All about the International Bathroom Exhibition 2024

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Under The Surface - Ph. Francesco Rucci

Technological solutions for water saving, research and development for new interactions with the user, renewed forms and colors. Here is the latest news from the International Bathroom Exhibition 2024 at Fiera Milano Rho

Nature inspires design, but eclecticism attracts designers who think of the bathroom and its accessories as a status symbol, with a nod to the appartement des bains with a French matrix. The 10th edition of the International Bathroom Exhibition, from 16 to 21 April 2024 in Pavilions 6 and 10, highlights new aesthetic and design languages, focusing on consumption, responsibility and research into materials.

In Pavilion 10 we find the installation “Under the Surface” designed and created by Accurat, Design Group Italia and Emiliano Ponzi (Salotto.NYC): a symbolic immersion in the value of water through the construction of a submerged island recalling Atlantis, and the projection of data on global water resources. The volumes, bathed in blue light, fade from deep shades of deep blue and azure to white, while the data shared concern the use of fresh water in the hydric sector, the level of global rainfall and the three major challenges to the sector: water consumption and access to water, energy consumption, and the recycling of materials. Traditional taps consume about 15 liters of water per minute for a shower and over 7.5 liters for a mixer.

At the International Bathroom Exhibition we find mixers and shower heads that mix air and water, saving up to 45% of water consumption, equivalent to a total of 262 tubs filled with water per year for each family. Even radiators today can operate using 80% less water, while the new taps are designed not to trigger the boiler every time they are used, but only if there is a real need. “Under the Surface” also reflects on the amount of plastic in the oceans, which by 2050 will exceed the total weight of fish, and urges us to reflect on waste management and the choice of raw materials. We will therefore see 100% recyclable glass and aluminum and recycled PET-based resins produced with systems that use 99% of wastewater. The material out of which the exhibition display is constructed is EPS, a recyclable lightweight polymer that will be collected and reused to make panels for insulating buildings.

salonemilano, antrax — Antrax IT - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, fantini — Fantini - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, frattini — Fima Carlo Frattini - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, ceramica globo — Ceramica Globo - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, globo — Ceramica Globo - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, kohler — Kohler - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, RAK Ceramics — RAK Ceramics - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, stocco — Stocco - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, vismaravetro — Vismaravetro - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

salonemilano, zucchetti — Zucchetti - Ph. Alessandro Russotti

International Bathroom Exhibition 2024: news from companies

Among the new products, the Slide taps designed by Davide Vercelli for Fima Carlo Frattini to modify the gestures of the tap with a knob that slides on an oblique axis and always opens on cold water to avoid energy waste related to the activation of the boiler or water heater. Antrax IT presents a modular radiator designed by AMDL Circle that works with both water and electricity, made with a 100% recyclable aluminum mold and reliefs reminiscent of mortar for bricklaying or carved wood. Stocco works on the transparencies of glass, presenting smoked or opaque panes of glass, and on customized lighting in the mirrors, which can change from cold to warm, passing through an intermediate color. It also offers extra-compact solutions with sinks only 20 cm deep to meet the needs of living in small spaces. RAK Ceramics offers total black sanitaryware and researches new materials with concrete or stone effect on collections known as RAK-Valet by Patrick Norguet.

Surprising for their eccentric aesthetics, Kohler’s smart sanitary ware is activated by detecting the user’s presence with sensors positioned in the floor, or through magnetic cylindrical remote control. Zucchetti has entrusted Monica Armani with the design of Sablier stainless steel mixers with a direct reference to river stones. Bernard Lejoly is the designer with whom Fantini is present at the Salone del Mobile.Milano with push/pull controls, alongside the Flora line of mixers designed by Vincent Van Duysen: the lowest common denominator of both projects is the sensory and tactile response. Vismaravetro plays on the subdivisions of the spaces with colored glass walls and furnishings that alternately close the toilet area and the shower area. Other novelties from the Brianza-based company are shower cabins enclosed with glass with minimum thicknesses. Finally, Federica Biasi has collaborated with Ceramica Globo by designing two bathtubs, one oval and the other round and very compact, designed to be placed anywhere in the home or in contract spaces. The company’s novelties include ceramic colors that vary from lacquered Pompeian red to various metallic shades, blue and anthracite.