The b:me design line surprises with a totally new look and avantgarde aesthetic. Whether you opt for classic elegance in neutral white and anthracite grey or an on-trend bicolour combination – b:me gives the bathroom a living room feel. Marcel Besau and Eva Marguerre took their inspiration for the strikingly shaped b:me washbasin and the soft design language of the accompanying furniture from the play of light and shade on sand dunes. The result is a lacquer collection with superbly crafted rounded fronts. The colour palette reflects Studio Besau-Marguerre’s feel for contemporary interior design and is completely customisable. What’s more, the conveniently designed corner vanity for guest bathrooms doubles as an attractive, architectonic option for small bathrooms in tiny house style.
“Our very first impulse after seeing the mineral cast samples was that we had to do something tactile!” says Eva Marguerre of the design process behind the new collection. “The material is so lovely to touch; it feels like pebbles that have been washed smooth by the sea. That thought led to the idea of eroded rock formations and desert landscapes with dunes and sand formations shaped by the wind.”
First and foremost, however, b:me is defined by its architectonic character and an almost classic elegance. Even the washbasin itself combines organic forms with geometric clarity. Graphic contours taper towards the drain and into a point, forming an intriguing contrast with the softly shaped bowl. “We approached the form of the mineral cast basin via the aesthetic of a sheet of paper that has been only partially folded to produce sharp creases, which then transition into soft curves,” explains designer Marcel Besau. “Above all, the form is modulated by light and shade and combines the soft, domed surfaces of sand dunes with clear contours.”
“Like burgbad, we wanted a collection that would let people give their bathroom a particularly cosy feel and permit a lot of variability. We also liked the idea of a piece of furniture that would welcome you in the mornings like a hug,” says Eva Marguerre. The first collaboration between the Hamburg design duo has resulted in a bathroom series with a sensuous quality and a feel that echoes contemporary interior design. Due to the combination of a soft design language and clear lines, however, b:me also conveys the sense of being an object in its own right: a piece of wall-mounted furniture that blends in with the architecture but will always attract attention. Like a canvas, b:me becomes the expression of a personal style – bold, expressive, elegant, modern.
The b:me vanity for guest bathrooms has been designed as a corner solution, making it possible to place the mixer on the side of the basin and make the bowl slightly deeper than usual from front to back. Its dimensions (width: 500mm; depth: 340mm) are relatively large for a guest vanity; this, combined with the decent amount of storage space provided by the cabinet (height: 510mm; overall height of vanity set: 640mm), also makes it an interesting option for small or very small bathrooms in urban contexts and tiny houses. The space-saving corner vanity is mounted on the wall and can be combined with the compact cabinets from the b:me collection and an illuminated mirror for guest bathrooms with a rounded design and sensor-controlled LED lighting around the perimeter.
Consisting of a mineral cast washbasin and an elegantly rounded cabinet, the eye-catching vanity unit is the centrepiece of our new sys20 design line. The models are available in the usual standard widths for single and double vanities and provide a generous amount of storage space in two pullouts of equal height.
But there’s something else about the vanity set that creates a special yet totally self-evident look: the b:me basin and vanity cabinet were designed together and form a natural unit, even though the basin stands out from the cabinet and sets itself apart. Seen from above, the contours of the mineral cast washbasin are identical with those of the cabinet – just like a built-in vanity top. And yet because of its form and the “waist” between the bottom of the basin and the top of the cabinet, the generously sized basin actually looks more like a countertop solution. On a practical level, the waist makes cleaning easier and protects the cabinet from splashing water. The premium-quality rounded lacquered fronts of the cabinet mirror the softly rounded contours of the washbasin exactly. Thanks to both the quality of the finishes and its design language, the b:me vanity has a tactile appeal that makes you want to run your hand over its surfaces.
The collection b:me aims to bring a new, consistently modern sense of comfort to the bathroom. Its soft forms and warm colour palette create an atmosphere that radiates tranquillity and cosiness. The softly rounded edges of the door fronts echo the rounded corners of the vanity unit.
The range of matching wall-mounted furniture consists of low, mid-height and tall cabinets with glass shelves. The low and mid-height cabinets can also be combined to create tall units – giving customers the option of selecting two different colours if they like. If the change of colour is implemented at the same height as the “waist” of the vanity unit, the consistent horizontal dividing line creates a connecting link between the individual pieces of furniture and helps create a homogeneous interior design. The handleless rounded fronts with tip-on/soft-close technology underscore b:me’s minimalist design.
The division of the vanity cabinet into pullouts and side compartments equipped with a power socket provides space in the middle for neatly organised smaller items and room on the sides for taller bottles, rolls of toilet paper or towels. The fact that the entire upper pullout can be used for storage is a luxurious extra bonus: thanks to the clever design and the thickness of the material, it was possible to eliminate the cutout that is usually necessary in order to accommodate the trap.
“The expertise for manufacturing b:me’s rounded fronts is a USP for burgbad. The development of the basin, the moulds for the fronts and the fact that some of the production steps have to be done by hand means that a product like this is only feasible when boutique manufacturing is implemented on an industrial scale – and burgbad has a tradition of doing precisely that,” explains head of marketing Sabine Meissner.
The lacquered fronts can be selected with a high-gloss, matt or ultra matt finish. And in addition to the basic colours White, Sand, Reed, Light Grey, Sage Green, Grey, Dark Grey and Anthracite, b:me is also available in our latest trend colours. In addition, b:me can also be configured in two colours. Bicolour combinations add a sense of lightness to the space, for instance when the tall cabinet consisting of two cabinet elements is selected in a lighter shade (for the upper element) and a darker colour (for the lower element). The lighter shade serves as a colour bridge with the white of the washbasin.
On request, we can produce the furniture in any RAL colour for individual interior designs and projects. For an individual setting, for instance, Besau-Marguerre combined the Sandstone shade from our trend colour palette with a custom RAL colour in reddish beige – a shade very similar to the trend colour terracotta that creates a particularly warm atmosphere. As an example of the design duo’s exquisite feel for colour, the Beige Red complements our Sandstone shade perfectly and is available from burgbad as an exclusive colour set for fans of this atmospheric colour combination.
