Spotlight... Kaldewei

A Tradition of Quality

Learning from the past to shape the future, Kaldewei looks to write the next chapter of its success story.

Words: Ben Thomas

Brave decisions, the art of reinvention and keeping one eye firmly fixed on the future have seen Kaldewei grow from a small tinware factory in the German town of Ahlen into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of enamelled bathroom solutions. From founder Franz Kaldewei’s courageous investments in the company’s own enamelling works and furnaces during the 1930s, to becoming the first German bathroom manufacturer to use serial production robots some forty years later, the company has built a reputation for introducing revolutionary production techniques to the market.

Today, Kaldewei boasts a portfolio of over 600 shower surfaces, washbasins and bathtubs – all of which come with a 30-year guarantee and are crafted from its patented material, steel enamel. As the name suggests, the composite consists of steel sheets coated with powdered glass that has been fired to form a resilient veneer. Fusing robust steel with glass allows the formulation to withstand chemical and thermal stress, while its non-porous and scratch-resistant qualities leave no place for bacteria to settle – a key benefit given that results from a Forsa survey, commissioned by Kaldewei in 2019, found that 62% of travellers cited a clean bathroom as the most important feature of a hotel. Unlike acrylic surfaces, steel enamel is also UV resistant, meaning its colour does not fade over time, and requires less energy and fossil fuels to produce than a thermoplastic – for which the company was awarded an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

Recognising the growing demand for customisation in hospitality, the bathroom specialist now offers these fully recyclable solutions in a variety of colour options, including 12 matt shades such as Catania Grey, Seashell Cream and City-Anthracite from its Coordinated Colours Collection, which can be matched or contrasted across the entire product range. Such versatility has seen Kaldewei featured in hotels such as Kempinski Cuba and The Capitol Kempinski Singapore, Hotel Indigo Warsaw and more recently Ruby Lucy in London, where its floor-level Superplan shower surfaces – with a shallow structure measuring just 2.5cm in depth – help to maximise the available space in the open-plan bathrooms.

Having made design one of the cornerstones of its philosophy in manufacturing baths then, later, shower surfaces and washbasins, Kaldewei has collaborated with acclaimed design studios such as Sottsass Associati, Phoenix Design and Studio Aisslinger for over 45 years, and in recent times has teamed up with designers Anke Salomon and Arik Levy to develop the Miena washbasin bowls and Meisterstück Emerso collection respectively. Operating under the guiding principle of ‘Made in Germany’ since its establishment in 1918, the company has crafted a multifaceted range that balances material, functionality and iconic design in equal measure, as Managing Director and fourth generation owner, Franz Kaldewei explains: “Over the course of our 100-year history, we have always been careful not to chase after short-lived trends. With this philosophy, we have managed to walk the tightrope between style-defining innovation and the eternal elegance of classic design.”

And the collaborations haven’t merely been confined to design. Kaldewei launched a longterm partnership with non-governmental organisation WWF in 2018, supporting the group’s marine conservation programme devoted to reducing ocean plastics. Since then, the manufacturer has demonstrated its commitment to environmental protection, highlighting the contribution of its products to climate-neutral building at ISH 2019, where it created a 3D visualisation that immersed visitors in the underwater world before informing them first-hand about the pair’s cooperation project.

Having stayed ahead of the curve for over a century – the company’s newest creation is a digital planning tool that supplies architects with 3D models of its products – Kaldewei is not apprehensive about consumers becoming more design-savvy, eco-conscious and digitally minded, rather it looks to the future with confidence: “I have great respect for the achievements of my predecessors. My credo for running the family business is ‘learn from the past in order to shape the future’,” adds Franz Kaldewei. “I am creating fresh momentum, keeping up with the times and focusing on a number of areas such as growing our international presence, providing digitalisation tools and expanding our enamelled range.” www.kaldewei.co.uk