Are Bathrooms the New Kitchen? London Design Festival Reveals All
Which room is ‘the new kitchen’? Is the avocado bathroom really back? What’s new in green walls? Read on to find out
There were some really clear directions coming through at this year’s London Design Festival (LDF), the umbrella for a cluster of events that took place across London in the UK from 14 to 22 September this year.
Comfortingly, sustainability and recycling were big – and very stylish – news. There’s a surprising contender for the room we may most want to show off in 2020, some unexpected use of colour, and a mossy takeover. Wellbeing is also very much still on the radar, with gentle shapes, beautiful biophilic design, and some high-tech feel-good lighting.
Comfortingly, sustainability and recycling were big – and very stylish – news. There’s a surprising contender for the room we may most want to show off in 2020, some unexpected use of colour, and a mossy takeover. Wellbeing is also very much still on the radar, with gentle shapes, beautiful biophilic design, and some high-tech feel-good lighting.
Blue bathrooms
Another kitchen trend crossover spied at the shows (in this instance, the London Design Fair) was the dark-blue bathroom. Squint at this luxurious example by Drummonds Bathrooms and you could almost be in a Shaker-style cooking space finished with brass cup handles.
Note the bold walls, too, hinting at an even stronger look for bathing spaces.
Find an interior designer near you to design contemporary, sustainable interiors for your home
Another kitchen trend crossover spied at the shows (in this instance, the London Design Fair) was the dark-blue bathroom. Squint at this luxurious example by Drummonds Bathrooms and you could almost be in a Shaker-style cooking space finished with brass cup handles.
Note the bold walls, too, hinting at an even stronger look for bathing spaces.
Find an interior designer near you to design contemporary, sustainable interiors for your home
Coloured bathroomware
A final style development in the bathroom: the return of the avocado-green suite has been talked about in design circles for many years, but it seemed a long way from making a reappearance in people’s homes. That could be about to change…
This display by West One Bathrooms shows how coloured bathroomware and fixtures have had a seriously stylish upgrade.
A final style development in the bathroom: the return of the avocado-green suite has been talked about in design circles for many years, but it seemed a long way from making a reappearance in people’s homes. That could be about to change…
This display by West One Bathrooms shows how coloured bathroomware and fixtures have had a seriously stylish upgrade.
The display was one of several examples at the London Design Fair that exhibited muted, matt basins and toilets in appealing shades of teal, charcoal and dusky pink.
Preserved green walls
Biophilic design (focusing on a connection to nature) and the principles of neuroarchitecture (how the built environment affects us physiologically) represent an overarching trend that touched many ideas seen across this year’s London Design Festival. Here is just one example of the idea in practice.
Living green walls have been popular for a while, but this new off-shoot – pardon the pun – is the preserved moss wall, seen here in an installation at 100% Design by the company Bright Green.
A preserved moss wall is natural, yet it doesn’t require the upkeep a living wall demands. (The moss is typically preserved by the use of a biodegradable preservative, so it won’t need watering.)
In tandem with green walls, there were lots of textured walls in general across the festival’s various shows, from concrete to timber to textured handmade tiles.
28 Indoor Vertical Gardens and Green Walls
Biophilic design (focusing on a connection to nature) and the principles of neuroarchitecture (how the built environment affects us physiologically) represent an overarching trend that touched many ideas seen across this year’s London Design Festival. Here is just one example of the idea in practice.
Living green walls have been popular for a while, but this new off-shoot – pardon the pun – is the preserved moss wall, seen here in an installation at 100% Design by the company Bright Green.
A preserved moss wall is natural, yet it doesn’t require the upkeep a living wall demands. (The moss is typically preserved by the use of a biodegradable preservative, so it won’t need watering.)
In tandem with green walls, there were lots of textured walls in general across the festival’s various shows, from concrete to timber to textured handmade tiles.
28 Indoor Vertical Gardens and Green Walls
Curves and natural materials in furniture design
UK-based designer Tom Raffield was all over this idea back in 2016. Since then, timber curves have continued to grow as a trend, with soft lines and lots of gorgeous grains in abundance across the shows.
UK-based designer Tom Raffield was all over this idea back in 2016. Since then, timber curves have continued to grow as a trend, with soft lines and lots of gorgeous grains in abundance across the shows.
This pendant and the table lamp in the previous photo, both at 100% Design, are by Lomas Furniture.
