Bathroom specialist Saturnbath (CEO Jung In-hwan) simultaneously won both the Gold and the Main Prize at the 2019 iF Design Award, proving Saturnbath's design competitiveness to the world. On March 15, at the 'iF Design Award Night' held at the BMW Welt in Munich, Germany, with some 2,000 industry figures from around 40 countries in attendance, Saturnbath CEO Jung In-hwan received the Gold trophy for the 'ASSEM' collection from Ralph Wiegmann, CEO of iF International Forum Design GmbH.
Germany's 'iF Design Award,' together with Germany's 'Red Dot Design Award' and the Industrial Designers Society of America's 'IDEA Award,' is regarded as one of the world's top three design awards. The iF Design Award selects products of outstanding design across four categories: △Product △Communication △Packaging △Concept Design.
This year, 6,375 products from 52 countries around the world were submitted to the iF Design Award. In particular, the Gold prize won by Saturnbath was awarded to only 66 works out of all entries; just 7 were domestic products, and Saturnbath was the only small-to-medium enterprise among them. Saturnbath explains that it was able to win this year's Gold thanks to long-term design investment that goes beyond the level of a small-to-medium enterprise in the same industry. Saturnbath has led Korea's bathroom culture by establishing the nation's first bathroom research institute and developing LAR (Liquid Acrylic) material.
The Gold-winning 'ASSEM Collection' is a newly created art collaboration product for 2019, born from a partnership with designer Song Seung-yong of SY Design, who is drawing attention in Europe. Song Seung-yong, who pursues his own unique ideas grounded in the beauty of nature as it is, brought forth the design value of the ASSEM Collection under the theme of embracing and harmonizing with every space.
The ASSEM Collection is a series of modular bathroom products with a new design that enables diverse expressions of an object through combinations of different elements. Breaking away from standardized product types, the ASSEM Collection's modular system allows a variety of styles to be freely produced according to consumers' tastes and preferences, thereby overcoming the limitations and constraints of interior spaces. Under the concept of elegance arising from simple yet modern forms, the ASSEM Collection is a product whose luxurious finish stands out alongside its design.
The iF Design Award judges commented: "To sum up the ASSEM Collection in a word, it is truly beautiful. Through the distinctive, soft finishing of its surfaces, it conveys a simple yet refined and gentle image, revealing a presence already worthy of being called a masterpiece. The soft, supple use of form and material likewise demonstrates the essence of elegance."
The Main Prize-winning 'ORBIS Collection' is the work of design duo INODA+SVEJE, who have carried out a wide range of design work applied to both design process and aesthetics; it is a product that embodies a respect for the awareness of well-being through water. Shaped as bubbles that naturally intersect with a quiet, static Zen style, it well expresses Saturnbath's philosophy of seeking harmony between technology and art. It consists of a round bathtub and a uniquely designed freestanding washbasin.
LAR (Liquid Acrylic Resin), the material used for the ASSEM and ORBIS collections, is a top-grade material used by luxury brands in Italy, Spain and elsewhere. Imported in its entirety from Lucite of the UK, its matte, pure-white warm coloring and skin-like soft, cozy texture create a high-class atmosphere. Made by a casting manufacturing method, it has no joints, making it hygienic and enabling continuously clean maintenance, which makes it suitable for public facilities. It can express graceful designs unattainable with other materials and can be made to order.
Saturnbath CEO Jung In-hwan stated, "By having our manufacturing technology and design recognized and winning both the Gold and the Main Prize at the iF Design Award, we have grown into a world-class hidden champion," adding, "Going forward, we will continue to collaborate with Korea's excellent designers and accelerate overseas exports to broaden the foundation of a design powerhouse." All of Saturnbath's product manufacturing processes are carried out entirely in-house at a factory equipped with the largest floor area and finest facilities in Korea, with each step consisting of processes that require meticulous technical skill. Founded in 1990, Saturnbath has supplied its products, based on its technology and design, to Jeju, Cheongju, Ulsan and Incheon airports as well as to luxury hotels such as Vista Walkerhill Hotel and Hotel Bay 204. 02-3416-1400