Bathrooms in the time of coronavirus. How COVID-19 will revolutionise design

Public health has become an urgent matter in the current climate, and architecture and interior design are taking a fresh look at the foundations.

Spaces evolve according to the social needs of the time. Over recent years we've stopped looking at bathrooms purely as private, functional spaces: they're now a space for wellbeing, where design plays a key role in defining the overall style of a project.

And now, in the context of COVID-19, we're looking at how these spaces could evolve. Until now we've been less concerned with natural light or ventilation - but in a wet area where hygiene is fundamental, having decent ventilation becomes key as it has such an impact on making a space more hygienic.

 

Separate toilet and bathroom area

Whilst this is less common in Spain, a lot of other countries such as France, Sweden, and Japan take this into account in their bathroom designs for hygiene reasons as well as the purely decorative.

Creating a separate space for a toilet and washbasin - away from the rest of the bathroom area which is dedicated to washing, bathing, and wellbeing - is a trend we could see coming in for new projects. This solution is particularly appropriate if you only have one bathroom for the whole house or floor. It means everyone can use the bathroom without leaving the toilet occupied.

 

Guest bathrooms or cloakrooms 

Social distancing now means we also need to rethink what we do when guests visit the home, and even what we do when we enter our own home. Planning a guest bathroom or cloakroom at the entrance to your house, including a toilet and washbasin, means you can practise better hygiene when you arrive home - it's a safer and more hygienic option.

The guest bathroom or cloakroom could be complemented by a hallway at the entrance where you leave your shoes and coats, etc.

 

Washbasins in different rooms

Now that washing our hands frequently and carefully is so important, washbasins and taps are key. To make sure we are practising proper hygiene at all times we may see sinks being installed at the entrance to homes, in bedrooms, or in dining rooms.

 

Contactless fittings

We're starting to see sensor taps or automatic flushes for toilets and urinals that can be activated without touching them as a 100% hygienic option - and not just for public and shared spaces, but in households too.

In this guide we outline all there is to know about these types of products: they offer safer handwashing and are sustainable too, preventing issues with accidental leakage or wasting water when taps are in use.

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Hotels Sensor Taps

 

Commitment to aseptic and easy-to-clean materials

We're leaning towards aseptic homes and antibacterial materials, as a commitment to health and safety. Good product design improves people's lives and is our perfect ally in this challenge.

Our R&D department is working hard to ensure our technological developments are practical, providing ever safer materials for our bathroom fittings and furnishings. These include washbasins with non-porous surfaces such as Oxo or antibacterial treatments such as Project Tech, antibacterial shower trays, and much more hygienic toilet flushing solutions such as the Rimless system. You can read about the antibacterial materials we use in this post.

 

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Oxo worktop with basin, covered with XTONE

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