Hansgrohe presented its latest ranges, including Pulsify, RainDrain, Finoris, Vivenis, AddStoris and AXOR One. For some of these products, HIX represented the first time they were available for viewing at an event in the UK.
Hansgrohe comprised its brands AXOR and hansgrohe, to showcase its latest innovations in bathroom design. With working water displays and its latest products on show, visitors were welcomed to the stand. As one of the founding sponsors of HIX 2021, Hansgrohe sponsored the talk, ‘Quietness with Attitude’, in partnership with Hotel Designs at the event.
Jay Phillips, Managing Director at Hansgrohe UK comments: ‘Designing for wellness has never been more important. The mental and physical health impact of the last 18 months has opened up important conversations around personal and corporate wellbeing, so much so that designers and architects need to work increasingly harder to create spaces that calm, rejuvenate and cocoon its users.
“Whether through applying biophilic principles, using clever lighting and layouts, or simply harnessing the restorative power of water when it comes to bathroom planning, good design has the power to transform the guest experience. Hansgrohe, with its brands AXOR and hansgrohe, is delighted to be sponsoring this event where such an important topic is top of the agenda.’
VitrA showcased Liquid, the new bathroom range created in collaboration with acclaimed British designer, Tom Dixon, at the newly launched Hotel Design Interiors (HIX) show.
The Liquid collection, a full bathroom range, is ideally suited to hospitality settings and is the latest addition to VitrA’s portfolio of designer collaborations.
The comprehensive range includes sanitaryware, furniture, taps, tiles, shower systems, and accessories. All of the products are designed to be able to work together or as stand-alone pieces.
Tom Dixon drew inspiration from a variety of sources. From the “big chunky taps and fat tubes” of Victorian bathrooms to the round-edged aesthetics of his recent work, which is reminiscent of the work of Claes Oldenburg and Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog.
The functionality of the range is designed to be intuitive so that users instinctively understand how to operate the products, a facet of the collection which is particularly suited to hotel and hospitality environments.
Speaking about the need for this Tom commented “I wanted the collection to look like a kid’s sketch of a bathroom basin or a tap, displaying a clear logic and simplicity in looks and usage”.
Consciously choosing to offer only white ceramics, the range combines different materials including fluted glass and metal mesh for the furniture units. Taps and showers are available in chrome or for contrast, a new gloss black finish that is atypical in modern bathrooms. The range also includes distinctive wall tiles, available in five designs with colour options of white, black, grey, sage green and ecru.
The collection is perfectly suited for commercial projects where longevity is an important consideration. The collection can be combined in multiple styles to suit various purposes and environments, ensuring flexibility in a wide range of hotel and hospitality settings.
Levent Giray, Managing Director of VitrA UK, comments: “We are delighted to take part in the first ever HIX event. It is the ideal setting for us to introduce the Liquid range to a commercial and hospitality focused audience.
“Our extensive manufacturing, design and innovation capabilities have ensured that there is a unity to the breadth of the Liquid collection. At a time when there is a greater emphasis placed on the role of the bathroom in hotel and hospitality settings, this cohesive range has a generosity of design that will sit comfortably in many different environments.”
Roca’s New Victoria furniture offers simple and elegant designs with generous storage space and maximum functionality. Available with drawers or doors and in four timeless finishes.
With a neutral look and a wide range of size options the 2 drawer vanity furniture units are available in widths of 600mm, 700mm, 800mm and 1200mm. The 3 drawer option is available in 600mm, 800mm and 1200mm offering plenty of generous storage space. There are also 2 door cupboard options available in 600mm and 800mm and to maximise storage and floorspace there is a matching slim column storage unit available.
The collection offers a larger range than the popular Victoria Basic range and includes useful new options such as the 700mm, 2 drawer vanity unit and the 1200mm double basin solution with 3 drawers for large family bathrooms.
Another practical feature is the lower drawer which offers improved storage space and higher sides allowing taller bottles to be stored upright – a useful addition to any bathroom vanity unit.
