Interiors & Designs

Enchanting effects with state-of-the-art intelligence

Light is an important element in our daily life and exerts a considerable influence on our sense of wellbeing. And yet in the bathroom, where the day starts and ends, good light is often in short supply. Help is at hand thanks to a unique and comprehensive solution. The e-mood furniture range features a lighting concept that takes account of all specific lighting requirements in the bathroom. This innovation, which is suitable for both new buildings and renovations, was inspired by some of the latest light and electrical technologies. It not only extends the design possibilities in the bathroom but also marks the arrival of the latest intelligent technology in what used to be referred to as a 'wet room'.

Prerequisite for order and orientation

An optimum lighting concept must fulfil three tasks; it helps the eyes to see clearly, permits orientation and generates atmosphere. E-mood consists of seven modules offering ideal lighting according to these principles for all room arrangements, while also providing storage space and order in the bathroom. The nucleus of the development is the e-board, which apart from its basic function also provides storage space above the washbasin.

An elegant aluminium body with a wooden front not only provides space for a tissue box but also has an e-box with three socket outlets to accommodate the unsightly tangle of shaver, hairdryer and electric toothbrush cables. It also has small hinged dishes or, alternatively, an integrated soap dispenser. On the underside, a sensor measures the amount of daylight and activates a small cone of light when it is dark, a boon for young and old people trying to find their way around the bathroom. The e-board is available as a stand-alone item or it can be combined as part of a lighting concept that includes a mirror and cabinet.

Practical or emotional - take your choice

Achieving that perfect look or a perfect shave in front of the mirror in the mornings takes more than just a steady hand. The practical white light provided by the e-mirror and e-cabinet gives perfect visibility: two fluorescent tubes illuminate the entire face evenly and without shadow or glare.

In the evening, by contrast, a gentler light is provided by LED lights around the mirror or cabinet that illuminate the ceiling and walls, offering a restful blue, stimulating red or cheerful green light - or all three in alternation. Each colour creates a different mood and diffuses an enchanting aura of light and colour.

This combination of ' functional' and 'emotional' light is the unmistakable characteristic of the e-mood products.

Planning and arranging space

With modules four and five, the room can be divided up, making the lighting concept available for all layouts. E-wall is a successful cross between a small wall and a furniture element. It is 95 cm high and just 22 cm deep and can be mounted flush or projecting anywhere on the wall in order to separate different parts of the bathroom or to screen off the WC area, for example.

The furniture element has three doors available in 11 different wood finishes. Inside there are four glass shelves and 'functional' and 'emotional' light shines through the glass fitting on the top. The e-screen, an 8 mm glass panel that is braced between two room-high aluminium profiles, is a modern version of the room divider, making for flexible room planning and allowing the bathroom to be opened up to include the living room or bedroom. State-of-the-art LED technology feeds coloured light into the ceramic print panel, lighting up the entire screen from within and bathing the room in magical light.

Versatile light design

Square wall and ceiling e-lights round off the range. They represent the e-mood design concept in its purest form. There are two fundamental design principles in the concept by Munich-based designer Andreas Struppler: clear basic shape with accentuated and slightly rounded corners; and the predominant materials, silver-anodised aluminium, in the form of a filigree silver frame outlining all modules. The soft form and high-grade material combine to create an aura of lightness and clarity that is so agreeable and versatile that e-mood can be combined with Duravit ranges and many other bathroom systems.

More convenience through intelligent technology

It is no easy task to combine functional, emotional and night light in various colours into a complete colour programme. It requires a 'brain' or control centre to process the information. The brain of e-mood is a specially developed intelligent and extremely powerful light control system. It can be operated in four ways.

First there is the touch LED main switch on the product itself. Second, all functions can be set by means of normal rocker switches. This also applies to the radio switches offered by leading manufacturers today. Finally, e-mood can also be connected to a BUS (binary unit system) data system, making it fit for the intelligent house of the future.

The control unit really shows what it can do when several modules are combined in a single room. Instead of chaos and the need for each module to be switched separately, Duravit has developed a radio transmitter and receiver by which the modules can communicate with each other.

The desired products are therefore linked by radio and their switching behaviour is synchronised. As an additional convenience that master-slave function means that if the user changes the light in one module, it automatically becomes the 'master' and forces the others to follow like 'slaves'. Duravit's programmers had to put in considerable work to enable every product to be a master. But the user does not have to worry about any of this. Operation is simple and intuitive, responding to natural human logic. New lighting scenario can be created at the touch of a button - from pure white to an enchanting interplay of colours to create a magical mood in the bathroom.