NORM BATH BATHROOM ACCESSORIES
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INSPIRED BY THE HANDS OF TIME AND THE FORCES OF NATURE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF CIVILIZATION, MINIMALISM HAS BEEN THE NORM IN MANY CULTURES ALL OVER THE GLOBE. PEOPLE HAVE STRIVED VOLUNTARILY FOR MATERIAL POVERTY IN THE QUEST FOR INNER LUXURY. AVOIDING THE IRRELEVANT MEANS EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANT. THUS, REDUCTION AND PERFECTION HAVE BEEN THE MAIN GOALS FOR BOTH CRAFTSMEN AND INVENTORS. ALL TOO OFTEN PEOPLE THINK OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN TERMS OF ADDED SPECTACULARNESS. BUT IT IS OFTEN THE PLAIN OR THE REDUCED THAT IS MOST STRIKING. WE BALANCE THE VISUAL, THE TACTILE AND THE SENSUAL TO CREATE AN UNUSUAL BUT HARMONIOUS EXPERIENCE. WE BRIDGE THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE WITH AN OBSESSIVE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND WE AIM AT CREATING FUNCTIONAL OBJECTS THAT NOT ONLY MEET YOUR NEEDS, BUT ALSO PROVIDE JOY. WE CALL IT SOFT MINIMALISM. THE SIMPLE SHAPES FOR THE NEW NORM BATH PRODUCTS ARE INSPIRED BY PERFECTLY ROUNDED STONES SHAPED BY THE FORCES OF NATURE AND CUT BY MAN.
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TIMELESS QUALITY
BATH ROOMS CHANGE TENDENCIES COME AND GO AND BATHROOMS CHANGE WITH THE ZEITGEIST
However, New Norm strives for timelessness in all its aspects. Products should not only be durable because they are made from strong materials and good craftsmanship. They should also be aesthetically lasting in the sense that you can keep on looking at them and still find them interesting and beautiful over time.
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RAW TACTILITY
THE BLACK VERSION THE DESIGNERS BEHIND NEW NORM BATH ARE JONAS BJERRE-POULSEN AND KASPER RØNN, AKA NORM. THIS STYLE DUO WORSHIPS MINIMALISM AND FUNCTIONALITY AND ENDEAVOURS TO DESIGN PRODUCTS THAT MEET REAL-LIFE NEEDS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PLEASE ALL OUR SENSES. THESE AMBITIONS ARE SUCCESSFULLY COMBINED IN NORM’S NEW BATH SERIES FOR MENU. ALL REDUNDANT ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN STRIPPED AWAY, LEAVING ONLY A CLEAN LOOK AND A STRAIGHTFORWARD USEFULNESS.
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WHI TE ELE GANCE
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ALL THAT GLITTERS IS BRASS LIMITED EDITION
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EVOLVE TO SOLVE
PEDAL BIN EVOLUTION WE BELIEVE THAT GOOD DESIGN IS NOT NECESSARILY BASED ON A REVOLUTION OR THE MOST RADICAL OF SOLUTIONS. WE HAVE ALL COME ABOUT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF EVOLUTION: THE SLOW, BUT STEADY INCREMENTAL INNOVATION KNOWN AS MANKIND. BY ADDING NEW FEATURES TO EXISTING PRODUCTS, WE CAN MAKE THEM EVEN BETTER. IMPROVEMENT IS KEY.
Having said that, we are continuously on the prowl for that new idea, that underrated production-method, that perfect material or detail that justifies a new product. When we first started talking about bathroom-related products that needed improvement, the nuisances of the pedal-bin immediately came to mind. You know, that annoying “clonk” of the lid banging against the wall the second after you step on the pedal!
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We somehow had to counter this, and decided to design a beautiful “clonk-free” pedal-bin. This, however, was no mere matter of finding a standard bracket out there. Hours and hours of engineering were spent to come up with a mechanism able to make the lid open within its own perimeter. Along the way, the solution came to support our minimalist aesthetics and search for optimal hygiene in that we were able to hide the bracket inside the bin. This is our pedal-bin evolution!
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DELIBERATE DETAILS
FUNCTIONALITY THAT COMES IN HANDY When discussing function we always relate back to real needs or problems we encounter in our everyday lives. The creative process often begins with the question of how we can solve a given problem through products. Our aim is to ease or beautify a process through design. Minimalism and aesthetics is not everything. The New Norm Bath series holds a vast amount of small details catering to both improved hygiene and everyday functionality. Large clean surfaces dominate the products and make sure that joints and compositions are kept at a minimum. A tiny grid in the bottom of the toothbrush holder keeps your toothbrush dry, a make-up mirror is hidden on the inside of the storage jar and details that at first seem irrelevant, like how you place a bag in the bin or the size of the soap dispenser, have been subject to endless scrutiny from a functional perspective.
SMALL MAKE-UP MIRROR INSIDE THE LID.
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MATERIAL IMPORTANCE
STAINLESS QUALITY GREAT DESIGN ALSO HAS TO HAVE A COMPETITIVE EDGE AND VALUE-FORMONEY IS NOT TO BE UNDERRATED. CONSUMERS MUST BE LEFT WITH AN EXPERIENCE THAT EXCEEDS THEIR EXPECTATIONS.
