Dornbracht Atelier in hotels: “There are no limits to individual tap designs, except those imposed by physics.”

Dornbracht Atelier offers endless possibilities for customising fittings and adapting them entirely to your own creative ideas and visions. Whether marble handles or invisible water sources – in this interview, Maike Hillmer, who is responsible for the new business segment, explains how she and her team are setting new standards in hotel design with tailored solutions. 

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Maike, customisation is one of the megatrends of our time. What role does it play in the hotel sector today?
Individualisation is an omnipresent megatrend in the hotel industry that is becoming increasingly important. In the luxury segment in particular, the use of tailor-made items is becoming a decisive factor for many when making their decision. Dornbracht occupies a truly unique position in this area: no other brand can offer such a high degree of customisation in the fittings sector – not least because we can draw on 75 years of experience. Tailored solutions are a real door opener for us in the hotel sector. Special designs are frequently requested, particularly for prestigious high-end projects. Well-known designers and architects are very conscious of their own signature style, for example, when designing luxurious suites. Here, exclusive fittings become an integral part of a holistic design concept – and the more we can precisely match these ideas, the better. The advantage we have is that the same hotels will also furnish their other rooms with our design series.  

Are there any design requests that you receive particularly frequently?
The integration of natural stone is currently a hot topic. Anyone designing interiors for project developers or hoteliers often follows a specific colour and material concept. Let's assume, for example, that all bathrooms are to be fitted with a specific, high-quality type of marble that appears throughout the room: on the floor, on the walls, and on the washbasin. In such cases, we often receive requests for this natural stone to be reflected in the design of the fittings, usually incorporated into the handles. However, sometimes customers want a specific gemstone to be integrated into the handle design. We usually discuss this with our partners in this field. 

That sounds quite varied and challenging...
It is. Although the challenges can of course be much more mundane. Keyword: special dimensions. The washbasin design is often highly individual, which means that our fittings must also be precisely tailored to it. This applies not only to the appearance, but above all to the smallest technical details and subtleties: for example, when it comes to finding the perfect point where the water jet hits the washbasin. 

What hotel project are you currently working on?
Unfortunately, I must keep that under wraps for now. All I can say is that our customer is a very well-known luxury manufacturer who is involved in a hotel and residential project in Dubai. The brand and its products are characterised by specific metal structures, which are now being incorporated into our fittings so that this signature look, tailored to the brand, also appears uniformly in the bathrooms. We used sandblasting, a very rarely used surface technology, to achieve this. It creates a deep, ultra-matte finish that gives the fittings a particularly elegant look.  

What was the most unusual request you have received so far?
We once had a customer who wanted the bathtub to be filled by an invisible fitting. To achieve this, we came up with a kind of hole in the ceiling from which the water falls directly into the tub as a laminar jet. Once, someone also liked the idea of installing a veil made of flowing water in their pool, which you can swim through. To achieve this, we installed several of our rain panels next to each other together with special nozzles that create exactly the desired spray pattern. However, we have also had far more unusual requests: wild boar handles for fittings, for example. Or taps made of pure gold. Here we suggested using one of our 23 or 24 karat finishes. However, the customer insisted that the entire fitting body should be made of gold. Unfortunately, we had to decline because the metal is far too soft for the requirements of a tap.  

Which project would you like to realise with Dornbracht Atelier? Is there any potential that has not yet been exploited?
Ultimately, everything depends on the ideas and visions of our customers. I would therefore encourage them to submit sketches to us more often: just sketch out what the handle design should look like, even if it seems far-fetched or a little outlandish. It is then our job to find an appealing solution. Unusual, creative ideas always present a challenge and motivate our team. This allows us to demonstrate very clearly what Dornbracht Atelier is capable of.  

What advice would you give to hotel operators and designers who are thinking about individualisation for their projects?
In principle, it would suffice to simply quote Dornbracht’s new brand claim “Inspiring your vision”. It's about thinking completely freely, coming up with wild ideas, which we then develop together in close collaboration. There should be no limits, except those imposed by physics, of course – or your wallet. Our aim is always to develop high-quality, completely unique designs that give hotels a unique selling point. Anyone who is interested is welcome to contact us. Together, we always find ways to turn something as simple as serving water into something beautiful, extraordinary, and emotional.  

Anya Wood Public Relations Limited
Anya Wood
Tel.: +44 7585 228987 
Email: anya@anyawoodpr.co.uk

Dornbracht
Julia Hesse
Tel.: +49 2371 433-2117
Email: press@dornbracht.com