While the exhibition stands were busy throughout the two days of the recent Sleep event, the Sleep Concept Hotel Bar was the centre of attention thanks to its unique design, with the structure formed out of Laufen ceramic washbasins and shelves.The company’s slim profile Living Square basins were chosen for the project by Nous Design, an interior design practise based in London, which specialises in high end hospitality and residential design services.
Described by Nous Design’s Creative Director Nir Gilad as a ‘flowing structure in a continuous form which expressed the confluence of new hotel design ideas and services that is synonymous with Sleep’, the bar was at the heart of the action throughout the two-day event.
Nir explains: “The Sleep Bar idea started from a proposal to a few of our Laufen friends over a drink – to turn the Laufen washbasins and baths into ice tray bars with champagne flowing taps. This simple idea was turned into an exciting adventure for the creation of the first ceramic bar.
“The structure identified the bar as a place to gather and draw people in,” he continues. “On one side it jetted towards the conference theatre and on the other it acted as the portal to the Sleep Hotel, achieving a strong connection between the two spaces, while creating a pavilion and a social platform for the entire event.
“We used Laufen’s advanced technology and knowledge in new age ceramics in order to create a fantastic unseen design. The ceramic is a unique material in its ability to project a pure and majestic character. This enabled us to create a light, linear and hovering shape which is indifferent to its surroundings.
“The Laufen professional team has proven to be fantastic partners in taking a complex technical matter and turning it into a beautiful experience of aesthetics.”
The structure comprised around 1.5 tonnes of ceramic, formed from eight Living Square washbasins, plus 48 ceramic shelves. Putting all this together to form the finished bar was no mean feat, with the product being fixed on a metal structure, pre-installed in the model shop in Austria and divided into six elements for transportation to London.
Ilker Hussein, Laufen’s Manager for Global Projects, said: “It was a great pleasure and learning experience to work with Nir and the UBM team in delivering the most imaginative bar concept we have had at the Sleep Event. The brain-child of Russell Barnes, Laufen Director of Export & Global Project Sales, and Nir Gilad of Nous Design, the journey to realise this amazing feat was a true example of teamwork.
“The vision of Nir’s design combined with the technical capability of the Laufen team to construct the frame structure to hold six 1.3 metre washbasins and 48 shelf units, together with managing the logistics from Austria to Islington for the set-up, is an experience I will not forget.
“The team at UBM worked hard to ensure we were able to deliver the bar safely to its place within the bar area, helping us coordinate our efforts with the construction partners, Wilmott Dixon and the other bar area sponsors. All the efforts and sleepless nights were worth it once the Sleep Event opened its doors – the reaction of the visitors to the event was truly unbelievable.”
