As our cities keep growing, urban waste is becoming an increasing problem to which designers have sought to find the best solutions. To celebrate the World Industrial Design Day, we raise awareness for “doing more and better with less” by using waste and alternative materials as resources.
Here are new or re-purposed materials that could help us design a more sustainable future.
Hidden Beauty – Inner Skins by Gutedort
The use of untanned inner skins has been common until the late 20th century. The stable and impermeable animal bladder material served as a lightweight and stretchable container to transport liquids, cheese, tobacco or documents back in the time.
Nowadays, inner animal skins are usually considered as unappealing objects. This artist re-purposed these bull testicles to create unique and beautiful materials using an elaborate vegetable tanning process. It transforms the material into a stunning leather-like surface.
Plastic Stone Tiles by Enis Akiev
By combining post-consumer plastic wastes and geological components with artificial materials, these tiles are the result of how plastic waste is transformed to look like natural stone.
WasteLAB by Kohler
At Kohler, we are contributing to the circular economy and reducing landfills. We reuse, rethink and repurpose some materials from waste streams to create beautiful and thoughtful products. The WasteLAB tiles were made from pottery dry culls, spent foundry sands, waste glaze enamel powders, and foundry dust.
Wattyl has released its colour palette for 2019 which focuses on DESIGN MEETS EMOTION – the overarching sentiment in a far-reaching piece of Australian colour research (conducted by Wattyl) designed to examine virtually every aspect of our lifestyles.
The research forms the basis for Wattyl’s annual colour trend forecast and points to a widespread desire for calm and simplicity in a world where most consumers feel overwhelmed with fast-paced living, fake news and concerns regarding the environment, employment and politics.
We are embracing craft and wellness, honesty and authenticity as an antidote and buffer. We are creating interiors that are domestic cocoons exuding sensory tactility, where minimalism continues to flourish through the use of colour and considered aesthetics – and design instils emotion.
Wattyl has produced four distinct colour palettes that provide consumers with a canvas with which to create a personal interpretation of a look where design meets emotion and craft, technology and wellness intersect.
The four palettes in the Wattyl 2019 colour trend forecast are: Well Rounded, Green Scene, Sensory Darks and High Expectations.
Well Rounded
Blurring the lines of downtime, dreamtime and worktime, this palette reflects the melding of conventionally separate spaces such as work and home to create a more harmonious life balance and increased flexibility in our working/leisure ratio. Simple plains of balanced colour ensure calming, open, androgynous spaces that perform as places for rest, recreation and productivity.
Cave, Sooty Owl, Phantom Grey and Vitesse
Green Scene
The integration of wellness, nature and conscious design is fundamental, across homes and lifestyle products, to surrounding ourselves with the natural, the organic and low impact design. The use of plants in interiors, to both clean the air we breathe and satisfy our cravings for nature and the outdoors, is now widespread. The Green Scene palette of nature-inspired hues, dominated by soft greens, is restful, natural, muted and fresh.
Cloud, Rhino, Nougat and Peahen Egg
Sensory Darks
Rich, dark hues have the ability to cocoon us, allowing us to disconnect and concentrate only on the timelessness of our surroundings. Deep, rich tones of blue and green, touched by glimmers of metallics and mustard, are essential to complement tactile surfaces and luxurious textures.
Sashimi, Midnight Seas, Dry Straw and Grey Pearl
High Expectations
Many of us crave the highly considered aesthetic, with fresh gourmet colours, that graces many an insta post – colours such as an evolved millennial pink matched with ink blue and raspberry accents. The look is luxe and tailored, exuding quality and tactile beauty.
Bathroom design might not change as rapidly from season to season as Fashion does, but we certainly see major trends evolve every year. When it comes to designing a bathroom area, authenticity is key. Embrace a trend or style that you love today and will love long term. If you are updating an existing bathroom add fresh paint, paper or accessories from the current trends and express your own style.
So, what’s hot for Interiors in 2018
Warm, dusky and earthy colour palettes and a whole lot of individualism are strong themes for 2018. Craftsmanship, authenticity, organic textures and uniquely made items are the focus of the bathroom design of today. Moody blues, smoky elegant charcoal tones all set against authentic metals such as burnished brass. Rich greens are also trending in 2018 for finishes and lush tropical leafed plants are perfect for hanging or in textural pots.
