Hotel Designs starts December as it means to go on; looking back to reflect on some of the major statement products of 2019 (edited by Hamish Kilburn)…
It has finally happened. ‘Trends’ is now a ‘dirty word’ on the international hotel design scene. In its place, meaningful design is allowing creativity to run freely through the unclogged veins of design studios, which is resulting in each project to have its own personality. Designers and architects are able to choose their tools carefully in order to create the hotels and cities of the future.
As a result, there’s a greater desire to cut through the noise in order to identify the game-changing products that have recently launched.
Since January, Hotel Designs has put a a different topic under the spotlight each month in order to identify the most innovative products and services. 11 months later, here’s what we found…
Image credit: Laufen
The new Cleanet Navia by Laufen is an upgrade in comfort compared with a classic designer WC. It impresses with a compact design, simple functions and with a gratifying price.
“My aim with the Cleanet Navia was to create a classic designer WC with a minimalistic, timeless look, that has another ace up its sleeve when you take a closer look,” explains Swiss designer Peter Wirz, who created the shower WC for Laufen. The technology is fully integrated into the compact all-ceramic body and reduced to the essentials. Thus, Keramik Laufen has succeeded in developing a shower toilet with an excellent price-performance ratio, which is also suitable for use in commercial buildings.
2) The Balmoral collection by Bisque
Image credit: Bisque
Pioneering designer radiator brand Bisque has, for the last four decades, represented the pinnacle of cutting-edge, contemporary design; however, for the first time, the luxury firm has announced its inaugural range of traditional towel radiators for use in classic bathroom designs for 2019.
The collection – comprising the Buckingham, Osbourne and Balmoral – was designed with a timeless appeal, without compromising on performance or output.
In particular, the Balmoral radiator. Its centre section, conventionally a timeless white, can now be ordered in Bisque’s selection of stock finishes or, for when only an exact shade will do, can be colour-matched to popular paint brands such as Farrow & Ball, Mylands or Little Greene. This makes it a fantastic option for those who prefer to add a pop of personality to an otherwise fairly neutral scheme, and complements many bathroom brands’ latest offerings of colourful baths, basins and brassware.
Bisque’s Balmoral Radiator colour-matched to RAL 6005.
The addition of a colour finish further adds to the Balmoral’s flexibility. Traditionally a radiator for period homes or vintage-inspired bathrooms, this sleek update means it sits right at home in contemporary settings, too.
3) GROHE Plus Single-Lever Mixer M-Size with LED temperature display
Image credit: GROHE
Take your bathroom to a place as technologically sophisticated as the rest of your life with the GROHE Plus basin mixer with LED temperature display. Its slim, D-shaped form, designed to complement both traditional and contemporary bathrooms, contains a range of user-friendly technology. The upper surface of the spout in chic white acrylic hosts an LED temperature display, which shows the exact water temperature as it flows. The tap also employs infra-red sensors to switch smoothly between a sustainable standard spray (5.7l/min) and even greater water-saving with the Spray function (4l/min). Just wave your hand in front of the lit icon on the spout to activate. The large size of this tap offers the space for a more user-friendly, comfortable experience. It features a GROHE SilkMove ceramic cartridge, offering smooth, precise control via the tactile solid metal lever handle. The swivel spout with easy docking system turns through 90° for added ease of use, while an integrated GROHE AquaGuide lets you adjust the spray angle of the spout with ease and precision. The SpeedClean aerator can be wiped free of limescale with just your finger.
4) Timeless lighting pieces in the Edition 26 collection by Chelsom
Image credit: Mr C Coconut Grove/James McDonald
For nearly two years, Chelsom’s Edition 26 collection has been inspiring designers and architects to add statement in lighting. This year, Hotel Designs has identified the design potential of some of its products in the collection, such as Orb, Criterion, Icicle, and one of the editorial team’s favourite, Roma, which is an industrial-chic masterpiece.
Creativity is in the cooker as the lighting experts at Chelsom prepare for a busy 2020 with the launch of its next collection.
5) Morgan’s award-winning Rakino
Image credit: Morgan
The family of lounge chairs and tables, which feature crisp timber detailing that is emphasised by a clean linear structure, has just won Product of the Year at the FX Awards 2019.
Interviewed by Hotel Designs shortly after the collection dropped, Tim Rundle said about the collection: “The Rakino collection stands out due to its striking timber architectural frame, with a strong, square, clean aesthetic, combined with a soft sculpted and slim line upholstered shell that is held within the frame. The frame is very open and honest and is a reflection of Tim’s eye for detail and our passion for precision CNC manufacturing and a hand-crafted finish.”
7) Luxe bathrooms inside Stock Exchange Manchester by Utopia Projects
Image credit: Stock Exchange Hotel Manchester
In a recent study it was revealed that more than 70 per cent of designers and architects fear the bathroom most when designing a hotel. For those professionals, there’s Utopia Projects that has unrivalled relationships with suppliers and an acute eye for detail when it comes to designing meaningful bathroom spaces. The bathrooms inside Stock Exchange Hotel Manchester are an excellent example of this. Hotel Designs’ got the concept-to-completetion exclusive of the challenges and triumphs for this hotel, which opened recently.
If you know of a product you believe should be involved in PART 2 of Hotel Designs’ ultimate throwback, please email h.kilburn@forumevents.co.uk.
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