d line’s move into barrier-free is about enabling people, and as with many of the products we design, our leap into this important new area started with a need. We realised that, with 10 per cent of the Western population suffering from a disability and with the global population living longer, our energies could be put into products that, while being attractive, could make life easier and better for all.

Our barrier-free range serves both the disabled community and helps the elderly remain in their homes in a way that is discreet and understated.

Extensive user testing has shown a great need for products in this category that look good, so we have created them with features such as user-friendly operation; different colour options for easy detection by the visually impaired; and warmth to their touch to avoid causing pain to arthritis sufferers. The barrier-free range, designed by Knud Holscher, is produced in AISI 316 steel. AISI 316 is an acid-proof, non-corrosive, marine quality stainless steel – a robust, raw, sustainable substance whose strength and resilience we have unfaltering confidence in.

Both internally and externally, every detail of every piece is rigorously tested for seamless functioning so that it endures. Then, assisted by the most cutting-edge machinery in our field, each is expertly crafted by hand.