d39 BATHROOMS / ISH 2019
EMBRACING DIFFERENT CULTURES
Contacts Duravit /
duravit.co.uk
Sieger Design /
sieger-design.com
The combination of Viu sanitaryware and its accompanying XViu furniture makes the range a comprehensive one, scalable to suit many different sizes of bathroom
“We have to have a respect and an interest in humanity as a whole,” says Christian Sieger (pictured above left, with brother Michael). “We’re all lucky enough to have passports that open the door to us being able to go anywhere we want. Six weeks ago I went to Kazakhstan. Before I went, I was asked ‘isn’t it dangerous to go there?’, but really it would be dangerous not to go to these places as it would means you miss out on seeing different cultures, different ideas and ways of living.”
Has the Internet Age helped to open up greater awareness of other cultures? Michael Sieger said: “Well, yes and no. Sure we all have more access to different information from around the world but I’m a little bit worried that we may lose some of these cultures as some of the huge global brands reach all over the planet, selling the same products everywhere and standardising the way we live. In the past, travelling was probably more interesting as going to Asia for example, you could have food that you couldn’t have at home. Now things are more global and we can see culture becoming ‘flatter’ in some ways which is a shame.”
The development of the range has been borne of the creative synergy that is at the heart of this long-term collaboration between design studio and manufacturer. Michael Sieger said: “There are not many clients who we work with for such a long time. We really try to do the right thing for our clients. We don’t just design something for us and then go to a manufacturer and offer it to them or ask them to make it.
“For us it is about the match between the history, the background and a shared understanding of the task in hand.”
So how do new collections such as Viu come about? Does Duravit present the designers with a ‘wish list’ for a particular type of range? Christian Sieger explains: “In this case, we were initially looking at a redesign of an existing collection. As the ideas developed Dr Frank Richter [Duravit CEO] thought it was moving in an interesting direction and suggested maybe we look at making it a whole new range, something radically different like BMW have done with its i8 hybrid supercar.”
“It’s teamwork and with each new design, we try to push the limits and expand the boundaries every time otherwise you never arrive at anything new. But at the same time, you have to come to a realistic result – something not just that everyone likes but which has a functional quality and can be produced and sold around the world for a certain period of time.”
“For us as designers, it’s not like an artist who just creates the work they decide to make. We work on a royalty basis, so if we produce stuff that doesn’t work, our team would want to know why they’re not getting paid! So it is vital for us that we strike the right balance between pushing the boundaries whilst at the same time producing ideas that also work for our manufacturing partners.”
He adds: “The products should speak for themselves. If we have to spend half an hour explaining the products to people then we’ve done a bad job as far as I’m concerned. The real aim is to create an emotional connection that makes the end consumer go into the showroom and say ‘that’s what I want’.” d
designer kitchen & bathroom
designerkbmag.co.uk
MAY 2019
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