Design | Dornbracht

Just “In My Opinion”

Producing the concept, design and refinement for Dornbracht’s IMO range of bathroom fittings

In 2010, bathroom fittings manufacturer Dornbracht first unveiled its new IMO range, designed by sieger design, at the Cersaie trade fair in Bologna. With its hybrid forms, the universal fitting is positioned in the first premium segment. In 2024, it has undergone a complete revamp. “Now, after more than 13 years, we have given it a refined, lighter, and therefore contemporary appearance. It is more slender, making it seem more delicate and even more precise,” says Michael Sieger.

Anyone who frequently visits online chat rooms and forums will know that “IMO” stands for “In My Opinion”. This has become the key idea behind our new range, featuring bathroom fittings that are suitable for use in many different settings and which can be integrated into bathrooms in a range of ways to reflect the customer’s own personal taste and interior design style. IMO owes its limitless versatility to their crystal-clear shapes and provides customers with more freedom to make their own decisions in the area of bathroom design.

Social trends, behavioural models and recent market developments all played a key role in the product design process. In this respect, it was also important to bear in mind that Dornbracht would be able to draw on a range of established production technologies. sieger design developed a clear design strategy characterised by simple, progressive shapes and geometric clarity. “We settled on a cylindrical body and hence a harmonious design style at an early stage,” explains Benedikt Sauerland. The team combined the vertical cylindrical body with a cuboidal horizontal element so that IMO would bring together two different geometric styles. Everything was thought through down to the smallest detail, and this can be seen for example in the absence of bevelled edges. Intelligent features were also integrated into the range such as an adjustable aerator on the bidet mixer tap, which allows the direction of the water stream to be modified by up to 30 degrees.

IMO has been available in its revised form since spring 2024. “In making the refinements, we have retained the proportions and traits that distinguish IMO: in particular, the combination of two basic geometric forms – the circle and the rectangle – along with the parallel lines and striking form of the spout, with its unique method of water delivery via a rectangular aerator,” explains Michael Sieger.

All product types have been revised so as to lend the entire IMO range a minimalistic and elegantly high-quality look. The modifications to the single-lever and three-hole mixers are especially significant. The diameter of the body and overall height of the fitting have been decreased, and the dimensions of the spout and lever and have been reduced considerably. The single-lever mixer with high spout no longer features a rosette. It forms a delicate unit with a cylindrical main body, a slender rectangular spout and a lever with reduced overall size.

Picture Copyright: Dornbracht
Product Photography (2024): Johannes Bauer
Product Photography (2010): Thomas Popinger
Communication Concept, Creation and Architecture for Dornbracht: Meiré und Meiré