Bathroom of the Future- Kohler
Challenge: In this project, we wanted to create a bathroom of ultimate relaxation. We are basing the bathroom in the future where stress and anxiety levels are considerably greater than today, especially for high-class businessmen and women, who travel regularly and require hotel rooms.
Goal: Our aim is to design a meditative bathroom space for these people in the future, drawing inspiration mainly from Japanese culture. We wanted to pay special attention to Japanese zen gardens. Zen gardens are ‘intended to imitate the intimate essence of nature, and to serve as an aid to meditation and peace of mind.’
Overview: We incorporated zen garden design forms through our integrated wall plants, rounded pebble-shaped bath, toilet, and sink, also with our Japanese fountain-inspired bath faucet. Lastly, the heated stone floor section.
The idea of this is to create a sanctuary of relaxation and put the person in a foreign yet comfortable environment, which they can feel at peace.
- Project by Sharon (me) and Nick
Our main feature is technical and futuristic which mainly functions as a shower among other interesting features that enhance the design. The shower panels are inset into the bathroom walls, providing a more subtle contrast between the futuristic design and the rest of the bathroom’s design language.
The shower also includes a warmed smooth stone floor, which not only functions as a foot massage but also as a drainage system.
Using hologram technology emitted through part of the showerhead, the person can shower whilst immersed in a chosen environment in the shower, for example, a tropical rain forest.
Main Features
Water Feature.
To unwind and relax, there is a mesmerizing water fountain feature. It has a variety of settings that can stimulate your senses and put you in a calming state of mind.
All water is recycled in this setting.
Hand Gestures.
To enhance the user’s bathroom experience, we designed a control panel that allows you to play with special features. This is activated with hand gestures, whilst you are sitting in the comfort of the bath.
Other special controls include lighting, temperature, and bath drainage.
Entertainment.
In one of the images, you can use this feature to watch your favourite TV shows or movies. This is done through the projection of the image onto steam.
The shower can also emit steam which acts like a sauna that can warm up the room and the other imagery can be projected onto the steam.
Our bathroom of the future would be using a lot of water, so we figured out a way that allowed us to recycle water and consume it responsibly. This also is one of the sustainable development goals that Kohler focuses on and looks into in terms of their products.
In our design, we found ways and places where we could save water in the bathroom. Firstly, any bathwater used once emptied can be reused to water the indoor plants, stored for your next toilet flush, or linked to the hotel’s outdoor garden. In the shower, when using the water setting features (e.g .fountain patterns) the water is drained at the bottom and then put through the top to recycle the water.