Bathroom design is undergoing a transformation, moving beyond the traditional view of the bathroom as merely a bathing area. Today, there is an increasing demand for a blend of luxury, comfort, and sustainability, creating spa-like retreats for users. Villeroy & Boch, a renowned German brand, stands out for its quality and innovations in bathroom designs. In a recent conversation, architects Prashant and Hemanti Sutaria, Principal Architects, PSA, Mumbai, shared their philosophies and ideas on modern bathroom design. They highlighted the significant role of Villeroy & Boch products in their projects and discussed their strategies for optimizing bathroom space in urban settings. They elaborated on incorporating the latest technologies and innovations, utilizing the exceptional qualities of Villeroy & Boch to enhance the bathroom experience.
Design philosophy for creating spa-like bathrooms
Hemanti Sutaria: Our philosophy while designing bathrooms is based on elegance, innovation, and adding a personal touch that reflects the client’s taste, complemented with effective lighting and ergonomic fittings.
Prashant Sutaria: While designing bathrooms, we are guided by three things only; hygiene, comfort, and luxury. I think any product which fits into this mould is ideal.
Both Hemanti & Prashant Sutaria believe that as a German luxury brand, Villeroy & Boch is aligned with their style of bathroom design offering exemplary quality and timeless elegance.
Recent trends in bathroom design – Materials and aesthetics
Hemanti Sutaria: Natural materials such as stone and marble are the recent trends that improve the look of your bathroom spaces by creating a warm, earthy feel. These days, bathrooms have become one of the most important spaces and are closely tied to how we live. Our bathroom designs aim to provide a spa-like retreat experience. To make it more comfortable and quiet, we use natural earth tones like green, blue, grey, and other biophilic-inspired colours.
Prashant Sutaria: Creating space to shower or freshen up is not all when we talk about designing a bathroom these days. It’s also about how much time we spend there and the in-house facilities therein. For example, water therapies integrated into the shower or even sophisticated lighting solutions that add visual appeal.
Both Prashant & Hemanti Sutaria emphasized that people are investing their time and money in creating a spa-like experience in their bathrooms by incorporating their natural light shafts, indoor plants, dry landscapes, and earthy, natural materials, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top 3 things to keep in mind while designing bathrooms that offer a spa-like experience
Hemanti and Prashant Sutaria: Generally, when designing bathrooms, we have three primary considerations. First and foremost is hygiene, which is a way of ensuring a clean living environment. Secondly, comfort plays a key role in enhancing user experience. Lastly, we focus on aesthetics combined with functionality to create a visually pleasing and functional space.
Maximizing space utilization in compact urban bathrooms
Compact bathroom designed by PSA
Villeroy & Boch guest bathroom design
Bathroom with Villeroy & Boch fixtures
Hemanti Sutaria: We rely on certain specific details while designing small bathrooms to maximize both functionality and aesthetics.
- Monochromatic look: Using just a single colour palette gives a sense of space and openness.
- Creating niches: Incorporating built-in niches for storage to keep the bathroom organized and clutter-free.
- Finding the right fixtures: Choosing the correct size of baths, showers, and other fittings also helps in saving space.
- Selecting colours and lighting: Choosing the right colours and lighting to enhance the overall ambience and spatial perception.
- Retaining luxury and aesthetic: Ensuring that the bathroom maintains a luxurious and spa-like feel and high aesthetic appeal despite its size.
Prashant Sutaria: In places like Mumbai, sometimes the cost of construction per square foot even exceeds a lakh. Therefore, every square inch counts. We try to make judicious use of space by creating storage solutions in unexpected places and fitting more utilities within smaller areas. This approach allows us to maximize space for walk-in wardrobes, bedrooms, living and dining areas, and even powder bathrooms. These are some of the USPs we have as designers from Mumbai, and we apply these techniques consistently. Also, this has never led us to compromise on comfort, functionality, or hygiene while optimizing space.
Integrating Villeroy & Boch solutions in bathrooms and what sets the brand apart
Hemanti Sutaria: The numerous innovations of Villeroy & Boch in bathroom design are evident in its product range. Integrating its bathroom solutions into our design projects leverages the unique strengths that distinguish the brand in the market. Its offerings are renowned for high quality and luxury, robust after-sale services, and a diverse variety of products. Moreover, its end-to-end bathroom solutions deliver comprehensive and cohesive designs, offering long-term value.
Prashant Sutaria: We always seek solutions that best align with our design philosophy while meeting our clients’ unique needs and brand preferences. Villeroy & Boch has a brand value that is synonymous with luxury and comfort. Along with this, we prioritize all aspects such as service excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction to ensure comprehensiveness.
