renovated as an extension to the Dom Hotel. When it came to equipping the bathrooms, the interior designers chose fittings and accessories from Keuco's Edition 300 series.
Bathroom furniture specialist Burgbad has developed a new kind of bathroom furniture system in collaboration with designer Marc Sadler: Cconceptwall. Unlike conventional bathroom furniture collections, Cconceptwall is a modular “wall in front of the wall” system. The crucial product benefit Cconceptwall offers is however the, so the manufacturer says, almost infinite combinability of its elements. Similarly to a construction set, the washstands can be combined with deck-mounted or wall-mounted fittings, tall cabinets, mirrors and shelves in various sizes and top panels as required.
The era of "smart" devices with its tablet PCs and its smartphones is making its mark in many different areas of life. In our homes too, it is hard to imagine life without clever high-tech elements any more - even in kitchens and bathrooms. But electronic fittings, like those from KWC, are far more than just a gimmick for technophiles. What youngsters perceive as a luxury becomes a useful barrier-free solution later on in life.
Water is one of the elementary requirements for life on earth. The human body consists of 60% water. About 71% of the surface of the earth is covered with water. Water is our most important aliment and, among other things, it serves as a means for bodily hygiene, the preparation of food or for energy production. It offers recreation and pleasure and is, moreover, a very attractive and sensuous material. The Designpreis Halle 2014 deals with even this topic: Water.