The VDS trend forum Pop up my Bathroom at the world-leading ISH fair 2019 in Frankfurt turns colour in modern bathrooms into a talking point for the industry

The arrival of colours in what has traditionally been a "white space", is evolving the bathroom into a lifestyle space. Colour is coming to the bathroom in the form of fittings, furniture, shelving, freestanding bathtubs, other furniture, textiles, flooring, wall coverings and accessories.

This year, so as to present the multitude of options and the most stylish combinations, the trend experts of the Pop up my Bathroom communication campaign decided to turn their special exhibition into a gallery. Bathroom products like washbasins and bathtubs, cabinets and fittings merged with their artistically defamiliarised background – designed by illustrator Björn Steinmetzler – to create unusual 3D collages. In a total of 12 such scenarios, the makers of Pop up my Bathroom staged colour spaces that adapted the latest trending colours and stylistic devices from the field of colour design specifically for the bathroom.
Source V2com

Grey - Design series Badu by burgbad
Bestseller in grey: With its new Badu collection, Schmallenberg-based bathroom furniture specialist burgbad is reinterpreting the popular mid-century style for the bathroom.

Badu By BurgbadPhoto credit: burgbad

Brown - AXOR MyEdition fitting line
The clear, straightforward design of the AXOR MyEdition fittings line consists of two parts: the body and the plate, which opens up a new scope in terms of brown shades for the washbasin and a cosier feel for the bathroom.

Fitting LinePhoto credit: Axor

Gold - TECEsquare flush plate and the TECEdrainprofile shower channel
Modern bathrooms are turning into personalised retreats with a feel-good factor, and colour is returning too. To promote this trend, TECE is expanding its extensive selection of finishes with the addition of various metallic surfaces for the TECEsquare flush plate and the TECEdrainprofile shower channel.

Shower ChannelPhoto credit: TECE

Surface finish Matt Black from Hansgrohe
The latest matt black trend colours from Hansgrohe are ideal for contemporary architecture and deliberate contrasts. Their elegant simplicity adds the perfect finishing touch to any modern bathroom.

HansgrohePhoto credit: Hansgrohe

Jens J WischmannPhoto credit: VDS
The industry is hungry for lifestyle and colour. And the market definitely has an appetite for both. However, the industry is taking a cautious approach to colour and proceeding with a steady hand. It’s about colour concepts, colour harmonies and colour chords, or discovering colours inspired by materials like natural stone or different metals.
Jens J. Wischmann, Managing Director, German Sanitary Industry Association/VDS

Pop up my Bathroom
An Experimental Platform & Trend Show
Pop up my Bathroom, an initiative of the German Sanitary Industry Association/VDS and Messe Frankfurt established in conjunction with the ISH, is an experimental platform for architects, bathroom planners, interior designers and journalists. At the ISH 2019, approx. 30,000 visitors came to the Europa hall to find out the latest trends in the bathroom and explore what possibilities the bathroom can offer as both an aesthetic and a functional space.

Pop Up My BathroomPhoto credit: Constantin Meyer; German Sanitary Industry Association /VDS

Colour harmonies - Collection Edition 400 from Keuco
Anybody who wants a suspenseful colour combination without the loudness of a bright bathroom should consider trying the ultimate discipline of colourful bathroom design: the combination of several colours to create a harmonious overall effect – as seen here in the Pop up my Bathroom trend installation created with Keuco.

Colour HarmoniesPhoto credit: Constantin Meyer; German Sanitary Industry Association / VDS

Tone-on-tone - Kludi Zenta SL fitting and rgb from burgbad
Tone-on-tone concepts bring a sense of serenity to the bathroom even when bold colours are used. One colour plays the dominant role in the colour scheme. The new rgb collection designed by Stefan Diez made its debut at the ISH 2019 and is pictured here with a special edition of the Kludi Zenta SL mixer.

