The living-bathroom

Coherent design through rooms and living areas – this is the catchphrase for the current living and interiors trends architects and interior designers must come to grips with. The design of living space is understood as a holistic principle. Furnishings are coordinated with one another, convey openness and lightness and provide continuity throughout all living areas. The bathroom is now also experiencing intensifying upgrading.

Because a rug alone does not make a cosy bathroom, bathroom furniture hung on the walls are important design elements. The starting point for bathroom planning here is the washing stand. The control centre in the bathroom not only ensures orderly processes. It also offers the necessary free surfaces for cosy styling. A mirror or a medicine cabinet increasingly also take on complementary functions: in addition to the necessary storage space, space-consuming lighting systems are integrated into the medicine cabinet. Bathroom furniture is optimised for use in rooms with high air humidity. The surfaces are often nature imitations and convey a cosy atmosphere. However, there is also bathroom furniture made of solid wood on the market, which enjoys increasing popularity, particularly in the upscale interiors segment. Even more lifestyle in the bathroom comes through the selection of modern colours used extensively for bathroom furniture fronts and consoles.

Freestanding bathtubs, floor-level showers with a walk-in design and coloured glass surfaces are important design elements for planning a modern, cosy bathroom. However, the choice of material is decisive for the well-being factor. Possible uses for textiles can be found not only in the form of bath towels, but also for windows, as coverings for seating or bathtub cladding. Moisture-resistant wallpapers on the walls and wood-effect floor tiles exude comfort. Other furniture, for example, an armchair or a stool, a bench or a small make-up table expand the design world of the living-bathroom and bring more quality of stay into the bathroom.

The trend toward more colour in the bathroom is influenced not only by the design of the wall elements, ceiling and floor of a bathroom, as well as the optics of the installed sanitation objects, but also by the accessories and deco items. These perform an increasingly important function in the bathroom, because it is the styling that makes a well-designed bathroom a real space of well-being for the inhabitants. In addition to the completely private things that need to be stored in the bathroom, it is plants, picture frames or decorations tailored to the interests of the inhabitant that transform the bathroom from a purely functional room into a private spa with added value.

In the private real estate market, the size and outfitting of the bathroom is increasingly becoming a crucial purchase criteria for investors. When marketing owner-occupied properties, high-end bathroom outfitting frequently features among the central wishes of prospective buyers, alongside location. Where the architect plans a larger bathroom with multiple possible uses, this increases the level of outfitting and the design quality of the products used, skilfully transforming them into a private spa. A higher purchase price can then often be achieved for the property. These kinds of product developments in the contract business can now be seen appearing, with a slight delay, in the private segment. Sales figures for shower toilets are currently rising, for example. Wellness products like infrared cubicles, saunas and steam rooms are among the outfitting required for the private spa.