Elevating Architectural Brand Experiences How atelier 522 redefined Bette’s brand identity by bringing its technical mastery to life through rich interior design visualizations.

atelier 522 is an interdisciplinary office for strategy and design with over 68 designers from the disciplines of architecture, interior design, communication design, product and motion design, philosophy, and strategy. Together, they create holistic concepts and solutions for brands and institutions – from immersive dining experiences and next-generation hotel suites to forward-thinking campus environments for international companies.

Bette, a German company specializing in high-quality bathroom products made from glazed titanium steel, approached atelier 522 with a clear yet ambitious brief: to reimagine how the brand could inspire new perspectives on the bathroom — not merely as a functional space, but as an architectural and emotional landscape.

We caught up with Lara Reitz from atelier 522 to learn more about how they reshaped Bette’s branding and translated the company’s expertise into an experience that resonates equally with architects, planners, and end users.

Reitz: Bette is renowned for its material expertise and engineering precision. Therefore, the brand’s visibility and distinctiveness needed to evolve to reflect its true capabilities. The challenge was to translate these technical strengths into a holistic brand experience that could differentiate Bette not only on a product level, but on an emotional, architectural, and cultural level as well.

The Bathscapes project required us to think beyond product communication and develop a narrative that elevates Bette from a manufacturer to a visionary partner for contemporary and future bathroom architecture. The challenge was not about what Bette produces, but how Bette can be perceived as a brand with a stronger voice, clearer attitude, and sharper identity.

Reitz: Our interdisciplinary approach gives us the flexibility to combine many strengths within the team. Each unit used the software best suited to its purpose: Archicad for the interior architecture team, Rhino for product design, and Cinema 4D for motion and visualization. Direct and fast exchange between creatives was essential to maintain cohesion and efficiency throughout the project. In practice, we transferred geometry via FBX or STEP files, ensuring that each team was able to work in their preferred environment while staying perfectly aligned with the overall design vision. Accessorizing was done later in Cinema 4D to ensure we could work with high-resolution geometry without errors. It was crucial to set up layers and groups correctly between Rhino and Cinema 4D, which significantly sped up the texturing process and kept the workflow organized.

Reitz: Several Cinema 4D and Redshift features were particularly helpful for this project. We used high dynamic range images (HDRIs) to create photorealistic environments, which reduced the need for complex set construction and allowed us to focus more on compositing. Geometry optimization with subdivision surfaces helped us maintain high visual quality while keeping scenes manageable. We also used Instances, MoGraph Cloners with the Random Effector, and Displacers with Noise Shaders to efficiently duplicate, vary, and subtly modify objects like tiling patterns for example. This made the geometry feel more lively and realistic without compromising workflow speed.

Reitz: When working in Redshift, we always start with materials from our digital asset libraries, such as Greyscalegorilla or Cinema 4D’s asset library, and then refine them to match the look and feel our interior designers defined in mood boards. Our physical material library plays a crucial role throughout this process. Having real samples from a wide range of manufacturers allows us to precisely evaluate gloss levels, reflections, undertones, and surface behavior. This direct comparison between physical samples and digital shaders makes it much easier to dial in highly realistic and faithful Redshift materials.

Reitz: We approached the 14 bathroom designs by personifying each one, treating them as  unique characters. Our interior designers created distinct concepts for each space, and our product designers enhanced them with carefully curated design objects and products. Finally, our CGI and motion team brought the spaces to life through lighting and material treatments, adding atmosphere and depth. This collaboration gave each bathroom its own individuality and sense of sophistication and contemporary relevance. Tailoring each space allowed Bette’s versatile products to be showcased in distinctly different contexts while remaining authentic and compelling.

Reitz: We’re currently working on several interdisciplinary projects that continue to explore how spatial design, digital tools, and storytelling can merge into cohesive brand experiences. Many of these projects push further into the realm of motion, experience design, and digital narratives — not just as a layer added at the end, but as an integral part of how spaces are conceived and communicated from the start.

In general, we’re deeply interested in the topic of hospitality in a broader sense: how brands can become better hosts, how they can create meaningful, emotional connections, and how digital tools like CGI and motion can help translate these ideas into compelling spatial experiences. Whether it’s retail, work environments, or hospitality-driven architecture, we see a growing demand for immersive, dynamic content that brings spaces to life — and that’s exactly where we want to continue expanding our work.