Starck X bathtub

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2006

Rituals and water play -
design of the elementary
Water has a mystic quality and is worshipped in many cultures around the world due to its cleansing power. People are increasingly looking for places where they can intensively experience the magic of cleansing again. These are places where the luxury of silence and the return to simple rituals directly effect spirit, body and soul. The Starck X bathtub brings to mind such archaic cleansing rituals. The genuine and original nature of the basic element of water finds its expression in a minimalist design aimed at recalling a bygone era and, in doing so, creating a formal bridge to the present. With this bathtub, the designer Philippe Starck also focuses on the human being, who draws new energy >from the contact with water. With its spacious dimensions of 180 x 90cm, the bathtub symbolises both abundance and the joy of being submerged in almost exuberant luxury. One of the innovations of this bathtub - something too which is an expression of its symbolic exuberance - is the possibility to activate relaxing water plays while taking a bath. A translucent water channel, mounted on the outside around the rim, allows the bather to choose individual interplays of colour via a touch-button remote control. A further interesting detail of this bathtub: instead of an overflow, real white stones absorb the overflowing water into the surrounding channel. The design concept also integrates natural materials such as wood: as an option, the bathtub is available with water-resistant, straight wooden inserts that are placed on the rim of the channel to add a homely touch.