The New Victoria furniture range is available in a wide selection of contemporary finishes, ensuring there’s an option for every style of bathroom design. Colours include Gloss White, Nordic Ash, City Oak and Anthracite Grey.
The elegant soft-close drawers feature new slim modern chrome handles for easy functionality and a touch of style, to compliment all the timeless colour finishes.
The New Victoria furniture collection can be wall hung for a contemporary look or paired with optional sleek Aluminium Finish feet.
Integrating smart features into our homes is becoming part of the new normal as more of us work from home.The smart homes market was valued at around $80 billion in 2020, and it is expected to exceed $300 billion by 2026.
With UK householders dramatically increasing the number of smart devices they own, it makes sense for us to integrate smart living into the bathroom. For housebuilders, incorporating connected technology at build level might be a smart move in more ways than one, as demonstrated this year by Plant Prefab. The US prefab construction company announced its highest profit ever in 2020.
Mike Simpson, product & marketing director at Aqualisa agrees “There are currently 15 million households that own a smart home device, with predictions suggesting growth to 24 million by 2025. Smart technology is making homes more efficient and cheaper to run: reducing energy consumption, saving money, decreasing environmental impact and delivering a more personalised experience. “
All systems go
Scavolini Dandy Bathroom Furniture with built-in Alexa
Alexa is now a familiar feature in our kitchen and living areas, however, Scavolini has gone one step further and updated its popular Dandy bathroom furniture range with a smart built-in Amazon Alexa. Not only can you now talk to your home, but your virtual assistant is seamlessly integrated into its design via the Task Bar, an aluminium profile that incorporates smart technology.
Appropiate behaviour
According to UWLA, bathroom products are at the heart of water consumption in the home, with over 60% of water being used in the bathroom (20% accounted for by showers), and 25% of energy used heating hot water.
Helping to conserve water use in the bathroom, Aqualisa’s next-generation Quartz Touch™ smart shower includes an intuitive, easy-to-use mobile app. Families can use the Aqualisa app to control shower duration and monitor individual usage, therefore limiting water consumption and costs. Furthermore, a proximity sensor reduces water flow if the user steps away from the shower.
“With more than 2 billion litres of water used each day in the UK and an expected increase in demand of 30% over the next 20 years, sustainability has become a key priority in the bathroom industry. Combined with the rapid adoption of technology, this is resulting in the emergence of smart home devices that can both enhance consumers’ wellbeing and contribute to a more eco-friendly lifestyle.” continues Mike Simpson, product & marketing director, Aqualisa.
Aqualisa
Keep it clean
Smart technology is dovetailing with a new focus on hygiene as manufacturers integrate touch-free features for frequently used bathroom areas such as guest bathrooms. Sensor-activated products that you don’t have to touch with your hands help us feel more comfortable and enhance hygiene levels.
TOTO is one such company and is offering more touch-free functionalities for its shower toilets (WASHLET™), taps, soap dispenser and automatic hand dryers.
Mirror image
The bathroom is no longer simply a functional space, but a place to rejuvenate and refresh. Light and sound are key design elements when it comes to creating a safe haven, however smart technology also ensures that all-important connectivity. The latest technology means every aspect can be smartly integrated so there is no need to compromise on any single element.
Ash Chilver, HiB Sales Director agrees “As bathrooms become more of a multipurpose space, somewhere that we go to relax and unwind as well as for our hygiene needs, having access to technology is becoming more important. By using and interacting with products featuring technology such as integrated speakers, Bluetooth and charging ports, we can stay connected and enhance our experience and overall enjoyment of the bathroom.”
Teeming with useful technology, the Dimension LED Bluetooth Speaker cabinet (pictured top and below) offers a number of features that enhance the user experience in the bathroom. The cabinet’s dual aspect LED illumination is operated via a handy touch sensor that highlights the design on the mirrored sides and doors. Hidden discreetly within the mirror surface is a heated pad that helps to reduce condensation, and inside the cabinet, the two handy USB ports and a 2 pin socket allows users to charge their devices, toothbrushes and shavers.
