Somebody once figured out that we spend about three years of our lives on the toilet. That’s not as long as we spend in bed, but still long enough to illustrate how deeply even basic hygiene is embedded in our everyday routines. So what about the kind of activities that are becoming increasingly important in modern bathroom culture? 

 

The desire for a space that’s a pleasure to spend time in plays a crucial role in the design of the bathroom. Health and body consciousness, the desire to indulge in grooming, styling and fitness, as well as to incorporate quality time into everyday life, are upgrading the bathroom to the status of fully fledged living space. Individually adjustable procedures and sensor-controlled lighting are a help in any life situation. Today, a comfortable and convenient bathroom is regarded as an investment in health, regeneration and continued independence in old age. 

 

If we want to feel comfortable in a certain place, we make it feel like home – by surrounding ourselves with things we like and high-quality, well thought-through equipment and furnishings. Today, that applies just as much to the bathroom as it does to the rest of the home. But in this case, there are certain things to consider that don’t play quite such a big a role in the living room: technology, storage space, the suitability of the materials and, above all, ergonomics. 

 

When it comes to the user’s size, for instance, any bathroom can be tailored to individual wants and needs nowadays. And as society changes sanitaryware is changing too, and offering products like toilets specially made for people with high body weights. Adjustable or adaptable installation heights and flexible systems can meet the needs of various users in one and the same bathroom or accommodate changing requirements as the users age. 

 

But there’s more to ergonomics than shaping things to suit the body. Personalised solutions for the shower, toilet and vanity unit play an important role as well. Even creating storage space – a perfectly straightforward exercise in the living room – calls for a lot more attention to detail in the humid setting of the bathroom. All the same, virtually anything is possible these days. Thanks to sophisticated industrial processes, even ceramic washbasins can be produced “by the metre” and sized to order – with contoured and glazed edges all the way round. 

 

Comprehensive furniture systems that permit just as many configurations as cabinet ranges for other areas of the home are available for the bathroom too – and can be adapted to suit both individual body sizes and the specific space situation. Besides meticulously manufactured bathroom furnishings with water-resistant finishes, there are even hardwearing solid wood options as well. And when it comes to technology, the revolutionary developments of recent years have led to individual shower programmes, the linking of light and water or surfaces for multimedia displays, to name just a few. 

 

And when a couple doesn’t see eye to eye, what could be better than a Comfortable Bathroom that conveniently provides two solutions: one for each user. After all, it’s not uncommon for couples to sleep in a double bed with two different mattresses. The alternative to a double vanity doesn’t just take different physical builds into account, it factors different usage behaviour into the equation as well. One person might feel comfortable in chaos, whereas the other needs an uncluttered setting to feel at home. The effort is definitely worthwhile in real life too, because it allows procedures to be optimised and can help create a harmonious routine that provides opportunities for quality time. 

 

The Comfortable Bathroom created by Pop up my Bathroom features the Edition 400 collection from Keuco. The centrepiece is the exclusive washing area with washbasin and vanity, available either as a custom solution with a worktop and modular base cabinets or as individually combinable sideboards (design: Tesseraux + Partner). Besides being easy to use, the furniture provides plenty of storage space and permits a wide variety of sizes and combinations for single and double washbasin solutions. Available in trendy colours and finishes such as textured lacquer, high-gloss lacquer or genuine wood veneer, the wide range of furniture can be complemented with matching mirrors with energy-saving LED lighting that can be adjusted to the required brightness and colour. The illuminated mirror is equipped with sensor-controlled mirror heating that prevents it from misting up. The fittings and accessories in the Edition 400 range speak a very slender and graceful language, while the lighting of the iLook_Move make-up mirror can be adjusted to the required brightness and colour using a glass control panel.