We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Manolo Duran Diseño about their original and creative Bathroom Furniture design work. Manolo Duran Diseño is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original bathroom furniture works.
Manolo Duran Diseño ("MDD") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Avant Bathroom Furniture. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
MDD : An embossed frame draws and encloses the profile of the suspended furniture. It runs on columns, on open elements, on wall units creating a pleasant continuum.
MDD : We wanted to find an untapped functionality in the design of doors and drawers of home furniture, which consists of the play of volumes and the combinability of materials.
MDD : To increase the turnover of my client Grupo Bono, for its AKUA bathroom division.
MDD : The development of the Avant collection is part of a global bathroom furnishing project that was born in 2023. A development that lasted until the end of 2024.
MDD : This design began to take shape in June 2023, through a specific order from my client Grupo Bono, for its AKUA bathroom division.
MDD : It is currently in productive development, along with the rest of the models in the collection, which we hope will be presented to the market in 2026 by my client Grupo Bono, for its AKUA bathroom division.
MDD : This project is based on the exercise carried out two years earlier in a project of wardrobes for bedrooms, for my client Grupo Bono, for its KUBICO wardrobe division, which I invite you to see on my website.
MDD : It was precisely the absence of defined references that made him propose this new and structural technical solution.
MDD : It is a very versatile product from a formal and economic point of view. It will depend on the choice and combination of materials that meets the needs and aesthetics of the end customer. Therefore, its target audience is broad-spectrum from mid-range to high-end.
MDD : The main differences lie in the structural design of the aluminium profile that allows the combination of board and glass, together with the number of combinable materials ranging from melamine boards, lacquered MDF boards and boards covered with varnished natural wood veneer. If we add to this the fact that the customer can choose any combination of materials, colours and finishes, as well as the measurements and configuration of doors and drawers, we find a product that has no competition in the European market.
MDD : AVANT, means "forward", "advance","... one step further."
MDD : My usual 3D assisted design tools, ... AutoCAD, skechUp, v-Ray..
MDD : The pieces are assembled at different depths, creating an asymmetrical and balanced relationship with thin horizontal lines of their framing with an exclusive aluminium profile system, which allows different thicknesses of board and/or glass to be joined
MDD : The I+D department of my client Grupo Bono, was key in the development of this project. I have always understood that collaboration with the different departments of the client that must produce the project are key to its success.
MDD : The specific design and development of the structural aluminium profile – (which allows combining board and glass, together with the number of combinable materials ranging from melamine boards, lacquered MDF boards and boards covered with varnished natural wood veneer), is the technological essence of the AVANT collection. They are super matte melamines or wood effect, that is, protected with a crystallized resin at high temperatures, which makes them more resistant to water and humidity, as well as easy to clean. Matte and soft, composed of cellulose and innovative resins, it is treated with nanotechnology to make it anti-imprint, hygienic, waterproof, shock-resistant and scratch-resistant. With this type of material, small scratches can also be adjusted: you just need to cover with a damp cloth and pass with the iron.
MDD : Both the analysis and subsequent market study, as well as sociological studies of functional and aesthetic needs for the defined age range, gave us the clues to define the breafing of this product-collection.
MDD : The biggest challenge was, like almost all industrial projects, the optimization of processes and costs, without sacrificing aesthetic features.
MDD : When a product meets the initial expectations and is aesthetically very balanced, you know that it can be successful. This made us think it was worth trying to submit it to a prestigious competition and we didn't hesitate. Now we can know, with our Bronze A'design Award, that you were not wrong, which encourages us to face the commercialization of it, with more guarantees of success.
MDD : The improvements appeared as the development of the first production prototypes progressed. In the launch phase we are finalizing some small details that will help a better balance of costs.
MDD : Just to mention that Avant, as I said at the beginning, is part of a "Total Look" collection, in which other types of furniture are already emerging, which we will surely present in future editions of the A'design Award