Leveraging Villeroy & Boch fittings for maximizing functionality and style to create spa-like bathrooms
Hemanti Sutaria: To maximize functionality and style in bathrooms, we leverage Villeroy & Boch products by using space-saving fixtures, such as wall-mounted toilets and slim-profile sinks that free up valuable floor space. Furthermore, we select reflective surfaces and finishes from Villeroy & Boch to enhance light distribution, creating a sense of openness and elegance in the bathroom.
Prashant Sutaria: Recently, we got the opportunity to design apartments in an award-winning multi-storey building where we installed Villeroy & Boch fittings in almost 250 of them. Villeroy & Boch not only has the brand perception of providing the latest innovations in its bathroom design but its products also seamlessly fit within the spa-like bathrooms. Though the apartment complex was expensive, its bathrooms were made with certain space restrictions for optimizing carpet areas, and the fittings from Villeroy & Boch certainly added a qualitative experience for users.
Creating eco-friendly spaces – Villeroy & Boch’s water conservation technology
Hemanti Sutaria: Villeroy & Boch supports our efforts to create eco-friendly spaces, particularly through water conservation. They offer efficient flushing systems for optimal performance and hygiene, ergonomic designs for a refreshing experience, and innovations that enhance personal hygiene. Their commitment to long-term durability, high-quality materials, and precision engineering ensures lasting performance while continually advancing in sustainable practices.
Prashant Sutaria: Villeroy & Boch’s comprehensive approach to eco-friendliness covers all aspects, making them a leader in sustainable bathroom solutions. This 360-degree spectrum of environmental responsibility is something we deeply appreciate and value in our partnership with them.
Cultural influences on bathroom design
Hemanti Sutaria: Cultural differences around the world influence bathroom design preferences in layout, materials, hygiene practices, and aesthetics. We navigate these by researching the client’s lifecycle, considering specific requirements, and incorporating culturally appropriate features into the design.
- Western cultures tend to prioritize spaciousness and luxury, with separate bathroom and bathtub areas, double vanities, and high-tech fixtures.
- Asian culture focuses on the balanced and efficient use of space, with a combination of wet and dry areas and multifunctional fixtures.
- Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures use bidets or hand rubbers on bidets for personal hygiene, which influences the design of plumbing and choice of installations.
- Japanese culture emphasizes advanced toilet technology with built-in features such as heated seats, washing machines, and bidet functions.
Prashant Sutaria: While comparing bathrooms globally, the differences between European, Indian, and American designs are quite striking. Bathrooms in Europe generally are quite compact where you might have to take out your hand out of the shower area to apply soap or gel. Despite the compact size of the bathrooms, they are exceptionally well-maintained. On the other hand, India offers a variety of bathroom experiences. We see multi-faceted bathrooms in cities where carpet area is more. However, for cities like Mumbai, the trick is balancing luxury with practicality. In countries like the USA, most people are still living in homes where space optimization is not a concern. Therefore, the bathrooms are quite spacious and lavish.
Latest technologies in bathroom design
Hemanti Sutaria: The latest technology innovations significantly impact our design process by integrating features like ‘touchless toilets’ that assist users in daily routines, anti-microbial seats for hygiene, and digital faucets that control water flow with the ease of a hand wave. These advancements enhance functionality, hygiene, and user experience in modern bathroom designs.
Prashant Sutaria: The innovation of thermostats – both digital and mechanical, safety features, ambient lighting, and chromotherapy, are the new trends that are affecting the shower and bathing experiences. A lot of people prefer wellness as a part of their bathroom suite now. We also have water closets, auto-operated touchless bathroom water closets, and rimless water closets. We are incorporating all of this while creating bathrooms by integrating the electrical water supplies to enhance the aesthetic impact of the combination of them and their placements.
Future trends – Technological advancements and Villeroy & Boch innovations
Hemanti Sutaria: Technology advancements in bathroom fixtures are reshaping future designs. Innovations like silent, compact whirlpools and TwistFlush technology are revolutionizing functionality. Villeroy & Boch adapts by integrating these innovations in their bathroom fittings, ensuring their products remain at the forefront of design, efficiency, and user comfort.
Prashant Sutaria: Multiple innovations are aimed at improving hygiene and transforming the bathroom with hi-tech automated technologies fully integrated within it. From shower cubicles that offer chromotherapy and various types of jets to incorporating music and video screens seamlessly into mirrors or walls, these advancements are changing the bathroom experience. In today’s context, where people spend considerable time in their bathrooms, there’s a demand for a qualitative experience. With increased disposable incomes and a shift towards embracing luxurious lifestyles, especially after the changes brought on by COVID-19, there’s an openness towards spending on sophisticated bathroom designs and people are unapologetic towards spending on luxurious amenities
Both Prashant & Hemanti Sutaria strongly believe that looking ahead, bathrooms will evolve into more hi-tech and wholesome spaces. The sleek designs and smart features would change the outlook of our conventional bath spaces like never before.
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