Bathrooms at Sleep exhibition focus on luxury and personalisation

If the Sleep exhibition, in 2013, showed the hotel industry was riding the recession, this year specification in bathroom sales seemed to be racing ahead. Crosswater reported large orders being taken on stand. Yet it wasn’t just the scale of the orders that seemed impressive but the quality of the specification too. Designers in the hotel industry seemed to be focused on selecting higher quality bathrooms and demanding greater individualism for their projects, in a bid to attract prospective guests.

Targeting premium projects

And they were amply served by the bathroom industry at Sleep, which showcased a raft of premium products from established exhibitors and newcomers to the show. These included the likes of debutante Toto with its luxury shower WCs, to Ideal Standard which this year demonstrated boutique hotel suites (accessorised by gold swan taps under glass cloches), While the Nigel Coates Studio-designed room, in the Sleep Set area of the show, boasted a huge format bespoke Aquavision TV, which potential guests would be able to use to get online.

Making it personal

And alongside this high-end trend was a move towards personlisation and it was arguably the brassware manufacturers which led the charge. Hansgrohe launched its Antonio Citterio E collection for its designer brand Axor in chrome. But using the company’s Manufaktur Design service it could be specified in 12 finishes from black chrome to rose gold. Dornbracht showed its IMO brassware in a range of finishes, while Crosswater showcased Mike Pro in several metallic finishes, as well as a splash of bold primary coloured shower valves. While Grohe introduced its Individual Service which allows designers to offer taps in any colour, with logo any size adjustment, as required. With all these options, Sleep demonstrated designers are working harder than ever to attract guests with bespoke hotel bathrooms. But it’s going to make the challenge greater for those working in home refurbishments, whose client wants a ‘hotel-style’ bathroom, as there’s no one design to suit all.

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