Patrick Speck: Design Begins Where Memories Are Made
Great Installations Don't Need Instructions
Every year, hundreds of brands compete for attention during Milan Design Week. Spectacular installations, bold statements and increasingly elaborate presentations dominate the city. With GROHE SPA Aquatecture, GROHE deliberately took a different approach. Located in the historic courtyard of the Palazzo Reale, the installation wasn't centred around products – it was centred around a feeling. Visitors entered through a circular portal, leaving behind the hustle and bustle around the Duomo and stepping into a calm, immersive world shaped by water, materials and architecture. For Patrick Speck, that transition was exactly the point.
"When you're talking about a memorable experience, what we always want to create is an emotional connection."
That's what separates a meaningful brand experience from a beautiful installation. "If there's something about that that didn't stick to you, you tend to forget." What made GROHE SPA Aquatecture special wasn't its form, it was its openness. No one told visitors where to go or how they should experience the space. Instead, everything happened naturally. People touched the water. They explored the products. They gathered together in the centre of the installation. Almost instinctively, like people gathering in an Italian piazza. "We didn't have to tell people what to do. They just did it naturally." For Speck, that's exactly what good design looks like.
Authenticity Can't Be Designed
Another reason for the installation's success, according to Speck, was its consistency. The architecture told the same story as the products. Water, materials, light and atmosphere all worked together to express one clear idea. "If we are not honest with those values, or with the way we represent those values, people immediately feel a disconnect." Authenticity doesn't come from storytelling alone. It happens when the brand, the space and the experience all speak the same language. Today, this is often referred to as storyliving. That's also why GROHE SPA Aquatecture never felt like a temporary exhibition stand. It simply felt authentic.
For Speck, the role of physical brand spaces is changing fundamentally. Traditional showrooms used to focus on displaying products. Today, people are looking for places where they can discover, connect and spend time together. GROHE has continued this thinking with the LIXIL Water Experience Center in New York. Products are still part of the space, but they are no longer the main attraction. The focus is on bringing people together. "It's no longer about a traditional showroom." Instead, brands create the right conditions for people to shape their own experiences.
"We create the right conditions instead of trying to dictate how people should feel."
The Return of Real Experiences
Speck also believes it's time to rethink the relationship between digital and physical experiences. Digital technologies remain important, but their role is not to replace real-world interactions. "Digital should augment the physical—not replace it." After the experiences of recent years, he sees a clear return to genuine human connection.
"Personal connection, face-to-face interaction and peer-to-peer exchange are exactly where brand experiences are heading."
In today's attention economy, the temptation to create instant impact is stronger than ever. Speck believes that's the wrong goal.
"I would encourage designers to focus on long-term value rather than short-term impact."
He compares this approach to the music industry's classic one-hit wonder. A single hit may generate attention, but truly meaningful design continues to surprise and fulfil people years later. "The most successful designs and experiences are the ones that continue to fulfil and surprise you over time." That's why every design project should begin with a much more fundamental question. Does society actually need this product? Does it solve a real problem? Or is it simply adding another object to an already crowded world? Great design begins when unnecessary complexity disappears. "Cut away the superfluous and focus on the meaning of what you're creating."
What Memory Will Your Design Leave Behind?
The German Design Awards recognise projects that take a holistic approach to design and demonstrate how design can create meaningful emotional connections. GROHE SPA Aquatecture is a powerful example. It shows that the strongest brand experiences aren't necessarily the loudest—they're the ones people leave with a lasting feeling.
If your project offers new answers to the challenges of our time, we look forward to your submission to the German Design Awards 2027.
Take the opportunity to present your work to an international jury and become part of a global network of outstanding design.
