Bath or, more precisely, bathroom. What was known as a “toilet facility” throughout the 20th century has become one of the focal parts of residential design in the new millennium. The domestic bath.
The place of privacy par excellence, care of the body, relaxation, wellness. Which is precisely why architects and designers are delving into its substance, finding innovative solutions in terms of looks, technology and functional quality.
Bath, or even baths: by now it is hard to find an apartment with just one, and borrowing from the hotelier tradition, the residential sector looks at the bath as an added value, building or renovating apartments with multiple bathrooms of different types and uses: the master bath, often connected to the main bedroom; the second bath, for children and/or guests; the service bath, which also functions as a laundry room.
Styles vary in tune with the taste of the home and the cultures of different countries, but certain trends catch on everywhere. Tub vs. shower. The tub, pushed to the margins in the past, is back at the center of things: it is less technological, more traditional, with good looks to display if possible in the middle of the room, like the basins of the past. Shower, or more precisely the shower zone: functional, hopefully oversized, protected by thermal glass, with technological shower heads to guarantee efficiency and saving of water.
Fixtures, where the leading player is the toilet: borrowed from the Japanese tradition, high-tech multifunctional toilets are all the rage.
Where faucets are concerned, the big focus on saving hydric resources is joined by the return of the trio, or a spout with two knobs for water, one hot and one cold. A final touch of beauty comes from design radiators, prêt-à-porter saunas and mirrors: many of them, in different sizes, for the proud ranks of contemporary narcissists.
