The emotional side of the bathtub

For Dominik Tesseraux, there’s more to product design than just the creative aspect; he believes it calls for responsibility and evolutionary thinking as well.His designs stand out for the simplicity of their forms: timeless, clearly structured, but with an emotional touch too.After training as a cabinetmaker, studying product design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and working as a salaried designer for several years, he started his own business in 2001. Today he and his staff work out of a brick carriage house in Potsdam.At the ISH 2017, journalist and trend researcher Frank A. Reinhardt spoke to the industry-savvy designer during a podium discussion at the Pop up my Bathroom Atelier lecture forum established by Messe Frankfurt and the German Sanitary Industry Association (Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft VDS e.V.).

Mr Tesseraux, you recently created a fabric-clad bathtub by the name of BetteLux Oval Couture for Bette. How do you hit on an idea like that?Enamelled steel and fabric don’t immediately seem to go together.

Up until now, bathrooms have mainly been regarded from a functional perspective.In the past, the talk was all about spray modes and water resistance.Those are technical aspects, whereas the emotional side, the warmth, the often close contact with the human user or the feel of the products didn’t play much of a role at all.The BetteLux Oval Couture is an attempt to make the first step in that direction.The padded apron is a really emotional element that anybody sitting in the tub instinctively accepts.

Right now, there seems to be a widespread need to have “warmer” materials like wood and textiles in the bathroom rather than just tiles and other “cold” surfaces.Your fabric-clad steel tub achieves just that.But what about the combination of fabric and water?

In principle, the two don’t actually go together that well.But we used high-performance fabrics that are water-repellent, mould-resistant and easy to clean.So why not make the most of the scope that gives you?The feeling when you’re lying in the tub and reach over the edge is completely different.You get immediate tactile feedbackthat’s both comfortable and emotional.

Would you say architects are attaching more importance to the bathroom nowadays?

I think so, yes.The bathroom will undergo a similar development to the kitchen,which was also a separate functional area for a long time.In the past you wanted to be able to close the door when you were cooking, if only because of the smells.Nowadays every kitchen manufacturer portrays the ideal of an open-plan kitchen with an island layout.It’s become important to communicate while you’re cooking.The main parameters are shifting, and it’s not just about functionality any more, it’s about emotionality too.The kitchen and living space are merging.The bathroom and bedroom have been moving in a similar direction for some time now, and the bathroom in particular can be a very interesting and important area for architects.Unfortunately, especially when it comes to rental housing, this development is being ignored by a stubborn and outdated perception of architecture. Although the kitchen, living area and bedroom are being interpreted in quite a modern, open way, the bathroom remains a closed box measuring just six square metres – with a standard washbasin, standard toilet and standard shower.

All the same, people feel the need to make more varied use of the bathroom.And that means making it a nicer place to spend time in.A bathtub like this is a great way to do that.

Obviously there are certain restrictions when it comes planning a bathroom.Before it’s built, you need to know where the water is going to come from, where the wastewater drains and where the connections are.That method of installation makes the planning very static and inflexible.If more modern systems were invented – perhaps a plug-in system along the lines of what Gardena has developed – and could be integrated into the architecture at a later date, architects and end customers would have a lot more freedom when it comes to making the most of the space.

Another of your customers – Keuco – is focusing on wood right now.Would you say the trend is in the air?

As a designer, part of my job is to identify gaps. Sometimes you wonder why certain things don’t exist, even though they seem perfectly obvious.95% of all bathroom furniture is made of chipboard.It needs to be specially treated to protect it from moisture because water destroys chipboard.So why not make the furniture out of solid wood to begin with?For us, that was the obvious answer.

Could you tell us something about the collection?

The collaboration with Team7, a company that specialises in solid wood, was a wonderful experience for Keuco.For us, the challenge was to reflect the current trend towards simplicity and quiet products while nevertheless giving the furniture solid wood detailing and a tactile quality.On the outside the product is very simple, but when you touch it you feel the softness of the wood and immediately know it’s something special.

Can you make any predictions as to what direction you think things will move in over the next few years?

Right now everybody is saying we need technology.That’s particularly true in the case of lighting.But I don’t think it’s good when technology encourages or even forces the user to adopt unusual behaviour.Technology should serve us, it ought to facilitate processes and remain invisible.I have a problem with making technology the be all and end all of everything.

I see the strategies of the companies who are trying to shape the market as one of the major challenges.A growing number of brands are trying to evolve from specialists into generalists and just end up creating increasingly similar portfolios.In generations to come, cultivating a brand will become more important than product development.In, say, 20 years from now, we might be faced with a scenario that resembles an outlet centre, where Geberit, Keuco, Bette and Kaldewei will all have shops with identical offerings and consumers will base their decisions solely on a certain brand or a certain attitude.

So do you think the industry needs to open up towards consumers?

Definitely.And companies have to find the essence of their brand.If you’re a fittings producer and decide to make bathtubs and bathroom furniture as well, you might increase the breadth of your product range but lose your identity and heritage.And then you’re faced with the task of reclaiming and reshaping that identity.

And what role does the designer play in all that?

A supporting one.