DATUM
MODULAR AESTHETICS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
DATUM is a modular tableware series that combines a clear design language with exceptional functionality and contemporary flexibility. The plates, cups, mugs and bowls in the series are dimensionally linked, creating an interchangeable and stackable family of tableware.
The DATUM porcelain series, which was designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with the Porzellanmanufaktur FÜRSTENBERG, impresses with its high quality of design and degree of innovation. DATUM was honoured with the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2023 for its outstanding design.
INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM OF COLOURS AND GLAZES
DATUM is available in white with two variants: one with a glossy glaze, the other with a satin exterior. For individual, sophisticated dining, selected items in the shades stone grey and slate black add accents. The coloured pieces are manufactured from solid-coloured porcelain clay and finished with a shining glaze.
GEOMETRY & STACKABILITY
The design of DATUM follows a pure and controlled geometry. The core concept was to explore the formal relationships between each piece in the tableware collection. The dimensions of the individual pieces are carefully calibrated within a grid matrix, creating a direct interplay between them.The formal geometry and its precise execution enable multiple functionalities and efficient stackability.
The interplay between the mathematical logic of the design and the sensuality of porcelain is what gives DATUM its unmatched appeal.
FUNCTIONALITY & FLEXIBILITY
DATUM is synonymous with systematic functionality in a pioneering design – and keeps enabling new combinations for individual applications. For example, a plate can be used as the lid of a bowl, allowing you to keep food warm or store it in a fridge for later.
Throughout the development process, the design team sought the advice of various internationally renowned chefs, with this input helping to shape the form and functionality of the porcelain series. With its interplay of pieces, DATUM, can create new ways of presenting, serving, and storing food. DATUM meets the requirements of day-to-day use, from domestic cooking through to haute cuisine.
DESIGN BY FOSTER + PARTNERS
DATUM is the first porcelain tableware series designed by the global architecture and design studio Foster + Partners in collaboration with Porzellanmanufaktur FÜRSTENBERG. Foster + Partners has never drawn a distinction between architecture and industrial design. The point of contact, the thing that you touch, is as important as the broader vision.
DATUM unites the highest level of international design and experienced craftsmanship Made in Germany.
WHAT DOES THE NAME DATUM STAND FOR?
Datum refers to a fixed point that can be used to work out the geometry of a composition. The range is defined by common dimensions and details. The Foster + Partners design team used a grid matrix to explore the direct relationship and interplay between the pieces. As well as allowing the pieces to be stacked efficiently and securely for storage and transportation, this approach provides additional functional opportunities.
STRAIGHT GEOMETRIES AND RIGHT ANGLES ARE INCREDIBLY HARD TO ACHIEVE IN PORCELAIN AND DATUM WAS A TOUGH CHALLENGE FOR OUR MODELLERS. DISPLAYING THEIR GREAT PASSION FOR THE ART OF PORCELAIN, THEY SUCCEEDED IN MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPEN. THIS IS OUR HALLMARK AS GENUINE CRAFTSPEOPLE.
CRAFTSMANSHIP FROM FÜRSTENBERG
The development of a new porcelain form is always a multistage process that balances the priorities of creativity and design with functionality and technical feasibility.
Achieving pure geometry represents one of the most technically demanding challenges when handling porcelain. With considerable hand craftsmanship, expertise and maximum precision, the sophisticated design of Foster + Partners comes to life in peerless product quality at the Porzellanmanufaktur FÜRSTENBERG.
CRAFTSMANSHIP IN PERFECTION: FRENCH PRESS AND TAKE-AWAY-MUG
A sophisticated highlight of the new DATUM collection comes in the form of the porcelain French press coffee pot. Developing a porcelain cylinder with completely straight inner sides represented one of the major challenges for the porcelain manufacturer’s modellers. The celebrated French press coffee can only be achieved if the coffee filter can be pushed downwards in a straight line and flush on all edges.
The double-walled take-away mug – ‘to go’, made entirely from porcelain, is the first of its kind from FÜRSTENBERG and underscores the new demand for great taste on the go. The reduced body thickness of just two-and-a-half millimetres is astonishingly light. By virtue of the double-walled design, coffee and teas retain their temperature for longer.