Scavolini has updated its popular Dandy furniture range with a smart built-in Amazon Alexa. Not only can you now talk to your home, but your virtual assistant is seamlessly integrated into its design via the Task Bar, an aluminium profile that incorporates smart technology.
For the bathroom, the Task Bar is located above the vanity top (as shown in the image above). A smart speaker is also integrated within so whether you want to listen to your favourite tunes while dressing, catch up on current affairs in the shower or ask Alexa to dim the lights at bath time, your wish is her command.
The Task Bar can also be fitted with a series of accessories, including shelves, towel rails and soap holders, as well as LED lights recessed along its length. The bathroom pictured features an aluminium Task Bar and Oak veneer vanity unit with Prestige White handles.
The concept brings together the best of old and new. Fabiana Scavolini, CEO of Scavolini, says: “Our Made in Italy tradition, teamed with cutting-edge technological research, led to this extraordinary project, which looks to the near future while reinventing our past. The shapes of Dandy Plus bring to mind our best-selling model from the 1980s, Dandy, in a clear tribute to Italian design and a solution to the needs of consumers who are increasingly connected.
“In partnership with celebrated architect Fabio Novembre of Novembre Studio, we started by thinking about the increasing presence of technology in our everyday activities and in our homes. Dandy Plus is a smart, innovative and comprehensive project, designed for everyone who wants an all-over digital experience at home.”
PJH has launched a luxurious new modular furniture range, aptly named “Statement”.The range is part of its new Autumn/Winter Bathrooms to Love Collection and is available in three super matt soft shades – Matt Antique Rose, Matt Latte and Matt White.
Statement consists of a range of basin units and tall units (also available in a wall-hung option) and can be complemented with a choice of handles in three on-trend finishes – Brushed Brass, Matt Black or Polished Chrome. The basin unit drawers feature luxurious smoked glass sides and anti-slip drawer liners.
The basin units with tops come in two widths (590mm & 1180mm) and can be teamed with choices of handle and washbowl as well as a worktop – including an Urban Black 10mm HPL (High-Pressure Laminate), a White Slate 12mm HPL and a Matt Latte 18mm laminate design. A third basin unit option, at 610mm in width, comes with a 1-tap hole inset ceramic white basin.
Sitting at the top-end of the Bathrooms to Love furniture collection Statement is a perfect showroom display piece when teamed with coordinating Bathrooms to Love products, such as brassware, washbowls, mirrors, lighting, wall-hung ceramics and accessories, as shown above.
A five-year quality guarantee accompanies the Statement range, which is featured on the front cover of the brand new PJH Bathrooms to Love consumer brochure.
Stockist support includes new point-of-sale material, furniture colour swatch samples and display deals – and the new range is now available for ordering via PJH’s e-commerce platform, the Partners Portal™.
D-Neo Minimal is a new bathroom range by designer Bertrand Lejoly for Duravit. With a pared-down aesthetic designed to counter-balance the current fast pace of life, the range includes bathroom furniture, taps, a washbasin, bathtub and mirrors.
The clear, minimalist and geometric forms are complemented by muted brown and subdued beige colour tones. tones that work equally well In all bathroom schemes, from Scandinavian to urban.
Duravit considers the design elements to suit urban individualists whose lifestyles are defined by jettisoning anything superfluous. for this demographic, the bathroom is a haven of peace with clear forms and minimalistic design that make the daily rituals a regenerative experience.
Taps & washbasin
The D-Neo faucets feature a clear-cut design that holds its own in any room. they pare beautifully with the 800 mm asymmetric washbasin, a highlight of the D-Neo range. The vanity unit with open racks and a drawer provides plenty of storage space. With four glass shelves, the semi-tall cabinet also offers ample storage in a compact space.
BathroomFurniture
The new Oak Black finish furniture is calming to the eye and designed to open up the room.
