At Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone 2026, Run asks a specific and timely question: how is the bathroom space evolving today? The Swiss brand constructs a multi-layered narrative that unfolds in two complementary frameworks. With Live for tomorrowLaufen explores the intersection of material innovation, spatial design and human behavior, proposing a shift in the way we understand and inhabit one of the most intimate spaces in the home. What emerges is a coherent vision: one that repositions the bathroom as an architectural environment, one shaped by perception, time and daily rituals.
At the Salone del Mobile, RunThe pavilion functions as more than an exhibition. Structured around a central market, it unfolds through a sequence of immersive layers that invite visitors to move through space. This spatial choreography is intentional. The stand presents products as part of a narrative in which materials, light and geometry constantly interact. Surfaces reflect and absorb light differently, textures guide perception and transitions between zones create a rhythm that reflects everyday movement.
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In this context, the bathroom is conceived as an environment designed to be experienced, an extension of the domestic landscape, a space that escapes a purely technical definition. This approach raises a fundamental question: what defines a space today: its function or the experience it enables? Laufen’s answer clearly leans towards the latter. The project suggests that contemporary design must move beyond efficiency and embrace a more holistic understanding of how people engage with space over time.
At the core of Laufen’s presentation is VITREON, a new material that marks a major step forward in the brand’s continued exploration of material innovation. Combining the structural strength of steel with the refined surface quality of glass, VITREON introduces a hybrid materiality that is both highly performative and visually expressive. However, its relevance extends beyond technical performance.
What makes VITREON particularly exciting is its ability to redefine the relationship between material and design. Instead of serving as a neutral support for the form, it becomes an active factor in shaping it. Surfaces gain depth, colors gain intensity and reflections create subtle variations that change throughout the day. The result is a dynamic interaction between object and environment, where light is an integral part of the design process.
In this sense, the washbasin is transformed. It becomes an architectural presence, which contributes to the spatial identity of the room. This change gives rise to a wider reflection: to what extent can material influence our perception of space? With VITREON, Laufen suggests that material is a language, a language capable of conveying atmosphere, emotion and meaning. Through this language the bathroom evolves into a more sensory and expressive environment.
If the Salone presentation focuses on the material, the Fuorisalone introduces another, more elusive dimension: time. With When time becomes material, Konstantin Grcic creates an installation that moves beyond the conventional display of products, instead offering a conceptual reflection on how design interacts with the passage of time.
Inside a cylindrical wooden structure, the installation unfolds as a calm and introspective space. The atmosphere is deliberately restrained, allowing visitors to slow down and engage with the objects in a more intentional way. At the heart of this environment is PAR, a new collection developed in collaboration with Laufen. Unlike traditional product releases, PAR is not presented as a set of features or innovations, but as a system designed to evolve with its user.
The project addresses a specific but often overlooked condition: the gradual transformation of needs over time. PAR anticipates change through intuitive design. Its forms are simple, its functions integrated and its presence deliberately understated. This raises an interesting question: can the design support users without demanding attention? Grcic’s answer lies in a concept of “silent operation.” Here, design works through subtlety, fit, support and integration seamlessly into everyday life.
Alongside this introspective exploration, Laufen’s collaboration with cartel introduces a different but complementary direction: the integration of the bathroom into the wider domestic environment. More than a decade after the launch of the original Kartell by Laufen collection, this new chapter, under the creative direction of Ferruccio Lavianiit marks a change in the way bathroom elements are designed and placed.
Central to this development is the introduction of VITREON, which expands the expressive possibilities of the collection, particularly in terms of colour. However, the transformation goes beyond the material. Pieces like beauTwash, with its distinctive T-shaped structure, challenge the traditional definition of bathroom furniture, assuming the presence and identity of domestic furniture. Similarly, the reinterpretation of Kartell’s iconic Componibile as a column basin introduces a dialogue between design history and contemporary use.
Throughout the Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone, Laufen constructs a coherent and multi-layered narrative that operates at different scales: from material research to spatial design, from conceptual installation to product development. What connects these elements is a common intention: to redefine the way we perceive and inhabit space.
Material becomes language. Time becomes a design parameter. Home environments are becoming fluid and interconnected. The bathroom is evolving from a technical necessity to a field of exploration, a field capable of reflecting wider changes in the way we live. Perhaps this is where the future of design really lies: not in the creation of new objects, but in the ability to rethink the spaces they inhabit and, ultimately, the experiences they enable.