This sofa with a curved wooden back by Benchmark was also on display at 100% Design.
As well as tapping into feel-good biophilic design principles, soft profiles in seating also aim to boost wellbeing with their ergonomic shapes.
As well as tapping into feel-good biophilic design principles, soft profiles in seating also aim to boost wellbeing with their ergonomic shapes.
Bright colours
Amid the muted shades and natural shapes, there were flashes of bright colours and bold patterns.
LDF-led installations across the capital included vibrant in-your-face geometric designs on benches, bunting and planters in South Molton Street, London, by Camille Walala. There was a new look for Wembley Park’s Spanish Steps, which visual artist Maser transformed into Saturation Surge – a public-realm artwork with neon yellow, pink and red shapes. Elsewhere in London, an oversize neon lion installation appeared in Trafalgar Square, courtesy of artist Es Devlin.
Doing its bit for colourfully clashing interiors was Haru, with amazing adhesive fluorescent strips and stripes; Sonya Winner’s lively multi-coloured rugs; Morris & Co, which combined historical flora and fauna with neon-lit letters; and Safomasi Textiles (pictured), which clashed bold prints and big colours on cushions and upholstery.
Amid the muted shades and natural shapes, there were flashes of bright colours and bold patterns.
LDF-led installations across the capital included vibrant in-your-face geometric designs on benches, bunting and planters in South Molton Street, London, by Camille Walala. There was a new look for Wembley Park’s Spanish Steps, which visual artist Maser transformed into Saturation Surge – a public-realm artwork with neon yellow, pink and red shapes. Elsewhere in London, an oversize neon lion installation appeared in Trafalgar Square, courtesy of artist Es Devlin.
Doing its bit for colourfully clashing interiors was Haru, with amazing adhesive fluorescent strips and stripes; Sonya Winner’s lively multi-coloured rugs; Morris & Co, which combined historical flora and fauna with neon-lit letters; and Safomasi Textiles (pictured), which clashed bold prints and big colours on cushions and upholstery.
Lighting for wellbeing
Gone are the days when a ‘daylight lamp’ was a one-size-fits-all purchase. There were multiple examples of impressive developments in the replication of daylight on show across various events at the festival.
Dyson has created a light that can use GPS to pinpoint your exact location and recreate the light outside your window at any point during the day.
Luminus was showing off a design that replicated natural light and shifted its quality during the day, from the cooler rays in early morning to warmer light later on.
At 100% Design, in a talk on Colour and Wellbeing, Jim Ashley-Down of Waldmann Lighting discussed biodynamic lighting, which follows the body’s circadian rhythms.
Gone are the days when a ‘daylight lamp’ was a one-size-fits-all purchase. There were multiple examples of impressive developments in the replication of daylight on show across various events at the festival.
Dyson has created a light that can use GPS to pinpoint your exact location and recreate the light outside your window at any point during the day.
Luminus was showing off a design that replicated natural light and shifted its quality during the day, from the cooler rays in early morning to warmer light later on.
At 100% Design, in a talk on Colour and Wellbeing, Jim Ashley-Down of Waldmann Lighting discussed biodynamic lighting, which follows the body’s circadian rhythms.
Recycled materials
- Mixed materials: There were lots of mixed recycled materials at the shows, used for various products. Alusid Sustainable Surfaces (whose stand is pictured here) turns glass, ceramics and mineral waste into Silicastone, which can be used for everything from cladding to benchtops and seating.
- Plastic: Last year, the reuse of plastic was Material of the Year at the London Design Fair and this year the theme continued. The striking slatted Jää bench by &New – made from recycled polyethylene and polypropylene plastic – was launched. Meanwhile, in Design Fresh, at the festival’s Designjunction show, recycled plastic was used as a joining method.
- Accessories: Recycling was in evidence on a smaller scale, too. Textile artist Heather Orr was showing her handmade lamps (pictured) at the Design Fair, all made from discarded shades, stripped back and decorated with macramé in various materials, including recycled cotton cord tipped with reclaimed wooden beads.
Tell us
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Sponsored
Spotted at 100% Design trade fair was this spectacular bathing space by Porter Bathroom. There’s a trend brewing for bathroom design that’s as considered as contemporary kitchen design and as inviting as a bedroom.
In other words, designers are tapping into a desire for a bathing space that homeowners can show off and, more importantly, retreat to for some quality relaxation time.