The bathroom has long ceased to be a purely functional place reserved for grooming and has evolved into living space that has to satisfy high expectations. At LivingInteriors, where the bathroom plays a decisive role within the fair's integrated portrayal of home living, exhibitors will be presenting a number of inspiring solutions. Companies like GROHE and Samsung Chemical are using the international trade fair platform for the presentation of new concepts.
The imm cologne is a furnishing fair - which is why furniture and furnishing accessories for the living room, bedroom, dining room and contract sector are naturally its major focus. The launch of the LivingKitchen event in 2011 initiated a parallel stage for the kitchen, and the LivingInteriors fair that is held in alternate years rounds off the portfolio of integrated interior and furnishing concepts with the addition of bathrooms, wall coverings, flooring and lighting. The bathroom is featuring some particularly interesting accents: having long ceased to be regarded as a purely functional room for personal grooming, it now has to meet the requirements of a private spa. LivingInteriors attracts a correspondingly broad spectrum of exhibitors: natural stone company JUMA, for instance, will be presenting its new brand Juma Exclusive, and bathroom furniture manufacturer PELIPAL will be focusing on showcasing the group's competencies as well as presenting a number of selected products.
For its part, GROHE is picking up on the new trend in the bathroom under the motto “Body & Soul Building” and presenting a concept based on opposites in balance: morning and evening, man and woman, energy and relaxation, body and soul. In order for people to feel balanced, they have to bring the many and varied aspects of their day-to-day lives into harmony with one another. GROHE SPA shows them how. “Nowadays the bathroom is embedded in a totally different context than it was just a few years ago,” says Nicole Rösler, Head of GROHE SPA. “Its function extends far beyond merely cleansing the body. As a private retreat, it provides ultimate relaxation and offers us a world of experience made up of fragrances, colours, sounds and water-based applications for individual tastes. Our GROHE SPA presentation at LivingInteriors is designed to showcase the modern bathroom in all its many facets.”
Samsung Chemical and its partners are also among the major global players who have decided to exhibit at LivingInteriors. The corporation will be presenting itself as a manufacturer of premium surface materials. The solid surface material Staron and quartz surface Radianz, for instance, are both very well suited to areas where good hygienic properties are important and easy maintenance matters. But rather than just presenting the materials at the trade fair, the company will be showing complete solutions under the motto “Change your view. The integrated bathroom.” Jürgen Lammers, responsible for Business Development at Samsung Chemical, explains the firm's decision to take part in the Cologne event: “At LivingInteriors we can reach two of our relevant target audiences at the same time - not just architects and planning professionals but consumers too. In fact, this will be the first time we’ve addressed the latter group in such a direct way.”
Both at its stand and in the special LivingInteriors exhibition entitled The Rooms, the company will be showing a bathroom that isn’t actually recognisable as such at first glance. A perfect solution for bedrooms with a flowing transition to the bathroom, where aesthetics occupy centre stage and technological aspects are meant to recede into the background. The washstand, for instance, merges with the wall, whilst the fittings are hidden out of sight behind pre-wall installations. The bathtub is a particular highlight - especially as visitors will not immediately realise what it is. However, the designs aren’t just suitable for luxurious layouts: thanks to their minimalist forms, they’re ideal for small spaces like guest bathrooms as well.
But it's not just The Rooms concept that gives LivingInteriors the character of an event. Trend Avenue also plays an important role in this respect and is subdivided into the three trend areas Bathrooms, Floors/Walls and Lighting. The show features colour-coded cubes and presents the products as if on a stage. The section dedicated to bathroom trends, for instance, will be staged in the colour Sparkling Grey. The focus will not be so much on technical trends as on decorative aspects - from fittings all the way to tiles.
The next trade fair duo
imm cologne // LivingInteriors will be held from
13 to 19 January 2014
Many more details are available at:
www.imm-cologne.com
www.livinginteriors-cologne.com
Source: LivingInteriors
Image: Grohe
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