25.05.2023 | 5 questions to Henning Rieseler, Studio F. A. Porsche

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Studio F. A. Porsche designed Qatego for Duravit, a bathroom range with clear, pared-down elements that simultaneously exudes naturalness. (Image source: Duravit AG)

• Qatego by Studio F. A. Porsche: harmonious bathroom furniture that references nature
• The bathroom as a place of wellbeing, regeneration, and relaxation
• Natural interplay of materials: wood, ceramic, and natural stone

Studio F. A. Porsche is a leading premium design agency that stands for iconic, timeless, and honest design that references quality workmanship and natural materials. The design agency, which is based in Zell am See in the Austrian Alps, designs products for its customers around the world. The success story started in 1963 when Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed the iconic “Porsche 911” sports car. F. A. Porsche set up a dedicated studio for product design in 1972, which today remains true to its founder’s design philosophy. Clear lines, minimalism, and elegance are placed center stage in the same way as durable materials and an honest design concept.

F. A. Porsche designed the Qatego bathroom series for Duravit: wood, ceramic, and natural stone come together to create a harmonious bathroom design for an unmistakable homely atmosphere with skillfully accentuated niches.
The rounded form of the sanitary objects is striking against the linear and minimalistic design of the cabinets, creating a holistic bathroom interior of effective contrasts.


Question 1: Studio F. A. Porsche has always stayed true to its founder’s philosophy: maximum functionality with an honest design. Mr. Rieseler, how was this approach implemented in the Qatego bathroom collection for Duravit?

When it came to Qatego and bathroom design overall, we opted for a completely new approach within our philosophy: the most significant function in a private area such as the bathroom is the feeling of comfort and wellbeing. It is these highly emotional “functions” that people seek in their private home, especially at a time when the outside world appears increasingly restless and maybe also a little discomforting. For that reason, Qatego focuses on simplicity and a very human touch that we have combined with softer forms and which are exceedingly minimalist and iconic overall. As a result, everything appears very natural and discreet.


Question 2: What was the basic idea behind the development of the bathroom collection and what were you intending to achieve?

We wanted to design a product range that is in line with human needs and restores a more natural approach to the bathroom. We immediately liked Duravit’s main material – ceramic – with its natural tactility and softness. Instead of working against the material or introducing new, unknown materials into the bathroom, we saw ceramic as already being the best choice for our approach of the “new naturalness”. A further objective was also to compile a very broad palette of products and materials, and we were able to realize that with Duravit.


Question 3: Mr. Rieseler, Qatego stands out with its striking design - what do you consider to be the most important features of the bathroom range?

The most important design features are the soft forms at the upper edge of the products. All products can be recognized easily and immediately at first glance because we have mainly used elementary shapes such as squares and circles. Up close you feel the perfect balance as soon as you touch the products: soft details lend a sense of naturalness, without appearing to be too organic.


Question 4: Qatego impresses with the interaction of natural materials such as wood, ceramic, and natural stone. How are these materials combined with one another?

Part of our design idea is that all materials and colors are harmonized with one another and can be combined in a variety of ways: the white ceramic of the washbasins combines with the furniture elements, which are available in wood décor and muted solid colors, as well as with a stone console in three different materials. Faucets can also vary the look, of course. Combining white marble with a black faucet, for example, gives the product a soft overall impression, yet the color contrast also lends the series a refined and exclusive look.


Question 5: This is the first time that Studio F. A. Porsche has worked with Duravit – how did the design process of the new collection progress?

The process was exciting for us because Duravit kept the brief really open. There were two stipulations that we found attractive and challenging: on the one hand the question of how customers’ requirements on a bathroom have changed. The second was explicitly not to design a collection that would only appeal to a small target group, but rather that should be attractive to a wide range of customers in terms of its design and variety. In this respect we conducted many constructive discussions within the design team and above all with Duravit and learned a lot from each other. The entire development process, both in terms of the concept and the implementation, was characterized by an excellent, close collaboration as well as the strong motivation of everyone involved at Duravit and of course here at Studio F. A. Porsche. This can be clearly seen from the result.