The Future is now! The latest trends in the bathroom
25 years ago, who would have thought the bathroom would experience such a rapid rise within the hierarchy of rooms in the home – from a purely functional space to a lifestyle showpiece, from the architect's neglected stepchild to a stage where bathroom planners can parade their prowess? The bathroom has become the pride and joy of hotel rooms, private houses and even perfectly ordinary apartments. In the run-up to the sector’s world-leading trade fair, the ISH in Frankfurt from 10 to 14 March 2015, an important question arises: which developments and trends can we expect in the years to come?
For all the euphoria about the bathroom’s positive evolution, many developments have not yet really taken hold in the vast majority of German bathrooms. Renovating a bathroom isn’t the kind of thing you do “when you’ve got a minute” because, according to popular opinion, it is a project that involves a great deal of mess and effort. And yet the industry has developed a great many renovation solutions – like pre-wall systems, for instance – that are straightforward to implement and generate relatively little dust. For those who remain unconvinced, it is important to point out that today’s market already offers numerous innovations that most consumers would probably only expect from a bathroom of the future. It’s just a question of using them: innovative design concepts, technologies, materials and usage options for a bathroom that doesn’t just make life more pleasant but easier too.
Cleanliness made easy
Shower toilets are now available from several suppliers and, when it comes to hygiene and usability, promise a level of convenience that sets itself apart from the former standard and represents a historic turning point in our general hygiene culture. It is finally fair to say that hygiene has become a selling point in Europe too. For whilst hygienic finishes and products are already taken for granted in Asia and the USA, it is only now that the demand for innovative ceramic or glass finishes, rimless toilets or shower toilets has – rather belatedly – started increasing in this part of the world too. Even fittings that can simply be detached from the water connection and put in the dishwasher when they need a thorough clean are no longer a vision of the distant future – they already exist.
Water, light and warmth at the wave of a finger
With numerous innovations in the field of “digital water control”, Germany is undoubtedly the trailblazer when it comes to the digitisation of the bathroom. Besides the targeted selection of various water modes, programmes and individual functions in the shower and elsewhere, the field of bathroom lighting is now rapidly gaining ground as well. Thanks to modern LED technology, light can be used to emotionalise the bathroom and take its spatial quality to a whole new level. Electricity is also needed for the numerous touch-free fittings that are now becoming increasingly popular in private homes as well.
Megatrend: Living in the Bathroom
The furniture is probably the most eye-catching element in the bathroom. But when it comes to the quality and design of these products, the focus is no longer merely on the robustness required to ensure a long lifespan in a humid environment: today’s bathroom furniture is also in line with the lasting trend towards a snugger bathroom that is more like living space. Functional features such as plenty of storage space, lighting or organising functions are attractive to any target group. Nowadays, innovative illuminated mirrors are a popular addition to the equipment in the bathroom command centre – so why not give them a smartphone or internet port as well?
Never before have there been so many attractive and efficient options for equipping a guest bathroom: here too, bathroom furniture manufacturers offer a wealth of original and appealing solutions. But most of all, the bathroom is increasingly becoming home to furnishing items like carpets, armchairs or sofas that are more traditionally found in the living room. The megatrend “Living in the Bathroom” will be dominating the interior design of this space for the next few years. Top-quality furniture finishes, wood-textured tiles, beige hues, warm colours and exclusive accents like the latest metal effects, rounded edges and cosy textiles can be used to turn the space into a trendy living-bath-room. And there’s one material that’s particularly in: wood. But Italian manufacturers in particular are also pinning their hopes on the current luxury trend, using marble, gold and metallic effects for premium tiles to bring an exclusive lifestyle feeling to the bathroom. They are part of the long list of exhibitors who, at the coming ISH 2015 in Frankfurt, will be showcasing an abundance of products that are guaranteed to make the bathroom feel even more like home.
Megatrend: Easy Bathroom
It’s a well-known fact that our society is ageing. Anybody who has experienced physical limitations for any length of time – even if only in the form of a broken leg – is well aware that the bathroom is a key factor for ensuring long-term independence. Because they help people remain self-sufficient for as long as possible, products like a level-entry shower and ergonomically designed controls are becoming increasingly popular – and not just amongst handicapped bathroom users. It’s often the little things that decide whether we can continue to live in a safe home or need to move into residential care – like a grab rail in the right place, an innovative hand shower with an additional handle for easier use, a touchless faucet, a shower toilet or simply a nightlight that shows the way to the bathroom even when it’s dark. Barrier-free accessibility and freedom of movement in the bathroom will therefore be one of the top themes addressed by the international sanitary industry at the ISH 2015.
Fountain of health
Scientific studies have shown that water has a positive impact on more ailments than was previously believed. The current revival of Kneipp hydrotherapy treatments will influence private bathrooms as well. For dedicated followers of this philosophy, it might even be worthwhile installing two tubs or pools so that they can alternate effortlessly between warm and cold baths. When planning their bathrooms, health-conscious house owners should therefore inform themselves about the water treatment options available in good time.
The Bathroom of the Future
Besides current and realistically feasible trends, the industry is of course venturing a look at the future of the bathroom as well. And precisely because of all the technical and technological innovations, it looks as if that will mean focusing a great deal more on the needs of the bathroom’s human users. Decoupling the products from the pipe system, for instance, and their resulting architectural liberation from the wall, could provide interior design with some totally new approaches for planning snug living-bath-rooms. A shower toilet linked to the Internet could even evolve into a discreet health centre that uses sensors to measure the most important health data and send it straight to the doctor – a safety net not just for the elderly but for younger people with chronic ailments too. And applications like in-floor sensor systems that control the lighting and sound the alarm if somebody falls can already be installed in bathrooms.
In addition, the industry is discussing totally new room and location concepts for e.g. the wellness segment. After all, there is a long tradition of bathing culture in Europe, and it has been a recurring feature of public life ever since Roman times. In Scandinavia, going to the sauna remains a thriving social ritual even today. Now that the bathroom is gaining so much importance in people’s lives, it’s time to think not just about our attitude to the private bathroom but to new forms of bathing culture as well. Semi-public baths tested in pilot projects could provide an added value for densely built detached housing developments with limited space – enhancing not just their appeal for the community itself but the attractiveness of the property too.