Studio Besau-Marguerre designs exclusive b:me bathroom collection for burgbad

The b:me design line from burgbad surprises with a totally new look and avantgarde aesthetic. Whether you opt for classic elegance in neutral white and anthracite grey or an on-trend bicolour combination – b:me gives the bathroom a living room feel. Marcel Besau and Eva Marguerre took their inspiration for the strikingly shaped b:me washbasin and the soft design language of the accompanying furniture from the play of light and shade on sand dunes. The result is a lacquer collection with superbly crafted rounded fronts. The colour palette reflects Studio Besau-Marguerre’s feel for contemporary interior design and is completely customisable. What’s more, the conveniently designed corner vanity for guest bathrooms doubles as an attractive, architectonic option for small bathrooms in tiny house style.

“Our very first impulse after seeing the mineral cast samples was that we had to do something tactile!” says Eva Marguerre of the design process behind the new burgbad collection. “The material is so lovely to touch; it feels like pebbles that have been washed smooth by the sea. That thought led to the idea of eroded rock formations and desert landscapes with dunes and sand formations shaped by the wind.”

First and foremost, however, b:me is defined by its architectonic character and an almost classic elegance. Even the washbasin itself combines organic forms with geometric clarity. Graphic contours taper towards the drain and into a point, forming an intriguing contrast with the softly shaped bowl. “We approached the form of the mineral cast basin via the aesthetic of a sheet of paper that has been only partially folded to produce sharp creases, which then transition into soft curves,” explains designer Marcel Besau. “Above all, the form is modulated by light and shade and combines the soft, domed surfaces of sand dunes with clear contours.”

Be yourself with b:me

b:me is round and soft, with a customisable palette and colourways. “Like burgbad, we wanted a collection that would let people give their bathroom a particularly cosy feel and permit a lot of variability. We also liked the idea of a piece of furniture that would welcome you in the mornings like a hug,” says Eva Marguerre. The first collaboration between the Hamburg design duo and bathroom furniture specialist burgbad has resulted in a bathroom series with a sensuous quality and a feel that echoes contemporary interior design. Due to the combination of a soft design language and clear lines, however, b:me also conveys the sense of being an object in its own right: a piece of wall-mounted furniture that blends in with the architecture but will always attract attention. Like a canvas, b:me
becomes the expression of a personal style – bold, expressive, elegant, modern.

A guest vanity that provides a compelling option for small bathrooms too

The b:me vanity for guest bathrooms has been designed as a corner solution, making it possible to place the mixer on the side of the basin and make the bowl slightly deeper than usual from front to back. Its dimensions (width: 500mm; depth: 340mm) are relatively large for a guest vanity; this, combined with the decent amount of storage space provided by the cabinet (height: 510mm; overall height of vanity set: 640mm), also makes it an interesting option for small or very small bathrooms in urban contexts and tiny houses. The space-saving corner vanity is mounted on the wall and can be combined with the compact cabinets from the b:me collection and an illuminated mirror for guest bathrooms (width: 400mm; height: 800mm) with a rounded design and sensor-controlled LED lighting around the perimeter.

Innovative look: a vanity unit with a waistline

Consisting of a mineral cast washbasin (available in glossy or matt white) and an elegantly rounded cabinet, the eye-catching vanity unit is the centrepiece of burgbad’s new sys20 design line. The models are available in the usual standard widths for single and double vanities (width: 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200mm; total height: 680mm; depth: 550mm) and provide a generous amount of storage space in two pullouts of equal height (260mm).

But there’s something else about the vanity set that creates a special yet totally self-evident look: the b:me basin and vanity cabinet were designed together and form a natural unit, even though the basin stands out from the cabinet and sets itself apart. Seen from above, the contours of the mineral cast washbasin are identical with those of the cabinet – just like a built-in vanity top. And yet because of its form and the “waist” between the bottom of the basin and the top of the cabinet, the generously sized basin actually looks more like a countertop solution. On a practical level, the waist makes cleaning easier and protects the cabinet from splashing water. The premium-quality rounded lacquered fronts of the cabinet mirror the softly rounded contours of the washbasin exactly. Thanks to both the quality of the finishes and its design language, the b:me vanity has a tactile appeal that makes you want to run your hand over its surfaces.

Cleverly used storage space without a trap cutout

The division of the vanity cabinet into pullouts and side compartments equipped with a power socket provides space in the middle for neatly organised smaller items and room on the sides for taller bottles, rolls of toilet paper or towels. The fact that the entire upper pullout can be used for storage is a luxurious extra bonus: thanks to the clever design and the thickness of the material, it was possible to eliminate the cutout that is usually necessary in order to accommodate the trap.

burgbad: state-of-the-art rounded fronts and lacquered finishes

“The expertise for manufacturing b:me’s rounded fronts is a USP for burgbad. The development of the basin, the moulds for the fronts and the fact that some of the production steps have to be done by hand means that a product like this is only feasible when boutique manufacturing is implemented on an industrial scale – and burgbad has a tradition of doing precisely that,” explains head of marketing Sabine Meissner.

Furniture with a feel-good factor: rounded fronts with premium lacquered finishes

b:me aims to bring a new, consistently modern sense of comfort to the bathroom. Its soft forms and warm colour palette create an atmosphere that radiates tranquillity and cosiness. The softly rounded edges of the door fronts echo the rounded corners of the vanity unit.

