Product watch: Qatego from Duravit by Studio F. A. Porsche

The bathroom is increasingly becoming a place of wellbeing, regeneration and relaxation – an alternative realm to the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a private and essential space. A decelerated lifestyle needs a design language that is minimalist and durable while at the same time relying on natural materials with tactile surfaces. The new Qatego bathroom series, designed for Duravit by Studio F. A. Porsche, brings wood, ceramic and natural stone together to create a harmonious bathroom design. The designers see the washbasins and furniture as a single unit of design and functionality.

“With Qatego we took our lead from people’s requirements in the familiar and intimate surroundings of the bathroom,” said Henning Rieseler, Design Director at Studio F. A. Porsche. “That’s why it was important for us to lend the objects a strong emotional quality that goes beyond mere functionality.”

Image credit: Duravit

The furniture of the collection features a linear design language and comes in a range of variants: a console vanity unit with a drawer and an above-counter basin resting upon it, or alternatively a unit that merges seamlessly with a built-in washbasin. Delicately worked and featuring a shadow gap, the panel of the console vanity unit appears to be floating. In functional terms, the storage space of the furniture is managed using an interesting interplay of open and closed surfaces. This runs like a golden thread through all design elements, including the tall cabinets with hinged doors, mirrors and mirrored cabinets with a storage shelf. The open shelves with optional lighting break up the strict, geometric form of the furniture and introduce a homely atmosphere and transparency into the bathroom. They are ideal for the effective presentation of curated items such as perfume bottles, bowls and vases.

Image credit: Duravit

The furniture of the Qatego bathroom range, made from sustainable PEFC-certified wood, is available in eight colours ranging from High Gloss White, natural and reserved nuances such as Taupe Matt and Basalt Matt, as well as strong shades such as Graphite Matt. Additionally, wood tones such as Marbled Oak, Black Oak, Terra Oak and Natural Oak round off Qatego’s colour spectrum inspired by nature. They can also be combined with solid colours and the bi-colour variant represents a special design feature.

The natural stone, deployed by Duravit for the first time, is similarly unique and the design from Studio F. A. Porsche combines the ceramic above-counter basins with stone panels made from Carrara marble, Travertine and Pietra Lavica – a further reference to nature. Here too, a range of customisation options can be selected and the solid stone panel in widths of 1,000 mm or 1,400 mm can be fixed directly to the wall, with the above-counter basin placed directly on it.

The console supports made from anthracite-coloured metal simultaneously act as towel holders. Alternatively, the 1,000 mm wide stone panel can be placed on a wooden console, creating a harmonious symbiosis of two materials and textures. A further design highlight consists of the rounded edges and recesses in the high quality stone panels to the left or right of the above-counter basin, offering space for accessories such as a brush or soap dispenser. Each of the natural stone panels used is a unique piece, which is expressed through the varied shimmering colours and veining. The protective impregnation on the stone surface makes for easy cleaning.

The design language of the sanitary objects combines clear geometries with a soft transition to the upper edge, which has been delicately and precisely worked. Water-worn pebbles with a pleasant feel were the inspiration for the design. “At this point we took a path that is more unusual for Studio F. A. Porsche, as the idea was to create something natural, almost soft and consequently also to reinterpret the functional aspect of the design,” explained Rieseler.

Image credit: Duravit

The rectangular washbasins are available in four variants, as a wall-mounted model as well as an above-counter basin with a tap platform that offers adequate storage space. These are joined by a semi-recessed basin and a built-in basin with characteristically arched sides that is available with a matching, seamlessly integrated console vanity unit. The design highlight of the series is the above-counter basin measuring 600 x 400 mm which, in addition to the standard version, is also available in a variant with strongly arched sides. The freestanding bathtub is consistent with this above-counter basin in formal terms and is the undoubted eye-catcher in the space. It is made from DuroCast Plus mineral cast with moulded-in colour and a fine velvety surface. As with the acrylic built-in bathtub, an ergonomically shaped lumbar support supports the lower back area and guarantees pleasant sitting comfort.

A wall-mounted and free-standing toilet and bidet that blend seamlessly into the overall concept round off the sanitary objects. Pre-fitted hinges enable the toilet seat to be quickly and easily installed. All ceramic elements are optionally available with the antibacterial ceramic glaze HygieneGlaze, which achieves a previously unheard-of hygiene standard. After just six hours, approximately 90 per cent of bacteria are eliminated, with approximately 99.9 per cent eliminated after 24 hours. The Wave faucet series designed by Duravit is the ideal companion to sanitary objects and completes the sophisticated design concept with five different finishes.

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Main image credit: Duravit