From Vision to Detail. DORNBRACHT x JUNG.

In April, when Milan is transformed into a design stage, ideas, materials and visions take centre stage. During Milan Design Week 2026, DORNBRACHT and JUNG will take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their expanded surface partnership and demonstrate how design ideas evolve into precise details. Read on for an interview with Caroline Schmitt, Managing Director at DORNBRACHT, and Deniz Turgut, Head of Marketing at JUNG, discussing the DORNBRACHT x JUNG collaboration.

In the DORNBRACHT showroom in the Brera Design District, the two manufacturers will present six common metal surfaces that link fittings and switch ranges to create a consistent design concept. What began at Light + Building 2026 with Brushed Bronze will evolve in Milan into a finely tuned spectrum of real metal surfaces. 


What was the impetus for the collaboration between DORNBRACHT and JUNG, and what common attitude do the two brands share in this cooperation?

Caroline Schmitt: "The starting point was the idea of a shared surface that would connect fittings and switches to create a coherent whole. In our interactions with our target groups, it becomes clear time and again how crucial these details are. DORNBRACHT and JUNG share the belief that materials and surfaces should be considered as an integral part of architectural quality and not in isolation."

Deniz Turgut: "The initial observation from planning practice was very specific: different trades often use similar surfaces, but never identical ones. It became exciting for us the moment it became clear that we were no longer talking about individual products, but rather about the transitions where different elements meet in space. What we share with DORNBRACHT is a commitment to a rigorous approach to materiality. Our collaboration is not a classic co-branding exercise, but rather the result of a shared approach: we create designs where competencies intertwine."


Noble metal as a common language
At Milan Design Week, JUNG is focusing on the importance of detail under the motto "From Vision to Detail". The surfaces presented in the DORNBRACHT showroom demonstrate how design ideas can be translated into material across manufacturers and how different trades can form a design unit. Metal – brushed, nuanced and alive – becomes a carrier of atmosphere. The surfaces radiate depth, warmth, and a special presence. 


Why is metal particularly suitable as a connecting element across different trades?

DT: "Metal has a special characteristic: It is never neutral. It always has its own light reflection, temperature, depth and ageing. This creates a unique material liveliness. While other materials can be combined, metal can also carry an atmosphere, which is exactly what makes it so interesting for overarching design. At the same time, metal can be processed and reproduced with great precision. This is crucial for precisely matching surfaces across different products and trades. For us, the combination of sensuality and precision is what makes the material strong."

CS: "Metal is also firmly established in various product categories, from fittings and switches to luminaires, enabling consistent design across rooms and functional areas. At the same time, this durable and valuable material can be refined with great accuracy. The PVD process (Physical Vapour Deposition – a physical coating method used to enhance metal surfaces), which is used, for example, in our shared surface finishes, allows for precisely defined colour nuances and surface textures that enable visual and tactile consistency."

What effect do the metal surfaces have? What exactly can visitors experience in Milan?

CS: "In the showroom, visitors can experience our finishes first-hand, touch them and compare them in a spatial context. This demonstrates that colour, feel and appearance are not only coordinated, but identical."

DT: "In Milan, you can also see very clearly that the surfaces do not function in isolation, but always in relation to the light, other materials and movement in the room. They change depending on the perspective. The brushed metals have noticeable depth and a certain calmness. This balance is difficult to describe, but it is precisely this balance that determines whether a spatial effect appears coherent."


Six surfaces for holistic design
The joint material world of DORNBRACHT and JUNG continues to grow with the six characterful PVD surfaces: Brushed Dark Platinum, Brushed Light Gold, Brushed Dark Brass, Brushed Gold, Brushed Bronze and Brushed Dark Bronze. The implementation of JUNG products – with the exception of Brushed Bronze – is project-specific and designed for larger quantities. This collaboration is specifically aimed at design-oriented architectural projects in the contract sector, where materiality is considered a unifying element. 


Which projects and construction tasks were the common surfaces developed for? What added value do they offer architects and planners?

CS: "The common surfaces come from the DORNBRACHT surface portfolio and correspond to the proven designs in terms of name, colour and feel. Combined with JUNG switches and sockets from the LS design series, the DORNBRACHT x JUNG surface collection is intended for demanding architectural and contract projects, where design is considered holistically. Examples include high-quality residential construction, hospitality, offices and public buildings. It enables architects and planners to use surfaces consistently across different trades. This simplifies planning, reduces coordination, and ensures a consistent overall picture down to the finest detail." 