Bathtub
The 1600 x 750 mm free-standing D-Neo bath has the velvety look and feel of the DuraSolid® material, which was developed by Duravit, making the piece an eye-catching choice for bathrooms of any size.
Mirrors
Circular mirrors from the Universal Light & Mirror range provide indirect lighting to pleasantly illuminate the washing area.
About Duravit
Founded in 1817 in Hornberg in the Black Forest, Duravit AG is today a leading international manufacturer of designer bathrooms. The company is active in more than 130 countries worldwide and stands for innovation in the fields of signature design, comfort-enhancing technology and premium quality. In cooperation with an international network of high-profile designers such as Philippe Starck, sieger design, Christian Werner, Cecilie Manz and young talents such as Bertrand Lejoly and Kurt Merki Jr., the company develops unique bathrooms that enhance quality of life for users on a sustained basis. Duravit’s product portfolio comprises sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, bathtubs and shower trays, wellness systems, shower-toilets, tap fittings and accessories as well as installation systems.
HiB has unveiled its latest collection of mirrors and cabinets, showcasing sophisticated styling and advanced functionality.
The new products, which include LED illuminated bathroom mirrors and cabinets, as well as non-illuminated mirrors, are now available to view in the new HiB 2022 brochure and on the website. Customers browsing the new brochure see all the latest ranges and can make use of new QR codes to see additional images, information and videos online.
Also new for the 2022 brochure is the inclusion of HiB’s growing accessories range, allowing customers to choose from an array of accessory styles and finishes to complement their choice of mirror or cabinet.
Ash Chilver, Sales Director at HiB said: “The new HiB brochure displays the diversity of styles across the new ranges and the meticulous attention to detail. HiB has always been committed to the development of innovative bathroom mirrors and cabinets and we’re excited to be able to share such a wide variety of new products with our customers. Each range has been designed with style and versatility in mind and will appeal to customers with a broad range of bathroom sizes, design preferences and budgets.”
HiB’s latest ranges have been created by the company’s in-house design team, to offer the latest integrated technologies and inspired designs.
PJH has announced that for the second time this year, it is unveiling a brand new collection of bathroom products to add to its Bathrooms to Love portfolio.
New and updated ranges feature in the furniture, ceramic, worktop, bath and accessory categories, and include new design-led collections as well as beautiful new colours and finishes, and product specification upgrades.
A refreshed new 332-page consumer brochure accompanies the launch (Bathrooms to Love – Issue 18), including aspirational new lifestyle photography and, as always, supported with a package of stockist sales assistance, such as new point-of-sale material, furniture colour swatch samples, display deals and competitive pricing. PJH’s e-commerce platform, the PJH Partners Portal™, now lists all new products, making online ordering even easier, especially with the use of convenient functions such as live stock information and order tracking.
The evolving Bathrooms to Love Collection welcomes a number of new furniture ranges, including the luxurious “Statement” modular furniture family available in a super matt finish including a stunning Antique Rose colourway, as well as the hi-spec “Gatsby” modular furniture range with integrated LED lighting and high quality Blum fittings.
The popular “Lucia” ‘transitional’ furniture range see’s a new wall-hung cabinet option added to its choices, and the fitted furniture range “Benita” welcomes some new unit options. More contemporary worktops have been added to the furniture category along with a stunning marble-effect vessel basin – a real centrepiece!
Meanwhile, the modern freestanding bath range now offers a number of designs available in a new matt grey finish, available from stock for immediate delivery without having to pre-order – so great news for stockists with no lengthy ‘painted-to-order’ lead times.
In the wake of the pandemic, bathroom spaces have become a place to recalibrate. The 1918 influenza pandemic shaped the modern bathroom with a new focus on sanitation and, in the same way, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only freshened up our hygiene focus, it has renewed the zest for beautiful design as we prioritise space to relax and rejuvenate.With home entertaining also now back on the agenda, creating the wow factor is back in vogue.
