New York - Making its American debut in New York this fall, the new PuraVida™ line of faucets, showers and accessories is the result of another intensive, creative and highly successful collaboration between Hansgrohe and its design partner of more than two decades, Phoenix Design of Stuttgart. Three products in the new series, introduced in Europe in early 2009, have already merited recognition by the iF Design Award jury, while the PuraVida 150 AIR 3-Jet Handshower recently won a 2009 Design Plus Award.
Marked by a compelling duet of lacquered white surfaces and high-gloss chrome, Hansgrohe PuraVida introduces a strikingly different, dual-finish look to the bathroom. Thanks to an equally new manufacturing process, the gently rounded undersides of the faucets in bright white merge seamlessly with flat, glistening chrome surfaces above, creating vivid contrasts and the impression of floating lightness. The entire collection radiates a natural softness and purity that is both compelling to the eye and inviting to the touch.
The dual-finish look is a far more complex process than merely combining, say, white plastic elements with metallic components or even two metal segments with different finishes. “The dual-finish products are initially finished entirely in chrome,” explains Nicolas Grohe, Hansgrohe Director of Director of Marketing and Product Planning for Hansgrohe North America. “We then apply a white coating to selected areas of the chrome finish. This innovative, two-step process is what gives PuraVida its unique and distinctive appearance — a seamless fit of chrome against white.”
(Note: White-chrome, dual-finish faucets will be available in March 2010. The white-chrome showers and the entire chrome offering will be available during the fourth quarter of this year.)
To complement this comprehensive line of bathroom fittings and matching accessories (towel bars, soap dishes, robe hooks, etc.), Phoenix Design also created a broad assortment of ceramic bathroom fixtures and furnishings made by another plumbing partner from Germany’s Black Forest region, Duravit. By combining fittings and accessories with sinks, tubs, mirrors and cabinets, the three partners sought nothing less than a transformation of the bathroom beyond its traditional hygienic and functional roles. Tom Schönherr of Phoenix Design characterizes the PuraVida project as “a wonderful challenge for achieving a perfect symbiosis of form and space.”
Faucets – no sharp corners: With PuraVida, Phoenix Design deliberately turned away from purely geometric forms to embrace gently rounded lines and flowing shapes that convey a “freer, richer, more joyful and livelier feel,” Schönherr notes. “That is why there are no sharp corners or hard edges. We wanted shapes that encourage you to touch them. Everything about PuraVida is extremely subtle; nothing is excessive or pretentious. The entire series embodies a highly contemporary, evolved and elegant form of luxury.”
For example, the smooth and slender white form of the PuraVida Single-Hole Lav Faucet, made from a single piece of metal, seems to grow organically out of the Duravit white ceramic wash basin — “like a tree rising from the earth,” says Schönherr. Water flows through a concealed aerator into the basin as a clear laminar jet whose flow angle is easily adjustable at the spout.
A tall (13 inches) version of the lav faucet is also available, as well as a three-hole Widespread Faucet and a Single-Hole Bidet Faucet. All four models offer durable ceramic cartridge technology, adjustable aerator sprays, and a water-saving flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute — 30% less than the current federal standard. In addition, all of these faucets, as well as the Freestanding Tub Filler, employ a “joystick” lever handle for fingertip control of water flow and temperature, making them compliant with the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.
“The faucets are every bit as user-friendly as they are beautiful,” says Nicolas Grohe.
State-of-the-art showers: Characterized by the same sensual contours and dual-finish look as the faucets, PuraVida showers also blend elegant design with state-of-the-art Hansgrohe technology.
Showerhead: The PuraVida 400 AIR Showerhead features a flat and rounded-rectangular shape, formed by sandwiching two identical die-cast plates, made of high-quality zinc and finished either entirely in chrome or with a dual white and chrome look. The spray from the showerhead’s generously dimensioned 15-inch x 10-inch face is designed to perfectly cover the frame of the bather below. With its ultra-slender profile and precise chrome edges, the PuraVida 400 AIR appears to float delicately above the rest of the shower despite its size. Wall- and ceiling-mount versions are available.
Handshowers: The new PuraVida collection includes two very differently styled handshowers:
* The slim, bar-shaped form of the PuraVida 120 culminates in a six-inch-long spray face that emerges smoothly from the softly rounded handle. This model is offered separately or as part of the Freestanding Tub Filler.
* The award-winning PuraVida 150 features a five-inch-square head with rounded corners — like the showerhead — reminiscent of a hand mirror. The device’s intuitive EasyClick™ spray selector is positioned at the nexus of the head with the handle. This allows the user to comfortably alternate among the three different spray modes simply by pushing a concealed button. The spray modes include a comparatively soft jet called Rain AIR; a five-jet whirl-massage spray called Caresse AIR; and an invigorating combination of the two.
Both handshowers and the four-inch PuraVida Bodyspray incorporate Hansgrohe’s proprietary AIR technology that blends air bubbles with the water stream in a three-to-one ratio to create a softer and more relaxing shower.
Poetic design: Schönherr acknowledges that opting for gently rounded lines over pure geometry has its professional hazards. “Freer and more feminine forms often run the risk of drifting into short-lived fashion trends,” he says. But Phoenix Design and its two partners had no interest in a “whims-of-style” approach. “That strategy simply will not work in the bathroom, even in its modern form, because the need for functionality and durability as well as enjoyment over many years remains as important as ever,” he says.
“This is why we worked to create a design language that would not only meet the new need for emotional strength in our living spaces, but also project a sense of timeless clarity,” Schönherr continues. “As a result, the design process for PuraVida became a search for a natural form, one that was both soft and clear. The goal was to create something that we can experience and understand with our senses: a poetic design full of feeling and joie de vivre.”
About Hansgrohe: Founded in 1901, Hansgrohe is the premium brand for bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and a market leader in showers and shower systems, as well as thermostat, pressure balance and ceramic cartridge technology. A winner of numerous awards throughout the world, Hansgrohe is regarded as one of the leading innovators in technology and design, with inventions such as the adjustable showerbar, multiple-spray handshowers and showerheads, the Quiclean® function, AIR and water-saving EcoRight™ technology. These and other original products have helped reinvent the modern bath as a more functional, more comfortable and more beautiful living space.
Based in Schiltach in the Black Forest region of Germany, Hansgrohe has a global workforce of more than 3,200 and serves customers in over 80 countries through 28 subsidiaries. Known for taking tough action against product piracy and intellectual property theft, the company currently operates 10 manufacturing facilities, including six in Germany, as well as single plants in France, the Netherlands and China. In addition, the company manufactures and assembles most of its Hansgrohe-branded products for North America at its modern manufacturing facility in Alpharetta, Ga., in the U.S.A.
For more information on Hansgrohe, visit www.hansgrohe-usa.com. To obtain a list of showroom locations within any locale across the United States, visit www.hansgrohe-usa.com/us_en/33541.htm. Or call 1-800-334-0455.
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