The range of matching wall-mounted furniture consists of low, mid-height and tall cabinets (width and depth: 350mm; height: 520, 1,160 and 1,680mm) with glass shelves. The low and mid-height cabinets can also be combined to create tall units – giving customers the option of selecting two different colours if they like. If the change of colour is implemented at the same height as the “waist” of the vanity unit, the consistent horizontal dividing line creates a connecting link between the individual pieces of furniture and helps create a homogeneous interior design. The handleless rounded fronts with tip-on/soft-close technology underscore b:me’s minimalist design.

A matching sideboard (width: 600mm; height: 550mm; depth: 355mm) and a choice of shelves (widths: 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200mm; depth: 150mm) provide additional scope for designing a cosy look and are an easy way to create harmonious transitions to other areas of the home such as the entrance, hallway or bedroom.

Mirrors and mirror cabinets round off the look

The collection also includes mirrors and mirror cabinets in a matching design and widths. The wall mirrors have a shelf in the same colour as the fronts (depth: 150mm) and sensor-controlled LED lighting around the perimeter. The mirror cabinets (height: 600mm; depth: 200mm; outer carcass in matching finish) are equipped with various convenient features and either one or two carcass-mounted LED lights (plus 50mm height per light) that extend from the top and bottom edges of the rectangular mirror cabinet at a slant, softening its outline with rounded corners and ensuring the face is optimally lit. And because the mirror and mirror cabinet lighting is both dimmable and colour-variable, it can be adjusted from functional to atmospheric and from cold to warm white.

Neutral shades or a riot of colour in natural shades of red

The lacquered fronts can be selected with a high-gloss, matt or ultra matt finish. And in addition to the basic colours White, Sand, Reed, Light Grey, Sage Green, Grey, Dark Grey and Anthracite, b:me is also available in burgbad’s latest trend colours. In addition, b:me can also be configured in two colours. Bicolour combinations add a sense of lightness to the space, for instance when the tall cabinet consisting of two cabinet elements is selected in a lighter shade (for the upper element) and a darker colour (for the lower element). The lighter shade serves as a colour bridge with the white of the washbasin.

On request, burgbad can produce the furniture in any RAL colour for individual interior designs and projects. For an individual setting, for instance, Besau-Marguerre combined the Sandstone shade from burgbad’s trend colour palette with a custom RAL colour in reddish beige – a shade very similar to the trend colour terracotta that creates a particularly warm atmosphere. As an example of the design duo’s exquisite feel for colour, the Beige Red complements the Sandstone shade perfectly and is available from burgbad as an exclusive colour set for fans of this atmospheric colour combination.

From minimalistic to opulent: b:me can be used to create a wide range of styles

In the samples for Besau-Marguerre’s interior design concept, ultra matt finishes predominate because they come closest to the feel of the mineral cast washbasin. “But we can’t wait to see how the vanity looks in other finishes and contexts,” says Eva Marguerre. “In a classic setting, for instance, I think it would look great in White or Anthracite with a high-gloss finish.” Marcel Besau also sees wide-ranging stylistic potential for the collection: “Thanks to the combination of clear lines and soft forms, b:me can be interpreted in two architectural directions: besides being suitable for very understated design concepts, it can also be used to create very opulent combinations.”

The designer collections create contemporary accents in burgbad’s extensive portfolio

b:me is the latest in a series of designer collections that bathroom furniture specialist burgbad has developed in collaboration with external design studios. Extensive product ranges and exclusive collections have been created together with nexus product design, Lievore Altherr Molina / Altherr Désile Park, Stefan Diez, Patrick Frey and now Studio Besau-Marguerre. Each of these projects exhibits the individual signature of the collaborating designer or designers and takes its own distinctive approach to interior design.

“We were confident that our collaboration with Eva and Marcel would result in a particularly cosy interpretation of the bathroom and that, as with some of our other designer collections, it would blur the boundaries with other areas of the home,” explains Sabine Meissner. “We love Besau-Marguerre’s original style, which is sometimes described as playful purism and seems to be inspired by nature and art in equal measure. Their open-mindedness towards bold colours was also something we were very interested in, of course. And that’s exactly what we got: b:me is minimalistic and bold, classic and progressive, harmonious, soft and feminine. Thanks to its expressiveness and premium quality, b:me definitely stands out from the usual bathroom furniture repertoire that the market has to offer.”

Studio Besau-Marguerre

Thinking in terms of the big picture with an endless passion for detail – that’s the foundation that Studio Besau-Marguerre’s creative work is built on. Founded by partners Marcel Besau and Eva Marguerre in 2011, the studio’s interdisciplinary approach to design encompasses product and graphic design, exhibition design and large-scale interior design projects such as the furnishings for Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall. The latest evidence of their Hanseatic roots is their redesign of the foyer of Hamburg’s MK&G Museum, a project that once again illustrates their intuition and courage when it comes to unusual and vivid colours. Known for their experimental forms and use of surprising materials, the designer duo takes a holistic approach to both brand consulting and concept implementation. The creative work for any project starts with the product itself and factors the interior into the concept right from the start. Studio Besau-Marguerre’s work for renowned companies like Vitra, Artek, Thonet, Schönbuch, e15, Fürstenberg and burgbad has resulted in numerous design awards.