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Premiere in the kitchen

Hardly any other designer or architect has caused as much of a stir and amazement, or generated as much controversy as the French universalist Philippe Starck. He influences the design scene and sets trends that transcend all fashion. His outstandingly unique approach is most certainly a product of his awareness of the unusual. This feeling is reflected in the unrestrained freedom, boundlessness and playfulness that is apparent in his work. Now, for the first time, the artist turned his attention to the kitchen sink.
Whether it is used for washing dishes, cleaning vegetables or draining pasta, the sink is a central workplace in the kitchen and its quality and functionality requirements are high. Outstanding design is a must.

A close Duravit collaborator for many years, Philippe Starck has, with his striking new design, addressed these simple, yet diverse activities and restored them to their natural form. The result: a kitchen sink that enhances the brilliance of the ceramic and creates an entirely new appearance that fuses a clean, modern aesthetic with top functionality. Starck feels that the beauty of this workplace is enhanced, above all, by its simplicity. His design philosophy is based on the principle of reduction – and when designing the sink, he combined this with a particularly "outstanding" feature.

A sink with an "outstanding" basin

The form of the sink focuses on the bare essentials: a series of right angles represent the primary design principle that is ever-present in Starck’s latest creation. Clean lines meet to form a sleek rectangle that blends uniformly and harmoniously with the surrounding installations. The harmonious form also creates extensive draining surfaces in addition to a generous and comfortable basin size.

The draining surface – pure and without grooves – is countersunk while the side walls of the basin protrude eccentrically. The result: a clean rectangle that juts out of the basic form, creating a formally independent container, or basin, with narrow walls that further enhance the "outstanding" elegance of the appearance. The central connecting element between the draining surface and the basin area is a recess which also protects against overflow. When the water level reaches the recess, the excess water cascades onto the draining surface and into the drain. A nice touch: the drain cover is not screwed into place and can easily be removed for cleaning.

Outside of being a key design feature, the outstanding basin also offers functional advantages. Its inner dimensions of 430x310x190 mm (16 7/8” x 12 1/4” x 7 1/2”) allow for a wide action radius that is even sufficient for cleaning baking trays easily. At the same time, the dimensions are such that mobile gastronorm system dishes can also be used. Cutting boards can also be integrated to create working surfaces at two different levels. As a result, a comfortable cutting area is guaranteed for users of all sizes. And, the sink’s slightly-rounded internal corners ensure a perfectly easy post-food prep cleaning.

Individual design possibilities not only in white

The sink is available in dimensions of 1000x510 mm and 900x510 mm (39 3/8” x 20 1/8” and 35 3/8” x 20 1/8”). The draining surface can be on the right or left of the basin as required. These models are supplemented by a version that does away with the draining surface entirely in favor of an extended basin with inner dimensions measuring 775x310x190 mm (30 1/2” x 12 1/4” x 7 1/2”). Here, the design feature is once again very clear: a basin protruding from a basic geometric form. This dynamic family of sinks offers various design possibilities that extend well beyond color.
White, pergamon, anthracite, chestnut brown – the colour design of the ceramics is retained permanently even if there is a high incidence of light as the material is absolutely light-fast. All versions can also be supplied ground for flush installation. The tap hole surface is wide enough to accommodate all conventional tap fittings.

Special mass for high performance in the kitchen

Ceramic materials already demonstrate an impressive robustness in day-to-day use in the bathroom. In the kitchen, however, the ceramic surfaces have to meet additional requirements to those in the bathroom. In contrast to the fine fire clay that is frequently used for kitchen sinks, Duravit has developed a special procedure, a special material mass, which is characterized by a higher level of impact resistance. Robust qualities that make this material predestined for use in the central hub of the kitchen - and ones which Philippe Starck came to appreciate while developing his design. During the course of his collaboration with Duravit, the designer had worked closely with ceramic to create four unique collections. This joint collaboration, which revolutionized the bathroom, now aims to set new standards in product design for the kitchen. Similar to the bathroom design process, the product development phase was very much a game of give and take for all parties involved. In the beginning there were three proposals. The next step involved filtering out just one of these – the best one.

Starck K ›

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