#theEssenceOf Cersaie 2018: an editorial project – second appointment

Second appointment with #theEssenceOf Cersaie 2018. During the Cersaie fair, Nora Santonastaso came to see us at our stand. An architect with a passion for interior design, she likes to share her ideas and inspirations in her blog Design Outfit. The name of her blog comes from the concept of design tailor made to adapt to every project, individual requirement and approach to the home and architecture.

Read Nora Santonastaso’s article below.

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018 | photo taken at the fair

When I visit design, interior design and architecture fairs, what I am most interested in is leaving with a bunch of new ideas that I can put into practice in real life.
In other words, my work is not just about taking a thousand photos of the displays and installations and posting them on Instagram. My daily work consists of discovering the latest innovations with my blog activities and comparing them with the actual requirements that I have to find an answer to as a designer.

[l know I keep insisting on the same topic; I have just realized that I wrote something similar for the Milan Design Week 2018]

In the case of the Cersaie fair, this requirement is even more pressing. As you may know, the fair focuses on materials (especially ceramics) for floors and walls, but also on innovative, functional solutions for one of the most important rooms in the home: the bathroom. In recent years, what was originally conceived as an area of the home exclusively dedicated to quick personal hygiene and care has experienced a true revolution, becoming more and more an actual room, a place where to look after the well-being of both mind and body.

Family Bathrooms: what are the requirements, functional and otherwise?

The most relevant requirements of bathroom design are:
1. finding the right tools to allow people to fully experience well-being in the bathroom
2. preserving the functional character of each element
3. extending the design features of the bathroom furniture to the floor and wall claddings, accessories and fittings
4. minimising costs without compromising on quality

To find an answer to these requirements, I am listing some of the interesting, essential solutions that I found at the Cersaie fair, more specifically on the stand of Ideagroup, a company from Treviso, Italy, which followers of my blog and social media have already got to know. Let’s take a look at them.
In line with Ideagroup’s concept for Cersaie 2018, The essence of materials. The essence of Ideagroup, I will identify a collection that can be considered a condensation of fundamental solutions to each of the requirements above. Ideally, by the end of my post you will have a sort of short guide to the perfect family bathroom.
#TheEssenceOf design outfit’s bathroom : could this be the right hashtag?

1 | How to combine the functions of a family bathroom with those of an ordinary bathroom

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018 | Dolcevita collection, a detail of the doors and grip profile | photo taken at the fair

I know, you may find it difficult to balance the idea of a bathroom that has been meticulously designed down to the smallest detail to meet your requirements in terms of relaxation and well-being and is meant to be always perfectly tidy with that of an intensively-used bathroom: you and your partner taking turns to use the mirror, your children having fun splashing water, and the usual, general rush-hour chaos every single morning.
Yet there is a way to balance these two ideas, which are only apparently very distant from each other. It’s all about proportions and details, it’s all about focusing on something that is very often neglected: touch.
If up until now you have just relied on your sight and a few simple dimensional data to choose your furniture and furnishing accessories, you should know that there is much more to be considered. What could radically change our perception of a piece of furniture and its finish is actually running under our fingers and could be the essential element that transforms something that is only functional at the beginning into something pleasant and beneficial for our well-being.

#TheEssenceOf design outfit’s bathroom > the veneered fronts of the Dolcevita collection have a wavy design that:

• matches the finish of the drawers and internal shelves (a pleasant tactile feeling extends from the outside to the inside of the cabinets);
• does not compromise functionality: is appreciated by both children and adults, and takes the concept of a functional bathroom to a new level, presenting the bathroom as a space dedicated to well-being.

2 | The functionality of a family bathroom: which elements make a difference

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018 | Dolcevita collection, a detail of the doors and grip profile | photo taken at the fair

I like to stress the topic of functionality because this is what appears to be most important to people who refer to me for their bathroom project.
After spending years trying to convince them that every single aspect of a renovation project must be understood from an overall perspective, I am – finally – succeeding quite easily in getting through solutions that were previously totally dismissed or ignored because of the following objections:

• it looks too good, hence it must certainly be unpractical / difficult to clean;
• it is too big / too small / I won’t have enough room for my stuff!

While the first objection can be understood easily enough, the second, in certain cases, is almost absurd. The option of a vanity unit with a double wash basin is often dismissed right from the beginning because bathrooms are (very often) thought to be not spacious enough even if in fact they are quite roomy. Similarly, compact, super functional units are dismissed at first sight. The reason: it is too small. Where will I put my stuff?
Let me play the wild card and show you a solution I saw on the Ideagroup stand at the Cersaie fair, which, for me, was love at first sight.
#TheEssenceOf design outfit’s bathroom > the side-end unit with 90-degree doors, from the Dolcevita collection:
with a simple geometric design and ingenious hinges, it expands the storage space inside the cabinet, becoming a preferred solution even for the most skeptical users.

3 | It is a question of finishes

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018 | the aluminium-framed Dogma collection

As always, Ideagroup is committed to meeting customers’ requirements in terms of storage and functionality in the bathroom with its clean, uncluttered furnishing solutions characterised by outstanding attention to details and finishes.
Ideagroup’s display areas in the various trade fairs (including the latest Salone Bagno bathroom exhibition) are a clear example of this commitment. However, at the Cersaie fair I saw a great new development.
Thanks to a partnership with other Italian and international companies (Micro, Tubes and DCWéditions Paris, to name just a few), the various display set-ups had that extra something that made me and all the other visitors understand what each bathroom suite on display could look like in a proper home.
Indeed, the central focus was the product, but also the surrounding environment as a whole. And Ideagroup’s focus is also the ability to design customised, made-to-measure solutions that integrate and expand the standard product range, adding new, versatile finishes to adapt the bathroom to the existing décor of each home.

#TheEssenceOf design outfit’s bathroom > the Dogma collection:

• features vanity units available with a solid wood top with a vintage, textured look that can also extend to other elements of the bathroom (shelves, cabinets, etc.), and why not also to the visible elements of the bedroom, if the two rooms are communicating (and if both rooms have a wooden floor it’s even better!)
• provides the opportunity to choose a Laminam coating (Laminam is a large, thin ceramic sheet) matching the walls and other architectural elements in the room
• as added value, is available with a thin, extremely lightweight aluminium frame that can also be used as a frame for rectangular mirrors and for the storage cabinets, creating the elegant, typically French style that I love so much!)

4 | Quality / price ratio: an essential factor to be considered when designing a family bathroom

Family Bathrooms: the fundamentals from Cersaie 2018 | the Form collection | photo taken at the fair

I know very well that sometimes innovative bathroom solutions are ignored not because of functionality or space reasons, but rather because of cost issues. Above all, customised, made-to-measure bathrooms are believed to be pushing up the bill, so customers who may be interested in innovative solutions that would perfectly fit in their modern homes end up not buying them.
Right after the Cersaie fair, Ideagroup will offer its new Form collection at a price designed to meet this specific requirement, without compromising on its usual quality and care for details.
#TheEssenceOf design outfit’s bathroom > the Form collection:

• has an attractive price but also offers all of the characteristics of a high-end collection;
• features a range of drawer options, combining functionality with care for details, as is usually the case with much more costly products;
• features a Mineralsolid® top (mass produced at a lower cost) available in a wide range of colours (customised solution!) without compromising the budget;
• features base units in MDF, available with two different finishes (rovere sbiancato and noce) designed to meet the taste of those who appreciate a more modern, vaguely Nordic style, as well as those who prefer a classical style.