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Premiere in the kitchen

New York, NY – Duravit, a leading manufacturer of innovative bathroom furnishings, has launched Starck K, a collection of kitchen sinks designed by Philippe Starck, signifying the company’s entrance into an entirely new market segment. A close Duravit collaborator for many years, Philippe Starck’s ceramic and furniture designs have continued to enjoy success for over 15 years – and will now make their debut in the kitchen.

Philippe Starck’s designs never cease to amaze, cause a stir, or generate controversy. His outstandingly unique approach is a product of his awareness of the unusual. This feeling is reflected in the unrestrained freedom, boundlessness and playfulness apparent in his work. His design philosophy is based on the principle of reduction – and when designing Starck K, he combined this with a particularly "outstanding" feature.

As the central workplace in the kitchen, the sink requires the perfect balance between high functionality, quality and design. Starck K addresses the simple, yet diverse kitchen activities – washing dishes, cleaning vegetables, draining pasta – by fusing a clean, modern aesthetic with comfort and practicality. Starck feels that the beauty of this workplace is enhanced, above all, by its simplicity.

The form of the Starck K kitchen sink focuses on the bare essentials. A series of right angles represent the primary design principle of reduction where clean lines form a sleek rectangle. In addition to a generous and comfortable basin size, Starck K features an extensive draining surface.

The draining surface – pure and grooveless – is countersunk while the side walls of the basin eccentrically protrude. This protrusion creates an independent container, or basin, with narrow walls, further enhancing its "outstanding" and elegant appearance. A recess in the basin is the central connecting element between the draining surface and the basin area, which also protects against overflow. This allows excess water to cascade 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 16 7/8” x 12 1/4” x 7 1/2” allow for a wide action radius sufficient for easily cleaning large baking trays. These dimensions also allow for the use of large pots, pans and dishes. Cutting boards can be integrated to create two different levels of working surfaces, resulting in a comfortable cutting area guaranteed for users of all sizes. And, the sink’s slightly-rounded internal corners ensure effortless post-food prep cleaning.

Starck K is available in dimensions of 39 3/8” x 20 1/8” and 35 3/8” x 20 1/8” with the option of the draining surface on either the right or left of the basin. These models are supplemented by a version that does away with the draining surface entirely, extending the basin’s inner dimensions to 30 1/2” x 12 1/4” x 7 1/2”. Here, the sink’s geometric design features are again very distinct.
 
This dynamic family of sinks offers various design possibilities, available in five different size combinations and in colors white, pergamon, anthracite, and chestnut brown.  The color 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.

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 process creating a higher level of impact resistance.  This unique process and the resulting robust qualities developed out of necessity to accommodate the “outstanding” basin in Philippe Starck’s design.  

During the course of Starck’s 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.  



Press contacts:

Alex Bursac
Duravit NYC
alex@us.duravit.com
212-686-0033

Shayna McClelland
Susan Grant Lewin Associates
shayna@susangrantlewin.com
212-947-4557

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