A luxurious bath

“Some of the showrooms we visited in India resembled a bazaar,” says Luitwin Gisbert von Boch,eighth generation family member and Supervisory Board Honorary Member. “Our main aim is to help the confused consumer who’s in a quandary over the jumble of things he’s seen.”

Any designs specific to India? Andreas Pfeiffer,Global Head Division Bath and Wellness,answers: “Is there a need for designs unique to India? Indians,today,are well-educated,well-heeled,and in tune with international trends.” Von Boch does concede that Indians might lean more towards the ostentatious,meaningfully glancing at the computer by his side,the screensaver of which is an orgy of colours with an imperious Ganesha sitting squat in the centre. “But then again,bright colours are soon becoming an international trend so we don’t have to make such designs exclusively for India.”

“As a family-owned business,we keep the long-term perspective in mind and don’t just run after quarterly results,” says von Boch. “The personal engagement of the family members with the employees is very high.” He gives the example of Jean-Francois Boch who went bust after Napolean’s invasion of Luxembourg. The workers continued to work for him without pay and helped rebuild the company. As a mark of gratitude Boch introduced the pension fund for the employees.

It’s not just in design that Villeroy and Boch is a pioneer but also in innovations providing the pragmatic,the functional and the utilitarian whether it be the PureAir WC that banishes the odours resulting from toilet use or the Invisible Jets which remain concealed until the system starts up.