Consequently, we must be up-to-speed on mass-production. How factories work and how you make the most of your materials and commodities at hand. This is exemplified by the subtle curve of the New Norm Bath products. This curve is a direct consequence of the nature of steel, because of the fact that a curved steel surface is way more stable and easier to produce than a flat steel surface. Relating to form, the curve is a quite sympathetic detail, which at the same time stabilizes the lid. However, this is not dictated by us but by production. The curve becomes the embodiment of the continuous interaction between our ideas, the production-apparatus and market prices. The moist environment of bathrooms set high standards for the materials used. Thus, stainless steel is the prime material for the entire series. No rust or patina in sight.
BOTH BODY AND LID IN STAINLESS STEEL.
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SMOOTH ELEGANCE
THE WHITE VERSION THE STYLISH SERIES COMPRISES FIVE ITEMS: PEDAL BIN, TOILET BRUSH, SOAP DISPENSER, TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER AND A SMALL STORAGE JAR WITH A MIRROR. THE ITEMS SHARE THE SAME SHAPE AND CHARACTERISTIC ROUNDED BASE, GIVING THEM LIGHTNESS WITHOUT COMPROMISING STABILITY. ALL ITEMS STAND FIRMLY AND SECURELY IN PLACE. CLEAN LINES AND SIMPLE FUNCTIONALITY MAKE THE ITEMS EASY TO CLEAN AND USE.
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Bathing is all about purity and simplicity. A bath is a really refreshing, cleansing and exotic treat.
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DESIGN PORTRAIT
Q&A NORM ARCHITECTS LIKE THE MODERNISTS WHO TOOK A VIEW TO THE WORLD IN ORDER TO FIND AN AESTHETIC TO LIBERATE THEM FROM THE PETTY SYMBOLISM AND PASTRY-LIKE ORNAMENTATION THAT DOMINATED WESTERN FORM, JONAS BJERRE-POULSEN AND KASPER RØNN, AKA NORM, LOOK TO THE PAST AND THE FAR EAST TO BECOME INSPIRED. HERE, THEY FIND TRADITIONAL AND REFINED STYLES THAT LET FUNCTIONS, MATERIALS AND LIVED LIVES TELL THEIR DISTINCT TALES. A REACTION TO A WASTEFUL DESIGNCULTURE DROWNING ITS OWN DESIGN IN HUMOUR. DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE FROM YOUR
DOES SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN OWE ITS
SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN HERITAGE?
SUCCESS TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING?
We started out not being conscious of the design heritage that we had been exposed to our whole lives. We were just aesthetically interested in our surroundings and had an inner urge to create. Blessed with ignorance, we did not experience any pressure whatsoever. Our awareness of Danish design came slowly through the formative years and since then the media has been screaming for new designers to lift the heritage from the 1950’s.
Well, we definitely acknowledge the importance of the great craftsmanship, which is deeply rooted in a profound understanding of materials and methods. We too spend much time studying production methods, so that we, in the design process, know how products will be mass-produced. We take this into account when shaping an object, using the restrictions of machines to our advantage and always considering how we use the material in its most natural way.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST SYMPATHETIC QUALITY OF SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN?
Timelessness – a true virtue in Scandinavian Design. Trends come and go but the Scandinavian tradition is rooted in a sincere devotion to the crafts, with a strong focus on using good materials and creating designs that last. Because of this, it is very difficult to see if a good piece of Scandinavian design is made in the 1950’s or today. We feel this focus on quality and durability is increasingly important in a time of scarce resources and mass consumption in a global perspective.
DO YOU DESIGN FROM A “LESS IS MORE” PERSPECTIVE?
Well, not quite! In most Scandinavian design, you will find details that take the product beyond the strictly simple – we work with this very intensely – trying to keep a product as simple as possible but still making it interesting. We aim at a point where there is nothing to add and nothing to take away.
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ON THE DRAWING BOARD WE ARE CONSTANTLY DEVELOPING NEW IDEAS TO COMPLETE THE NEW NORM BATH UNIVERSE. HERE ARE A FEW SKETCHES AND IDEAS FOR FUTURE PRODUCTS. A LAUNDRY BASKET IN FELT. A MINIMALIST SHOWER WIPER AND A TOILET ROLL HOLDER. A PLAYFULL HOOK THAT CAN FORM DOTTED LINES IN ANY DIRECTION AND A LADDER WITH FELT BAGS THAT LOOK LIKE TOWELS, A MIRROR AND OTHER FUNCTIONAL ACCESSORIES. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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“If your lord wishes to bathe and wash his body clean, hang sheets round the roof, every one full of flowers and sweet green herbs, and have five or six sponges to sit or lean upon, and see that you have one big sponge to sit upon, and a sheet over so that he may bathe there for a while, and have a sponge also for his feet, if there be any to spare, and always be careful that the door is shut. Have a basin full of hot fresh herbs and wash his body with a soft sponge, rinse him with fair warm rose-water, and throw it over him; then let him go to bed; but see that the bed be sweet and nice; and first put on his socks and slippers that he may go near the fire and stand on his foot-sheet, wipe him dry with a clean cloth, and take him to bed to cure his troubles.�
How the Wise Man Taught His Son Lambeth 853, fol. 186
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