The Home Front: Five-star bathrooms in our homes

“Our research into wellness shows that physical and mental balance are more important than ever. And in this world, privacy is the ultimate luxury,” says Alexander Dornbracht, vice president of marketing for Dornbracht Americas.

In response to this, he says, Dornbracht have created LifeSpa, a range of temperature, and pressure-based shower therapies that are based on traditional Chinese medicine and holistic wellbeing.

Their Rainmoon shower is a “multi-sensory water experience” that has two flow modes: Tempest and Aqua Circle, says Alexander Dornbracht. With Tempest, he says, large water drops “swirl around you like a thunderstorm”. With Aqua Circle, a “circle of rain surrounds you but your head stays dry.” Adding to this sensorial experience, the shower has a “dome light that alters depth perception, creating a sensation of infinity,” he says.
“For muscle relaxation and tension reduction, we offer aquapressure modules that work like acupuncture, but with the convenience and safety of water,” he says. “We also have affusion pipes that use principles of hydrotherapy to aid sleep and circulation, as well as firm skin. Our goal is to allow you to create a tailor-made spa experience in your home to address your own wellness needs.”

People are wanting a break from their daily lives, says Riccardo Conti, managing director for Fantini USA, and using their bathrooms to achieve this.

“Hotels are used as reference points,” he says. So towels are rolled on shelves, instead of hung over towel holders. Showers have become steam rooms, and chromatherapy (the use of coloured lights in your bath or shower) are combined with hydrotherapy to create “especially soothing effects”, he says.

The colours and materials we’re seeing in bathroom finishes also reflect this desire for a more luxury, five-star experience, says Contini:

“We’re seeing a lot of wood and stone (the wood is dark and the stone is greyish or marble).

Five or six years ago, we saw a lot of black and white in bathroom design, says Contini, but white has fallen away and black is everywhere, he says.

We’re also seeing a lot of gold, and bold, fashion forward colours becoming popular in bathroom accessories, he says, such as in Fantini’s Nice collection.

From the runway to the bathroom faucet, this summer, Dornbracht also released a colourful bathroom collection in their Meta line, designed by Sieger Design; with minimalism and versatility being the focus.

Our Meta line has embodied contemporary minimalism for decades. We recently introduced a range of new finishes that includes fashion-inspired light rose and pastel green, a bold, industrial yellow, and a cool, Nordic grey blue,” says Alexander Dornbracht.

They also released three new crystal handles for the bathroom, in “translucent, tricolour and chartreuse” (their CL.1 collection) which scream five-star hotel.

“Made of Swarovski crystal, the design is contemporary and sculptural. The crystal captures the light, creating a dramatic, dynamic effect,” says Alexander Dornbracht.