Designing a statement bathroom can be achieved in a myriad of ways from introducing a bold colour scheme to utilising a standout statement piece such as a freestanding bath or totem basin. Whilst selecting one stand-out piece will anchor your own personal style, selecting products from a cohesive collection guarantees symmetry.
Round and about
Liquid from VitrA is a new comprehensive range designed in collaboration with Tom Dixon and is the first-ever bathroom range by the acclaimed British designer. Like much of Tom’s recent work, the new collection is aligned with his increasing use of round-edged aesthetics. The designs have been inspired by elements of pop art, such as Jeff Koons and his Balloon Dog and the work of Claes Oldenburg, as well as the sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s geometry of soft forms and use of rounded marble.
VitrA’s design director, Erdem Akan tells us “If you get the core pieces right, you can create combinations and potentials – creating more with less. The result is Liquid, a range that is wholly new and yet somehow familiar.”
Bathing beauties
Freestanding baths effortlessly deliver the wow factor bringing drama and elegance to bathrooms. Oval or circular baths promote a contemporary aesthetic and are spacious enough to cater for all family bathroom needs.
Studies on the psychology of shape tell us circular shapes are pleasing to the eye and promote a sense of well being. Sven Rensinghoff, head of marketing and product development at Bette agrees “Baths with contemporary curved shapes are becoming even more popular as they can be comfortable for both the eye and the body. Taking their inspiration from nature, they can help to create a welcoming bathroom design and can also be extremely comfortable to use.”
Bette baths are available in over 400 colours so adding a touch of individuality is simple to do from the outset. The BetteEve Oval is natural, comfortable and perfect for two to bathe together because the ellipse has two focal points. The BetteEve baths are a generous 180 x 100 cm, with symmetrical backrests on both sides and a central waste outlet.
BetteEve Oval Silhouette bath
Geo style
When it comes to smaller spaces, Helen Clark, head of marketing at Utopia Bathrooms tells us “You don’t necessarily need a large bathroom to create a statement. People often associate impact with a very spacious bathroom where there is a clear focal point such as a freestanding bath or large walk-in shower but in reality it’s what you achieve with the space you have and the materials you use that can add stunning visual appeal. “
Utopia delivers a contemporary Geo arrangement that combines minimalist style and stunning finishes for a chic effect. This is also a look that can easily be scaled down to suit a smaller space with no loss of impact.
Opula in Indigo and Burnt Copper from Utopia Bathrooms
Paint it black
Design schemes that break the mould are also achieved with clever use of colour, this strategy is useful for modest bathrooms where monochromatic options help build impact and create the illusion of space.
Marianne Shillingford, creative director Akzonobel Dulux UK agrees “When it comes to creating instant impact in the bathroom you can’t beat a slug of gutsy colour. Fortune favours the brave in small spaces where we should be able to enjoy a full immersion sensory experience in everything from invigorating water on our skin to texture and colour.”
Black and white tones are also ideal for creating a rustic-inspired bathroom with retro accents. White bathroom walls are the starting point for this look, Absolute White from Dulux, delivers a crisp finish, and dark oak doors and cabinetry pair beautifully with Victorian-style silver taps and pipework.
Walk-in wonders
Sustainability is the watchword for 2021 and is set to stay at the top of the agenda indefinitely. Combining luxurious statement design with sustainability appears to be an incongruous pairing, but it is key as we move into a new era of eco-responsibility.
Adam Teal, Kaldewei UK head of sales agrees “Sustainability has always been at the core of Kaldewei’s business and is a constant and consistent theme when designing and creating new products, our steel enamel solutions add a luxurious air creating a feeling of ‘luxstainabilty’ – luxury and sustainability – to any setting.”
The SUPERPLAN ZERO is the latest product from Kaldewei. This impressive enamelled shower surface is the perfect addition to a statement bathroom and has been created by the Berlin designer Werner Aisslinger. The style is reserved yet extremely comfortable underfoot.
