International Bathroom Exhibition of Milan.New forms and materials: functional yet pleasurable shrines to wellness

Bathrooms are one of the most dynamic segments of the entire home-furnishing sector, and thus the International Bathroom Exhibition will make a welcome return to the Saloni, bringing with it all the top products and a new twist: a wide range of natural products for accessorising and covering, produced by leading international designers. An additional feature this year is a wellness area, open to all visitors. In total synergy with EuroCucina, in Pavilions 22-24 at the Milan Fairgrounds, Rho, from 17th to 22nd April 2012.

In keeping with its biennial appearance on even years, the International Bathroom Exhibition, will take over two pavilions at the Rho fairgrounds, 22 and 24, which are large enough to be able to accommodate an even greater number of exhibitors than the previous edition, nonetheless all the space is already completely sold out.

This is the International Bathroom Exhibition's fourth appearance in its own right - while remaining under the Salone Internazionale del Mobile umbrella - and it is now a well-established trade fair. Having made its debut in 2003 with 42 exhibitors ranged over 2,346 net square metres of exhibition space, the 2012 edition's 15,300 square metres of exhibition space will house 170 major bathroom sector players.

Despite the grim global economic situation, the bathroom sector remained largely stable between January and September 2011, with more positive signals coming from the Middle East, where 50% of the companies who sell to this area have flagged up rising sales.

The Bathroom Biennial is steadily becoming an even more crucial global point of reference, thanks to its huge range of quality goods, from bathroom accessories and furniture, to shower enclosures and saunas, sanitary ware, radiators, coverings, kitchen and bathroom taps, bath and hydromassage tubs.

The novelty this year lies in the huge range of natural bathroom products for accessorising and covering, a reflection of the way in which the sector has embraced contemporaneity, lifting bathrooms out of their purely functional role to become spaces where style and image matter, bolstered by technology.

The tremendous advances in the crafting and use of marble, onyx, slate and natural stone have gone hand in hand with international design and architectural developments, with skilful fusions of design, craftsmanship and high-end manufacturing making high-impact products that play on the particular characteristics of the materials involved, suitable for every sort and kind of environment.

An added plus this year is a large wellness centre, offering massages, aromatherapy and herbal infusions, open to all visitors, together with a lounge for the exclusive use of exhibitors and their clients. Both spaces have been designed and furnished by the architect Piero Russi, who conceived the Gallery and Stadium or the last edition of SaloneUfficio.

The International Bathroom Exhibition is accompanied by the biennial EuroCucina exhibition and its collateral event, FTK (Technology For the Kitchen), in the pavilions opposite, thus generating total synergy in terms of technical issues, technological research and product development.

The synergy between Bathrooms and Kitchens also encompasses the design section of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, located in pavilions 16-20, thus dovetailing perfectly with the two biennials as well as creating an ideal visitor itinerary, leading from classic design to cutting-edge.

The variety and quality of the goods showcased at the International Bathroom Exhibition ensure that it continues to stand as the ultimate benchmark for one of the Italian Lifestyle's key sectors.

Further information about next Salone Internazionale del Mobile

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Images from International Bathroom Exhibition 2010