What’s hot for Bathrooms 2018
1. Colour
White ceramic fittings will always be popular but our quest for individuality is seeing the rise in the popularity of colour and texture especially for basins. Dark basins and toilets are a safer way to add drama to your bathroom. Bathroom colours are becoming richer and moodier with deeper charcoals, greens and blues appearing in walls of tiles, painted surfaces and accessories. Soft muted colours, such as millennium pink, and sage green are teamed with natural textural elements in bathroom design. Must have: Kohler Black Chalice Basin
The Chalice Black Basin
2. Authentic Metallics
Gold is definitely experiencing a renaissance now, but not the showy orange type. Gentle champagne and rose shades and brass are the it metallics this season. Metallics are being used to create utilitarian glamour not over the top tackiness. Beautifully shaped and honed tapware, sleek accessories even gilded tiles can be used to add the modern metallic edge. Must have: Kohler PURIST BASIN MIXER in Rose Gold
Purist Basin Set in stunning Rose Gold
3. Exotic Tropics
Lush energising green is this year’s essential element. Bold oversized tropical wallpapers (still trending), or painted walls in rich green tones are design elements to incorporate in to your bathroom in 2018. Lots of potted green plants with big textural leaves will create a bathroom that is fresh and current. Add some beautiful new towels in a rich emerald tone to your existing bathroom for a fresh yet opulent look. Must have: A beautiful Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese) Plant
4. Warm Toned Wood
The over-loved pale Scandi look is evolving to darker more opulent timber tones for both accents and bathroom furniture. Organic or refined, classic or contemporary design, natural timber in a bathroom evokes a sense of warmth and design balance when matched against cool ceramic elements. We are seeing warm rich timber floors as an elegant and modern choice. Must Have: Kohler TERRACE VANITY & BASIN
One of Kelly’s recent townhouse renovations, incorporating the Kohler Terrace basin + vanity, Composed Basin Mixer, Memphis bath spout.
5. Textural Statements
The artisan movement is a strong trend across interior design this year and the bathroom is no exception. Natural stone tiles, basins and baths, hand crafted basins in glass and metals, more and more people are looking for uniquely made items for their home. Wooden floors or ceramic timber look tiles are still a strong look but being laid in pronounced patterns such as chevron or herringbone. Combing textures is trending, the layering of tiles and wallpapers and crafted accessories is a simple way to add the modern wow factor to a bathroom. Must have: Kohler DERRING SELF RIMMING BASIN
The stunning Derring Wading Pool Self Rimming basin.
6. Classical Contemporary
A strong trend in 2018 is looking back to traditional styling with the increasingly popular wainscot walls. The modern look is sharp edged panelling in a matt painted finish. It can be singular feature walls or the more traditional lower half, but make it squares. The factory style window is a strong look for showers especially in black and is suitable for tradition style or modern urban bathrooms. Traditional tapware is trending and to give it the modern edge use a brushed finish version in an industrial style fit-out. Must have: New KOHLER Artifacts Basin Set – due for release in April 2018
The new Artifacts range by Kohler.
7. Black & White
This combination is always on trend, it is how you use it and style it that gives it a modern interpretation.
Use blocks of warmer tones of black and white in bold deliberate zones of colour. Stark clinical white is certainly not the look for 2018. The beautiful array of textural black & white tiles now available will make a bathroom look current especially teamed with natural materials such as timber and stone and accessories that include cane & raffia. Add pop with brass accents.
8. Stunning Lighting
Feature lighting is a very strong element in the 2018 bathroom. Lighting design has quite possibly become the most expressive form of design in recent years. Unique, eye catching individual pieces featuring metal, glass, stone or timber add design kudos to any bathroom. Wall sconces either side of a bathroom mirror have been a common element in northern American bathrooms for decades. They are now appearing in modernised forms and materials across the globe. Must have: Tom Dixon STONE WALL LIGHT
9. The Smart Bathroom
Technology is more than just creeping into the modern bathroom. Take intelligent toilets for example, Intelligent toilets address the combination of technology,
culture, personal hygiene and bathing habits as well as contributing to environmental sustainability through a reduction in water consumption and toilet paper waste. Kohler’s new Kohler Konnect system – voice-enabled technology whereby, for the first time, consumers can customise their bathroom experience by simply saying the words! We can’t wait til that new technology reaches our shores! Must have: Kohler VEIL INTELLIGENT TOILET
The Veil Intelligent Toilet has an integrated bidet, is rimless, features heated seat, heated water and dryer and remote control!
2018 Bathroom Design Trends Series. Thanks to our guest blogger Kellie Gammie of Oval & Co Bathrooms
