Better Bathrooms

05/14

    The very room which, for decades, ranked right behind the cubbyhole in the hierarchy of living spaces (and was furnished just about as lovingly), is currently presenting the most exciting performance of all: the bathroom. For today, what used to be the epitome of run-of-the-mill design no longer seems to fit into any neat category: a waterproof washing station or an aesthetically styled meditation room? A comfort zone for relaxing, a health temple equipped for steam and light therapy treatments, a smart fitness room or candlelit wellness oasis, a fun bathroom with smartphone-controlled sound or quite simply a hub for early-morning family reunions? The bathroom unites more functions than virtually any other area of the home. And it brings together things that don’t actually belong together: water, wood, textiles and electrical appliances. 

    Bathrooms are becoming increasingly cosy in the contract sector too. The modular construction of the Shower Cube from Glaeser Wogg makes it a flexible option: it can be rededicated, dismantled and reassembled at any time.  

    Photo: Glaeser Wogg AG; Shower Cube 

    Nowadays a sauna can cut such a fine figure it even looks perfectly at home in the living room. The latest saunas, such as the Logica model from Italian sauna specialists effegibi shown here, are equipped with comprehensive technical features and blend in very well with the latest interior design trends. 

    Photo: effegibi; Logica 

    The bathroom is thus also making increasingly greater demands in terms of the technical and design-related quality of its products. It is after all a place where a wide range of very different product types are brought together to create a new room category where we can experience the moments of intimacy and relaxation that have become so precious to us to the full. The waterproof lounge furniture, parquet and wall plaster, rain shower and fireplace all have to be reconciled with one another. The way water is being staged by means of designer fittings and lighting effects is the best example of how the upgrading of the bathroom is giving rise to new product concepts. More than anything else, however, modern bathroom design represents the way different areas of the home are merging. Like the kitchen and living room, the bathroom is growing together with the bedroom and living space to form a single unit where different functions, architectural requirements and aesthetic concepts are being adapted to one another. 

     

    Why shouldn’t wood be used in the bathroom when it sets the tone in the rest of the home? And if red happens to be your favourite colour, why shouldn’t your bathtub echo your preference? If grooming is a cherished ritual, why not combine an old tradition with modern design and put a dressing table complete with washbasin in the bedroom – right next to the passage that leads to the dressing room and bathtub rotunda? Why string everything along the wall when there are such beautiful bathroom products that can be placed in the middle of the room like precious sculptures? Living doesn’t stop behind the bathroom door – so why not furnish the bathroom like the rest of the home? With sanitaryware that looks like furniture and furniture that invites you to relax. With a sauna that blends in seamlessly with the interior, plenty of room for the family, a comfortable space for some sensuous moments with your partner or a stylish spot for getting together with friends.