Future bathroom special, India Today, Home Magazine pages 42 - 49. Noida India, August 2013 http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/forward-march/1/299742.html

1. HOME
BATHROOM SPECIAL
Forward March
From a portable, small unit with high-tech gadgetry to a colour-coded space
with fancy fittings, it is raining technology in washrooms, finds SHELLY ANAND
H
ave you ever wondered what tomorrow’s bathrooms
will look like? Will they be yet another story in
pristine white, with taps and basins thrown in
without much thought and a mirror to complete the package?
Or else, will they have intuitive gadgets and gears which make
grooming and preening an interactive ritual? It looks that the
future is really bright in the bathroom space. Here are some
out-of-the-box concepts that are everything but boring.
MIRROR FINISH
Inspired by the shape of an egg, a small structure that protects
a future life, this space by Mexican designers consists of a
toilet, sink, touch screen mirror and chair. Sensorcontrolled lights, neutral colour palette and minimal
design scheme gives it a relaxing feel. The mirror is the focal
point here and lets the user control everything right from
managing the temperature of water, setting an alarm,
playing music, regulating the intensity of light to selecting an outfit and keeping a track
of the clothes so that one doesn’t use them very often. One can even keep a detailed check
on health and register weight, glucose level, heart rate and urine analysis while being in
the bathroom. While the sink comes with two different heights and closes automatically
after use to get disinfected using ultraviolet lights, the electric chair can be controlled with
a small panel and can move 360 degrees as needed.
Sparse and squeaky clean,
this unconventional bath
space was created by
Mexican designers
Benjamin Cepeda, Carlos
Sanchez and George Corona

2. HOME
BATHROOM SPECIAL
SYMPHONY IN COLOUR
Bulgaria-based Gemelli Design Studio’s outlook on baths is one which brings together
creative and fun elements. Spread over an area of 40 sq m, its bath-cum- bedroom project
titled An oasis in a sandstorm (see above) transforms spaces through form and colour and
provides complete relaxation of the senses. Handiwork of designers Branimira Ivanova
and Desislava Ivanova, the two areas are separated from each other with aglass wall and
through use of colour—purple for bedroom and yellow for bathroom. Located next to the
window with a view of the sea, the bath area has two different types of sinks: a small round
and wide long one, which can be used for different functions and a console bidet besides a
standing toilet seat.
44 India Today HOME, August 2013
Funky and futuristic,
Bulgaria-based Gemelli
Design Studio offers a
rejuvenating retreat

3. HOME
BATHROOM SPECIAL
Functional without fuss,
this modern-looking
washroom is by Italian
maker Boffi
46 India Today HOME, August 2013
LESS IS MORE
High on simplicity and objectivity, minimalism is about designing smarter while
completely doing away with ornamental characters. Following these guidelines, Italian
kitchen and bathroom brand Boffi’s contemporary bathroom setting, Universal
(featured below) is not only sleek and smart but functional and fuss-free also. Devoid of
any colour, the space designed by Piero Lissoni looks like a regular setting with fittings.
At closer glance, however, one can make out that what looks like a plain wall is in fact a
modular system of base units with heavy duty drawers and compartments in bleached,
dark or graphite grey oak veneered ecowood walnut with flap doors in different finishes
and pull-out shelves in aluminium. The handle comes in the finishes as the door it is
recessed into. Now this is what we call an alien concept

4. HOME
BATHROOM SPECIAL
Planned out with extreme
concern for space-starved
homes, this mobile concept
is by Brazilian designer
Fernando Silva
BREAKING BARRIERS
Water is the driving force in nature; Swiss designer Davide Oppizzi knows how to play
around with this precious resource while creating fittings which pay an ode to futuristic
design in the bathroom. The Ametis collection (see below) done for US-based label Graff
is both fluid and sensuous and is a visual representation of the very idea that life is a cycle.
Symbolic of the fusion between the universe above and the oceans below, every object in
the series is unique and nothing short of a sensory experience. The sinuously-shaped
faucet, for example, made from a hollowed brass bar is equipped with an electronic
system with a coloured ring which changes from red to blue and vice versa depending
on the water temperature. The slim-looking shower column, on the other hand, made
out of a curved steel bar comes with several intelligent features and an integrated
chromotherapy system with LED lighting. Clearly, washrooms are in for a makeover.
BE ON THE MOVE
Small things can make a big difference. A look at this versatile and compact, modular
arrangement (see above) is enough to drive home the point that space-starved apartments
and condominiums can also have aesthetically planned washrooms.
Fitted with sleekest gizmos, Graff
from the US has given the zone a
lived-in feel by introducing most
essential elements
The brainchild of Brazilian designer Fernando Silva, the CEB mobile bathroom module
can be installed anywhere and anytime with ease and not much construction
work. Ergonomic and a perfect fit for most modern interiors, it comes fitted with a WC,
shower, wash basin with mirror, and a scale in a neat, little package. Fully
customisable in a number of colour and design schemes, the unit when seen from
outside looks more like a pack of cards than a place to take care of daily bathing rituals.
August 2013, India Today HOME
49