STYLEPARK LAUFEN
Evolution of an Icon
With "ILBAGNOALESSI", Stefano Giovannoni created an extensive collection of ceramic products for the bathroom in 2002 that caused a real stir at the time: “The cooperation between Laufen and Alessi was extraordinary in every respect,” comments Giovannoni. A venture that was rewarded with international success – to this day, "ILBAGNOALESSI" by Laufen is one of the most successful and enduring bathroom collections ever. Also revolutionary was the shape of the ensemble created by the Italian designer and qualified architect: “I was inspired by natural stone, which has a direct relationship with water,” he says. Giovannoni created a completely new approach for all products based on this – such as the very first freestanding washbasin made from a single piece of ceramic. Furthermore, he designed the toilet with a curved lid, thereby lending it an aesthetic quality. "ILBAGNOALESSI" is essentially a smooth formal continuation of the natural model it is based on.
The collection is timeless in the truest sense of the word. However, Laufen would not be Laufen if the bathroom specialist did not keep a watchful eye on the technological possibilities available today in order to use them to constantly advance the classics in the range. Thanks to the Saphirkeramik, an ultra-modern ceramic material specially developed by Laufen that combines extremely high hardness and bending strength, new and very demanding shapes can be attained. This has allowed Laufen and Stefano Giovannoni to formally develop the collection further by creating very light and yet generous sizes for the new washbasins. At the same time, the innovative material allows fascinating flexibility in the form, radii of just two to three millimetres are possible: "The introduction of the new Saphirkeramik material allows to reduce the traditional double border of the ceramic to a singular thin surface that emphasizes the elegance of the organic design, characterizing these products", says Giovannoni. Thanks to Laufen's innovativeness in this regard, he has now been able make the lines of the "ILBAGNOALESSI" shapes considerably finer than before. "The perception and design of the product have completely changed," he says. In addition, the patented Saphirkeramik enables that the collection has saved significant amount of weight, saving resources, and thus not only offering a new lightness in terms of appearance.
The bathtub is now made in Sentec, a cast mineral material, to echo the lines of the sink in its inner contours. For more comfort the thin internal surface improves its thickness where on the headrest a polyurethane cushion is placed. Moreover, three new finishes and colour variants are introduced for all the ceramics that add a new character to the products, expanding them to toilets and bidets with the matt finishes in white, black and coffee colour in order take on a more topical value. Evidence of Laufen's interdisciplinary crafts prowess is also visible in the form of the wooden bathroom furniture, such as the vanity unit, which makes a perfect frame for the sensual shape of “ILBAGNOALESSI" while creating an intriguing contrast. The furniture of the further development of "ILBAGNOALESSI" is completely new, due to the utilization of recently launched materials with an innovative opening system that is very functional thanks to a handle obtained through a 45 degrees cut on the sides of the drawer. "New materials such as wood, laminate, ceramic tops and earthy paintings applied to the furniture allow to play with the new ceramics colours creating very sophisticated chromatisms", says Stefano Giovannoni. A crowning touch is the new possibility to set the scene for "ILBAGNOALESSI": The frame structure, aluminium profile with a burnished colour that contains a led line, allows to direct the light creating diffused effects on the walls giving the possibility for different sceneries with a remote-control light management system – from spot lighting to the illumination of wide areas.
ILBAGNOALESSI at LAUFEN space Milano
Via Alessandro Manzoni 23
20121 Milano
6 – 12 June 2022
Milan Design Week
Opening hours:
Monday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
