In the 30s and 40s a bathroom of one´s own was an
almost unimaginable luxury, which only the wealthy
could afford. In the few homes that did have a bath-
room, it served primary as a general washroom.
Both décor and installations were sparse and Spartan.
Thus the walls painted with washable paint, shower
curtains were rubber-coated, and hot water only
available when the cool-fired boiler was actually on.
Bathroom comfort as we know it was still very long
time away.
Furniture-wise it was the age of the kidney table.
An age dominated by new post-war buildings, in
which fitted kitchens with lacquered finishes and
linoleum work surfaces superseded the large kitchen-
diners of earlier years. Functionality was trumps, with
hot water being provided by gas or electric boilers.
The age of the “economic boom”. A new optimism provides space for exploration and self-expression. Delicate pastel colours – sky blue, raspberry pink and milk-white – document people’s desire for discreetly luxurious, elegant bathrooms. The advent of one-hand mixers offering fast, reliable temperature control puts an end to sudden changes in water temperature.
This was the decade that started with Flower Power. Bathrooms suddenly acquired a living room quality, in which people “did their thing” – neat circumscription for happenings with bubble bath and bubbly, for example. Colours, like the music of the 70´s, were bright and multi-facetted, with a strong predilection for reds, violets, browns and moss green. Demand for natural materials was virtually non-existent, with bathroom carpets mostly made from soft, fluffy synthetics.
The 80´s were the age in which ergonomics became a buzz word. In accordance with the idea that form follows function, designers used all their skill and imagination to come up with tangibly emotive design. In interior design, individual objects gave way to overall concepts geared to design solutions for whole rooms, including of course the bathroom. Bathroom architecture in this decade focused on technical sophistication, supreme user comfort and reliability – naturally all tuned to the customer’s individual taste and needs.
One central topic of the 90´s was the environment.
Functionality and hygiene apart, ecological soundness
became a central design factor, also for installations
in professional applications. Especially in heavily frequented
public or business facilities, durability and easy-to-clean
components and surfaces became an absolutely
essential requirement. Whether in WC flush activators or
electronically controlled basin mixers, the order of the day
was comprehensive water management and intelligent
water technology – as clear proof of a responsible approach
to that precious natural resource commonly known as water.
Relaxation for body and soul.
With the new trend to spacious bathrooms nothing
could be easier.
Life nowadays changes faster by the day.
Things which yesterday seemed the height
of fashion, are today long forgotten.
How reassuring, then, to know that some things really last.
The Bathroom – oasis for the sense, source to inspiration
and guarantee for everyone, without exeption, to realise
his or her personal lifestyle.
