Creative constant

Swiss industrial designer Peter Wirz has been working with Laufen for a good two decades and, with his design agency Vetica, has been a lasting font of ideas for the premium manufacturer of sanitary wares. The collaboration began back in 1998, and its milestones thus far have included the “Laufen Pro” collection as well as the bidet-toilets “Cleanet Riva” and “Cleanet Navia”. “Twenty-two years of collaboration have created a special bond, and Peter Wirz has become an important part of what we are. He is intimately familiar with the culture of Laufen, with our DNA, and in recent years he has undoubtedly shaped it and influenced it more than any other designer,” comments Alain Reymond, Head of Design Management at Laufen. Wirz knows how to strike the perfect balance between function, aesthetics, and a contemporary design, meaning his work remains consistently modern even over decades. With the new “MEDA” all-in bathroom collection, he has now created a design language that is as modular as it is characteristic, and which seamlessly follows on from his previous successes for Laufen. So that "MEDA" can be adapted to suit any context, the selection consists of ceramic objects as well as fittings and furniture. All of the elements are straightforward and free of flourishes, yet they offer numerous practical details, like a shelf integrated into the washbasin and bathtub, which is positioned slightly lower than the rim. The aluminum drawers of the vanity units with full-extension runners and discreet strip-handles likewise provide a calming visual surface. Peter Wirz shows his keen sense for detail with the inner surfaces in anthracite, too.

All the transitions are designed to be harmonious, hence the slim side panels of the vanity units merge seamlessly with the washbasins. The selection also includes numerous variations, be it the 43 varnishes for the surfaces, the choice of dimensions for the washbasins, or their versions in white ceramic, glossy, and matt as well as graphite matt and black matt. The bathtub, which is made from the composite material Marbond and offers a particularly pleasing feel, likewise comes in a variety of options – depending on whether it is to be installed as freestanding, flush to the wall, or in a corner version. A special extra is the two-tone option with an outer surface in traffic gray matt and an inner surface in glossy white. Matching fittings are available in a glossy chrome finish and with a PVD coating in titanium black matt. The rimless toilets in the MEDA collection are also among the first models to be equipped with the innovative Silent Flush technology from Laufen – making them currently among the quietest toilets on the market.

All elements function both as individual pieces and in combination with one another, and can be designed as an individual statement or so that they are discreet enough to hardly stand out in the room. “In our work as designers, people are at the heart of what we do – their needs and how they feel. Then there are the influences of the worlds they live in, and most of all how we handle the element of water in the room. All these influences shape our thoughts and ideas when we turn our attention to the product itself and the physical form it will take,” says Peter Wirz. With “MEDA”, Laufen is also sending out a clear signal in favor of long-lasting bathroom fittings that can be adapted flexibly and allow for various different scenarios. “As in the past, the path we are taking together won’t be a straight one in the future either, but will be characterized to an even greater extent by iterative cycles. But what makes me personally positive about the future is our shared approach – our goal to focus increasingly on sustainability and longevity,” says Peter Wirz.

Laufen @ Milan Design Week
Color Archaeology
Laufen space Milano
Via Manzoni, 23, Milan
April 15 to 21, 2024

Laufen @ Salone del Mobile
"Matter" by Snøhetta, Studio Innsbruck
Hall 10 / Stand B21 C16
Salone del Mobile, Milan
April 16 to 21, 2024