Bath Innovations
Rethinking basic design and amenities can go a long way towards distinguishing your property.
By Philip Shea, Associate Editor
Duravit has collaborated with Vienna-based design group, EOOS, to create a truly original shower concept. Designed for the small bathrooms often found in urban environments, clear or mirrored glass shower walls disappear into a discreet chrome frame that tidily conceals tap fittings, shower attachments, and toiletries when they are not in use. The mirrored finish creates an additional visual appearance of greater space, while also creating a full-length mirror (www.duravit.com).
When choosing the type of sink and faucet to incorporate into your bathroom, factors such as space, shape and water efficiency should be paramount. The new Metris faucets with Comfort Zones come in a variety of heights and work with numerous-sized sinks. They also have a low flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute (GPM), ensuring that water usage will be both economical and environmentally friendly (www.hansgrohe-usa.com).
Designed by Davide Oppizzi of DCUBE, the Ametis faucet from GRAFF is a futuristic ode to high design in the bathroom. Surrounding the joystick control lever is a color ring that morphs from red to blue, indicating changes from hot to cold water and vice versa. Fluid and sensuous, Ametis guides the water through the gentle curve of the faucet, providing a visual representation of the idea that life is a cycle (www.graff-faucets.com).
While having eye-catching and attractive furnishings in your bathroom is important, there should be equal devotion to practicality and utility. Medicine cabinets are a great addition to any wash area as they provide convenient storage space and a focal point for that part of the bathroom. Residents will store toiletry essentials in this solid teak Medicine Cabinet from Waterbrands, which can be mounted to open left or right and features adjustable shelves (www.waterbrands.com).
Element, a part of the Architectural luminaire collection by CSL, blends energy efficiency with a fun, industrial maritime look for the bath. The wall-mounted fixture uses energy saving CFLs, which according to Energy Star use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer (www.cslighting.com).
