T
he washroom is such a central part
of any hotel and restaurant
experience that a poorly designed or
poorly maintained one can turn a five-star
review into a three-star disappointment.
It’s not simply a matter of hygiene
standards, which should be faultless as a
matter of course. It’s also about making
sure the sense of style that gets so much
attention in the guest rooms and interiors,
are also incorporated into the washroom
designs throughout the building.
Balancing passing fashions against the
expected service life of a washroom may
be difficult. However, there are certain
long-term trends we are seeing that
practically guarantee a washroom will still
stand out as a stylish, contemporary
environment for years to come.Getting back to nature
One of the most significant movements of
recent years has been biophilic design;
incorporating natural elements such as
plants and dried flowers, organic materials
like sisal and untreated wood, or stones,
pebbles and running water features in
washroom design.
Proponents of biophilic design point to
research that shows getting closer to nature,
even indoors, can reduce our levels of
stress, bring down our blood pressure and
heart rate, and improve general wellbeing.
Whether that’s universally true or not,
designers have responded by incorporating
a wide range of natural motifs into their
plans to move the washroom away from
being a hard, unyielding environment to
one much more attuned to our more
organic instincts. The message is clear:
‘Hygienic doesn’t have to mean clinical’ and
in the room that’s used for the most natural
bodily functions of all, nature has a big part
to play.The console washstand
Oddly enough for an age that saw even
showing the faintest hint of leg asshockingly daring, the console washstand is
widely associated with Victorian bathroom
design. Today, of course, the basic principle
of two legs supporting the front edge of the
basin while the rear edge is fixed firmly to
the wall has been endlessly reworked to fit
in with any era or design trend.
That means designers can lean on the
console in every kind of project, from an
Edwardian boutique hotel to a city centre
basement bar where distressed surfaces
and unfinished wood are all part of the
urban appeal.
Their rise in popularity is down to the
need to create an impression of space in
smaller washrooms. Swapping a bulky,
enclosed vanity unit for the much sparser
frame of a console instantly creates
additional depth from wall to wall.Neil Jeffery of Franke Water Systems takes a look at some of the key trends in
commercial washrooms, from product design and materials to sustainability, saying that
designers need to take a holistic approach to create spaces that stand the test of timeWhat’s driving washroom design?
Less an aesthetic
consideration than an
obligation for everyone
working in the built
environment, sustainability
is perhaps the most
important driver of all for
washroom designINTERIORS 89ADF NOVEMBER 2019 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
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