Yesterday, as a guest of Tradelink and Mico Bathrooms, I was invited to the Sydney showroom to enjoy a presentation by Kim Duffin of Sublime Architectural Interiors on the future of bathroom design.
It was an intimate group of media from various home and interiors titles and, over lunch, Kim gave us his overview of what we can expect to see in bathrooms over the next few years.
Kim first talked about the bathroom in relation to the adjoining spaces and how we can expect to see a progression towards the more open-plan nature of a “wet room”. The bathrooms of the future will need to take into consideration the expanding and ever-changing family unit – with more and more adult children living at home for longer periods and the changing needs of an ageing population.
We’re seeing a move away from a “standard” ensuite – a minimal space that simply catered for simple needs where the main bathroom was still the main bathing area. Now and into the future, the focus will be on a master bathroom that is a fully-equipped room which caters for the needs of the adult owners.
In all bathrooms we’re seeing a continuation of minimalist, clean lines with maximum storage and open-plan integration. The use of curves will bring a ‘softer’ approach to the more linear shapes we’ve seen in the past while statement pieces such as a large freestanding bath will take centre stage.
Lighting, in all interior spaces, has become and will continue to be an integral part of a bathroom’s design while the use of texture – both visual and tactile – will bring life and animation to the bathroom. Texture can also be used to highlight special fittings or as a cohesive element when mixing and matching materials.
We’ll also see a move towards the incorporation of relaxation areas within open-plan bathrooms with space to “live” as well as to bathe. The lines between the bathroom and the bedroom will continue to blur and the use of more furniture-like pieces will help make our future bathrooms more “liveable”.
We’re expecting innovation and technology to continue with more connectibility and more opportunities to utilise technology throughout the bathroom – from the incorporation of an internet-connected television into the mirror to the Moxie shower head that plays music via a Bluetooth connection to your favourite device.
I had a great lunch and very much enjoyed the presentation as well as the opportunity to chat afterwards with Kim and the other attendees.
For more information visit www.tradelink.com.au or www.sublimegroup.com.au
What do you think is the future of bathroom design? I think it will be extremely interesting to see what’s on display at the International Bathroom Exhibition in Milan in April (as part of the Milan Furniture Fair).
