Global Bathroom And Kitchen Design Trends

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Last week I’ve visited Arch Moscow 2014 – exhibition of design and architecture. Very interesting was the seminar called “How global trends affect our bathing and eating habits”. It was organised by Sieger Design and was led by the eldest of brothers (owners of the company) – Christian Sieger. His insights about tendencies in bathroom and kitchen design were very profound and thought-provoking. Unfortunately something has happened with my laptop, where I took notes from his presentation. However the main theses I still have in my mind so want to share them with you too.

1. GOING GREEN

This global trend has many other “sub” tendencies, which should be covered in deeper details.

a) The world population grows too fast (it will reach around 10 billion people by 2050) and our planet is not able to provide enough resources to all humans. Especially it refers to potable water. By the way, do you know how much water is required to make this steak?

Or this pair of leather shoes?

I was really surprised to learn that it is more than 15000 (!) litres (this includes all water which cow drinks during the life). Concern about water has found reflection in design – more and more people think about possible ways of recycling water and special systems which can be installed for that purpose in their houses.

b) The use of sustainable materials. Instead of plastic and other environmentally unfriendly substances, designers involve renewable resources, such as wood, stone, metal.

c) People want to be closer to nature. Partially it is connected with the previous point of an increased use of natural materials. Another possible ways to bring nature in: decorating with plants and “green walls”, architectural solutions such as floor to ceiling windows , blurring the boundary between indoors and outdoors.

2. PEOPLE ARE MORE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS

Comparing to the previous generations we become more and more concerned about healthy lifestyle. It can be seen even in menu of McDonalds, which has changed greatly over decades. Now instead of only burgers and Coca-Cola it is possible to order fresh salads and juices. This trend has influenced a lot design of kitchens and bathrooms. Compare yourself, this is how fridge looked like 50 years ago:

And this is how it looks now:

See the difference? The compartment for vegetables and fruits is almost double the size of what it used to be. For bathroom design this trend is especially essential, since usually this is the only place in the house where we can seclude ourselves from the rest of the world, relax and rejuvenate.

Sieger considers that this is the reason why bathroom should be free of any electronic equipment or its presence should be minimized. More and more people convert their bathrooms into spa-like retreats, the size of the bathroom has also increased over the years. Various technologies can transform the bathtub or shower into a massage room or a hamam. In that sense the innovations of bathroom design lye not only in aesthetics, but also in the ways how water can be used for wellness purposes (think of horizontal or “rain” showers, waterfall effects, acupuncture water massage and so on).

3) CUSTOMIZATION OF DESIGN

Design becomes more and more personal. People don’t want only to see and accept ready proposals from architects, they want to participate in the process itself and they want their home to reflect their personality and needs. Freedom of clichés and definitions of what is fashionable and what is not. Independence from design principles and desire to mix unmixable. Move towards eclecticism and “personal” design.

On the image below is the latest collection of Sieger porcelain. The idea behind it is that instead of buying boring “ready” sets, people would create their own china collection which will be unique and different from anybody’s else.

Today luxury brands offer more choices of customization. You can change the handles of the water tap if you don’t like them, or combine the different styles of appliances, for example modern with rustic, if you wish to do so.