VitrA is the only brand in global markets offering every component of the bathroom. Applying design intelligence to the total bathroom concept, it creates inspiring bathrooms in a wide range of choices complete to the smallest detail. From 13 production facilities in Turkey, Germany, France and Russia, VitrA supplies millions of pieces of ceramic sanitaryware each year to over 75 countries on five continents, accompanied by matching series of bathroom furniture, bathtubs, faucets and accessories. VitrA tiles products span a broad array of styles developed for all kinds of indoor and outdoor areas from the kitchen and living room to pools and terraces, increasingly expanding the reach of VitrA beyond the boundaries of the bathroom
History of VitrA
It all started with a small workshop in the Istanbul district of Kartal. The year was 1942 and an eight-man team worked tirelessly to supply the country with a variety of earthenware products that couldn’t be imported to Turkey during the Second World War. The Dr Nejat Eczacıbaşı Ceramic Factory, as it was then called, was the forerunner to VitrA. After the war, economic revival was accompanied by a construction boom, which meant there was increased demand for ceramic sanitaryware, and the Kartal factory led the way. In 1958 the company opened its first modern production plant dedicated to ceramic sanitaryware, following a surging demand for the material as marble lost its popularity. By 1966, VitrA was adopted as the brand name, a shortening of vitrify (to create something resembling the hardness and polish of glass) or vitrified products – ceramic ware. In order to diversify the company, a faucet production plant opened in 1979 – a strategic bid to offer complementary bathroom products alongside sanitaryware. Then an uncontested leader on the Turkish market, VitrA launched the brand internationally in 1983. Today VitrA is considered the leading global provider of a full range of bathroom components. VitrA supplies millions of pieces of ceramic sanitaryware each year. Fifty percent of the brand’s production is sold abroad through a powerful distribution network that includes over 150 showrooms and 2,000 sales points, in major cities in over 75 countries on five continents. Many things have changed since the outset in 1942, but VitrA draws on its proud heritage to create contemporary bathrooms and tiles with timeless appeal and accessible luxury.
Design: the core of the VitrA brand
Design is at the core of the VitrA brand. In order to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and to bringing millennia of Turkish ceramic and bathing culture into the 21st century, VitrA has built a stable of designers that help identify new directions within bathroom and tile design. However, rather than creating fleeting moments of creativity, VitrA is interested in the longevity of collaborations, nurturing these relationships over time. This approach has made VitrA internationally recognized for its sophisticated aesthetic and fine-tuned ideas and concepts, which have earned the brand some of the world’s most prestigious design awards over the years.