Tone on TonePhoto credit: Constantin Meyer; German Sanitary Industry Association / VDS

Green - Furniture collection Finion from Villeroy & Boch
The colour concept for the Finion furniture collection from Villeroy & Boch was developed by German-Danish designer Gesa Hansen. The tour de force: the colours of the fronts, carcass and shelves can be combined to suit individual preferences. Pictured here is a matt green shelving module with interior fittings in matt grey.

Green FurniturePhoto credit: Villeroy & Boch

Pastel - Meta from Dornbracht
In addition to three new design variants that further enhance Meta fittings’ minimalist shape, different collections of finishes permit a multitude of individual configurations. The Fashion collection, for instance, features an ensemble of four pastel finishes for contemporary interiors: pale green, light pink, grey-blue and yellow.

Pastel MetaPhoto credit: Dornbracht

Trends
  • Bolder colour schemes in the bathroom echo the trend towards more colour in the interiors sector as a whole.
  • Technical innovations coupled with ambitious design in the form of ultrathin ceramic, diamond-cut fittings, furniture systems made of glass panels, fittings that are smart and slender, and even a toilet with an integrated wastewater filter.
  • Fittings in black or white or with brass or copper-coloured finishes don’t just make for upmarket accents when used in combination with wood and tiles, they can also be contrasted with walls, cabinets or coloured washbasins in bold primary colours or delicate pastel shades.
  • Today’s bathroom design is closely linked to contemporary interior design. When it comes to aesthetics, bathroom planners and interior decorators, designers and sanitaryware producers apply the same standards you would expect for the living room or kitchen.
  • Neutral colours continue to dominate – grey is the new white. Just like white, grey provides a large palette of very different neutral hues – ranging from a warm greige or cool slate to light mouse grey or a modern concrete grey.
  • Colour as a background and colour for accentuation. Painting one wall nougat – a highly popular shade right now – and combining it with light-coloured wood such as light oak.
  • Up-to-the-minute brown hues paired with complementary accent colours like petrol, turquoise, orange or coral, a beige-tinted dusky pink, ultraviolet or the odd dash of mustard, which looks great with olive and brown shades.
  • A dark ambience looks particularly upmarket and smart, especially in classic arrangements featuring warm wood hues and metal effects.
  • Upscale black or a minimalist white-on-white look can also look extremely elegant.
  • On top of everything else, there’s also the option of using patterns, which can be integrated via the tiles, wallpaper, textiles or even upmarket wood finishes with a 3D effect.
Greige - Lighting concept Royal Midas from KEUCO
Between grey and brown: The right lighting mood is guaranteed with Royal Midas, a networked lighting concept from KEUCO that provides everything from a ceiling lamp for general lighting to ambient and task lighting on the mirror cabinet, illuminated mirror and cosmetic mirror, to downlights for stunning accent lighting. Besides conjuring up different lighting scenarios, the concept is also ideal for showing off popular composite colours like Greige in the best possible light.

Lighting concept Royal MidasPhoto credit: Keuco

Blue - Aqua finish from Alape
The Aqua finish from Alape creates a stunning impression of depth – an effect usually only achieved with glass. It owes its special character to a high-gloss surface with varying depths of colour (intensity): the colour gradient in the washbasin is created by the manufacturing process and is slightly different every time, making every basin a one-off.

Blue Aqua finishPhoto credit: Alape

White - Happy D.2 Plus from Duravit
White space: For Happy D.2 Plus, Duravit collaborated with Sieger Design to translate the latest trends in finishes, colours and shapes into the archetypal arc that defines its classic Happy D design.

White HappyPhoto credit: Photo: Duravit

Bright - CL.1 series of fittings from Dornbracht
Dornbracht is interpreting its CL.1 fittings line in a new material: the premium handles are made of multicoloured Swarovski® crystal, giving them an upmarket and sculptural look inspired by architecture.

Fittings from DornbrachtPhoto credit: Dornbracht