I know you’ve probably overdosed on Salone by now, not least because social media is saturated with all the pretty things on show. A lesser-explored area of Salone del Mobile is the International Bathroom Exhibition. The bathroom has undergone a total revolution in the last ten years, from functional area to wellness room, from an “unseen” room to one definitely worthy of being on “display”. Below I share my thoughts on the bathroom trends from Salone del Mobile and I’d love to know your thoughts.
Dedicated to the bathroom, SaloneBagno’s 200+ exhibitors come together to show bathroom products that have been revolutionised by design, technology and style in general. These bathrooms are primarily areas dedicated to wellness and relaxation but often with an ecological mindset. Many companies across the bathroom industry are helping us to be efficient with water, adding technology to create flow rates that feel more luxurious than they really are – a No.1 client request for most residential clients being a powerful shower.
The SHAWÀ showerhead from Antonio Lupi being a case in point. With strong industrial looks, its design has been engineered to deliver a powerful bathing experience without increasing the capacity of water required.
As we have seen for a number of years, freestanding baths still have pulling power and none less than Arik Levy’s freestanding Emerso bathtub with its rim that flows asymmetrically for Kaldewei. Equally jaw-dropping were tubs by IDEAGROUP, Falper and Kreco rolling out contemporary freestanding bathtubs that wouldn’t look out of place in the middle of your bedroom.
Hygiene is obviously a given in the bathroom, but LAUFEN has taken it to the next level unveiling a rimless WCs. Literally, the bowl has no rim and therefore no place for dirt and germs to hide.
Across the exhibitors, the products being showcased all had one thing in common beautiful, thoughtful design. Bespoke by Carlo Colombo is the new collection for Antonio Lupi, which sees bathroom storage resembling furniture that would seamlessly integrate into open plan bedroom spaces. Definitely worthy of being on “display”.
The wellness trend was particularly evident at Effegibi working with Architect Rodolfo Dordone, and designer Michele Angelini introduced their new BodyLove concept, harnesses sophisticated and luxurious materials.
This is a modern-day reworking of the hammam is essentially a pod that can be integrated directly into your home and has mood at its core with integrated colour-therapy.
Diesel Living for Scavolini, a favourite of mine with its industrial styling plays firmly into the utilitarian urban aesthetic. Industrial styling was emerging in other brands, but the truest functional industrial styling was hands down theirs for the taking. Another favourite of mine was the wonderful Ceilo who delivered an outstanding stand with colour and form taking centre stage.
The bathroom has become a place to show off, technological advancements in manufacturing have transformed the materials now available for bathroom products particularly in items such as taps. There were exciting new textures including new composites and metallic finishes (lots of brass, copper and gunmetal), no longer are we just given a choice between nickel or chrome.
Talking specifically about taps, Gessi in the fuorisalone launched a new direction in tap architecture with a concept directly formed in nature. Being a Milan Designhounds meant that we also got access to events including range launches. Our tour of Gessi for the launch of the Equilibrio range opened with the meditative performance by artist and philosopher, Marsel Lesko. If you were around on the day, I posted this live on periscope, but here it is below for your convenience. Each beautifully crafted tap is created using the latest technology to enable precision engineering. This beautiful range comes in a variety of luxury finishes including brass, copper, steel, bronze and variety of stones and marbles. It was exciting seeing organic shapes, like the Equilibrio tap from Gessi taking bathroom products into a whole other dimension.
Once again the Salone Internazionale del Bagno 2016 delivered important new developments, original projects and increasingly innovative design. I hope you’ve enjoyed these bathroom trends from Salone del Mobile, if you’d like to see more of my trade show reports visit here.
All Images by Mary Middleton for hellopeagreen except Emerso bathtub
nice post