Duravit’s 2017 Designer Dream Bath Competition, now in its fifth annual year, recognizes the talented architects and designers who demonstrate an innovative, inspired perspective on bathroom design. The winner of the Unbuilt project category, Sarah E. Wilson of Sarah E. Wilson Design (St. Louis, MO) will receive $10,000 in Duravit products to meet her dream design vision. In the Built project category, Janik Lemery of Astro Design Centre (Ontario, CA) was chosen as the winner and will receive $5,000 worth of Duravit product. Honorable Mentions in both categories included: Martin deSousa of deSousa DESIGN (Ontario, CA) in the Unbuilt category and Yoann Ricau of Maxwell + Finch (New York, NY) in the Built category.

Unbuilt Winner: Sarah E. Wilson, Sarah E. Wilson Design

The Unbuilt project category provoked inspiration, asking designers to reimagine their current bathroom space with a range of Duravit products. For the brand’s 200th anniversary, Duravit prompted designers to incorporate their latest collections: Luv by Cecilie Manz and DuraSquare, an in-house Duravit design. Participating designers submitted a rendering or sketch of their “Duravit Dream Bathroom,” including a “Before” image to best convey how Duravit product can be used to improve and redesign a bathroom space.

Speaking on Sarah E. Wilson’s winning Unbuilt entry, Duravit USA President Tim Schroeder stated, “Sarah really highlighted how Duravit product can transform a bathroom. Her inspiration, drawn from DuraSquare’s unique characteristics and features, led to the creation of a modern space enhanced by Duravit fixtures, putting her entry a step above the rest. The judging panel was equally impressed with her focused design and the overall cohesion of her entire submission.”

Wilson’s design created a “modern getaway” for a one-story brick home. With only one bathroom, Wilson focused her design efforts on creating a space that maintained a generous amount of storage while still being inviting, spacious, and modern. Wilson used DuraSquare washbasins, furniture consoles and built-in bathtub as the foundation for a functional, design-savvy bathroom, with finishing touches including a ME by Starck compact toilet and L-Cube furniture pieces in American Walnut to solve storage and space challenges.

The Built category asked designers to showcase their own projects with Duravit fixtures completed between 2012- 2017. The designs could be built for residential, hospitality, and/or commercial settings. The winner of the Built category, Janik Lemery of Astro Design Centre, impressed the jury with his striking, Scandinavian-inspired design and his innovative, expansive use of Duravit products. Lemery’s residential bathroom utilized Duravit’s Cape Cod freestanding tub as a sculptural focal point and accompanied it with Starck 3 undermount Basins and a P3 Comforts toilet with SensoWash seat. The balanced design took influence from the “natural world and varying textures” to create a relaxing bathroom experience, complementing this vision with Duravit’s signature minimalist design and bathroom technology. The finished design provided a “peaceful sanctuary”, and won over the jury with its use of Duravit as both a visual centerpiece and a technological, modern asset for the bathroom.

“Janik was able to expertly convey how Duravit can be used to both enhance the durability and technology of a bathroom, as equally as it can be used to enhance the visual aesthetic,” stated Schroeder. “His project exemplified the modern duality of Duravit.”

Unbuilt Honorable Mention: Martin deSousa of deSousa DESIGN

Honorable Mention winner of the Unbuilt category, Martin deSousa, utilized DuraSquare fixtures to create a luxurious bathroom. deSousa’s design incorporated DuraSquare washbasins and a DuraSquare tub to suit the entrant’s ‘contemporary style,’ creating a modernist, minimal look. Other Duravit product used included a Vero toilet to complement DuraSquare’s geometric lines, and a Stonetto Shower Tray to tie together the natural palette of the entire ensuite.

Built Honorable Mention: Yoann Ricau, Maxwell + Finch

Honorable Mention winner of the Built category, Yoann Ricau, maximized a small space to create a beautifully functional bathroom with Duravit product. The NYC bathroom was updated with a Vero washbasin, X-Large furniture, and a Starck 2 wall-hung toilet. Ricau stated, “Duravit was found to be the perfect solution to combine both minimalist aesthetics whilst optimizing the use of space.”

This 2017 judging panel included Paul Makovsky (Metropolis), Margaret Kim (Bjarke Ingels Group), and Wayne Turett (2016 Duravit Designer Dream Bath Competition Unbuilt winner).

 

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