Heading towards individual living space

05/12

What should a bathroom look like? The standard array of shower or tub, toilet and basin, a mirror above it and maybe a little cupboard over there... all in a nice straight line up against the wall? That’s all in the past. But the bathroom’s shift in meaning, away from pure practicality and towards more ambience and cosiness, still has to find suitable forms of expression. Today anybody who still sees the bathroom as a purely functional space that merely serves as a backdrop for hygiene and personal care routines exposes himself as hopelessly behind the times. Nowadays, spending time in the bathroom means feeling comfortable, letting go and shaking off the stress of everyday life. As a result, bathroom furnishings are becoming increasingly snug and homely in an attempt to create an oasis for relaxation. The design is becoming more consistent and entering into a dialogue with the surrounding areas of the home. There are openings to the bedroom, fitness or dressing room that can be closed off again if required thanks to e.g. sliding doors, whilst still retaining a certain degree of transparency. Relax furniture like loungers and armchairs are finding their way into the bathroom and teaming up with the bathtub or sauna to create a rest area. Walls are being tiled, plastered or even papered, floors laid with wood or carpet. And the furnishings available for the bathroom, whether they feature stringent or jaunty lines, by no means lag behind other furniture segments when it comes to variety.

Salon life

High-gloss lacquer isn’t the only option. Sometimes beauty gleams so radiantly that it even absorbs the light around it. In the case of Diva Limited Edition from Burgbad, for instance, the exquisite matt lacquer contrasts mischievously with the classic, feminine shapes of the wash basins and bathtubs and the playful legs of the tables and cabinets. The unusual range of colours – Black, Racing Green (photo) and Royal Blue – is evocative of the salon or boudoir of a high-society femme fatale. Even the interiors of the tables and cabinets have a matt lacquer finish, making the two-coloured washbasin and bathtub stand out all the more.

Photo: Burgbad, Diva Limited Edition

Jaunty lines classically framed

The key element in the My Nature collection from Villeroy & Boch (in-house design) is the curvaceous wash basin. Its slender body is meant to create a sense of lightness – an impression reinforced by the airy accompanying cabinet. The washstand unit has a space-saving integrated towel rail, the console drawer is available with an optional, removable tray. On top of that, the possibility of exchanging the front panels quickly and easily thanks to a system of magnets provides a very personal kind of aesthetic freedom; as well as Chestnut, the fronts are also available in the colours Sand, Aqua and Grey. The collection is rounded off with a mirror system plus a jauntily designed free-standing bathtub, toilet and bidet.

Foto: Villeroy & Boch, My Nature

Gleaming gems for the bathroom

With its fascinating reflections, Keuco’s Royal Reflex bathroom collection is a real eye-catcher. The secret: the back of the robust safety glass fronts is either printed with a wood effect or coated with coloured lacquer, thus creating a deep, gorgeous brilliance and the attractive reflections. The fronts are edged on both sides with aluminium strip handles that accentuate the clear and modern design. Available in six different sizes to suit anything from a small guest toilet all the way to a double washstand, Royal Reflex offers solutions for any bathroom, whatever its dimensions. One special detail of the washstand unit is a solid beech console that can be inserted into the sliding shelf to hold little bathroom utensils for daily use.

Foto: Duravit, Onto; Dornbracht, Gentle (Design both: Matteo Thun)

Endearing wood

Wood stands for warmth, solidity and cosiness. And in Duravit’s Onto series, designed by Matteo Thun, it is wood that plays the leading role in terms of appeal. Both the consoles and the fronts of the tall cabinets, floor cabinets and washstand units are made of laminated wood. The sandwich-like structure of the wood is visible at the edges, thus reinforcing the material’s natural allure. The consoles come in different sizes and feature towel rail cut-outs in the front edge or top. An illuminated mirror and base unit put the finishing touches to the washing zone. Whether in European Oak, Dark Chestnut, Matt White or Matt Basalt – each of the four colours in the series serves as a connecting element. Matteo Thun developed the Gentle fittings collection for Dornbracht to go with the Onto collection.

Foto: Keuco, Royal Reflex (Design: molldesign)