The new Living Square washbasin by designer Andreas Dimitriadis for manufacturer Laufen is so slim, so sculptural, so space-savvy and smart, one might be forgiven for assuming it were constructed of some synthetic something or other. And that would certainly be forgivable, especially given how very functional this superlatively skinny basin is. Yet, in fact, Living Square is not synthetic but very much alive: the piece is constructed of a revolutionary new cut-able ceramic.

Living Square Ceramic Washbasin. Designed by Andreas Dimitriadis. Manufactured by Laufen.

Laufen’s Living Square Washbasins are Beautiful and Practical

The long, lean look of Living Square is reason enough to recommend it, yet it offers multiple function credentials as well. If there’s something uncanny about the look—and I certainly think there is—it’s likely owing to the incredibly thin profile: “The double washbasin with a usable width of 180 cm combines with the ceramic tablet to form a truly practical washbasin area. Ceramics fitted to the millimetre: living square can be cut to size and mitred at the factory.”

As everyone knows, one habitual problem with ceramic is that it comes in tile form and is quite difficult to cut. The living squares of Living Square dispense with this difficulty as they can be processed down to the millimeter. This newfound facility equates to the advent of new, elegant, and exciting shapes in ceramic.

As Laufen says, “Living Square is an ultra-shallow washbasin with unusually clear-cut contours—light and slim, and a mere 35 mm at the front, the washbasins seem to float on the horizontal.”

The lovely and captivating floating appearance is beautiful to be sure, and reason enough to want one in your very own bathroom, but it creates a special appeal for commercial venues, in which—more so than ever before—space is it a premium: “As the washbasins can be cut to size at the factory, they can be custom-fit into corners or recesses, and even diagonal cuts are possible. Living Square is therefore ideal for hotel and private bathrooms where the emphasis is on the authentic and practical qualities of ceramic.”

Living Square is available in widths from 900 to 1800 mm. The ultra-thin washbasins provide a copious quantity of  storage space beneath the washbasin.

About the Manufacturer: A pioneer in bathroom culture since 1892, manufacturer Laufen believes bathrooms aren’t just functional spaces with a specific purpose, but rather “living spaces,” as deserving of a marked character and distinctive personality as any other room in the house. To that end, the company’s line of precision-engineered ceramic washbasins, WCs, bathtubs, and bidets demonstrates Laufen’s facility for creating “fully integrated bathrooms… each room, interpreted by Laufen as a haven of relaxation within the home, is fashioned to the highest design standard.”