DT: "The JUNG project series is clearly geared towards objects in which a holistic approach to design is crucial, i.e. where a consistent overall picture is important in interior design. JUNG surfaces are processed at the DORNBRACHT factory and are designed for a minimum order of 800 items per surface. This makes them particularly suitable for larger projects in which materials play a major role in the overall design, rather than being used selectively. For planners, this above all means more detail certainty. You can be sure that the materials will fit together perfectly. The same applies to the Brushed Bronze surface, which can also be used in small quantities."


Combined expertise in DORNBRACHT x JUNG
Through this collaboration, DORNBRACHT and JUNG are pooling their expertise in processing high-quality metal surfaces. The JUNG switch ranges are refined at DORNBRACHT’s manufacturing facility and precisely matched to the surfaces of the fittings. The result is a consistent materiality across all brands, creating the foundation for a design approach that doesn’t think in terms of individual products, but in terms of their interaction.


The quality of the surfaces is created in the manufacturing process. What is particularly important here?

CS: "It is important that the surfaces are consistently reliable across ranges. Craftsmanship, such as the characteristic brush stroke used for matting, gives the surfaces depth and noticeable value. The result is a technically precise quality that also has an atmospheric effect." 

DT: "JUNG's origins as a company lie in craftsmanship. Our products have always been the result of a precise understanding of materials, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Quality is the result of experience, care, and close attention to detail. When it comes to real metal, it's the final nuance that determines how a surface looks. Our collaboration with DORNBRACHT brings together this understanding with an equally pronounced surface competence. That's exactly where the depth you can see and feel in the products comes from."

What makes coordinating the surfaces between the fitting and the switch so special in terms of technology and craftsmanship?

DT: "The challenge lies in coordinating different products with completely unique requirements in such a way that they appear identical in terms of both appearance and feel. The fact that the JUNG product coating is carried out at DORNBRACHT is therefore a key step. This is the only way to ensure that the shade, structure, and gloss level match exactly. This level of consistency is difficult to achieve with traditional, separate processes. The products have different functions, geometries and requirements, yet ultimately they must appear as if they were cast from a single mould. This level of precision can only be achieved by combining processes rather than developing them in parallel."

CS: "What is special is that the fittings and switches are not only similar in colour, but are also precisely matched to each other in terms of material and process. JUNG switches are coated in the same factory and with the same finishing processes as DORNBRACHT valves. This is the only way to create identical visual and haptic surfaces."


Milan as a stage for collaboration
Milan Design Week is a place of exchange and inspiration, where ideas are consolidated. This context also provides an opportunity to experience the DORNBRACHT x JUNG collaboration, which combines the two brands' expertise in materials, production and design. The coordinated surfaces make planning easier and open up new design possibilities. They create consistency where compromises were previously necessary and bring together different elements to form a common language. 


What does it mean to you to showcase this collaboration at Milan Design Week?

CS: "Milan offers the ideal setting to showcase this collaboration as a shared statement of materiality, precision, and holistic design. Exchanging ideas with our target groups in person is always very enriching."

DT: "Milan is an important place to get direct and honest feedback on new approaches. It's also a place to think outside the box. We found it interesting to see how naturally the idea of consistent materiality was embraced. That shows that we have hit a nerve here."

What ideas will you take away from this for future collaboration?

DT: "The most important thing is confirmation that the issues we address are also relevant to the industry. For us, the topic of this and other collaborations is therefore not a completed step, but a starting point. We will continue to expand this approach in terms of both further applications and new forms of cooperation between manufacturers. The response has shown that there is a great need for consistent, coordinated solutions."


More about Dornbracht x JUNG:
jung.group/dornbracht

Images: 

All the images shown, as well as other images in the press portal, can be used for editorial pur-poses free of charge, provided the copyright indicated in the portal is included. All images may be used freely solely in the context of reporting on DORNBRACHT x JUNG. Any additional forms of use (such as covers or contributions unrelated to JUNG) require separate agreement with the rights holders.

Credit ambient images: © DORNBRACHT / JUNG 
Credit Milan images: © DORNBRACHT / Foto: Tobias Wahl

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