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22 | Kitchen & Bath Design News May 2014 Trend Spotting By Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS H ow often do clients say to you, "There wa s a n a m a z i ng shower at the resort we stayed at last winter and I absolutely must have one like it in my bathroom!" Prob- ably pretty frequently, if your design practice is a mid- or high-end one. Hospitality design trends inf luence residential design trends, and nowhere is this more evident than in the mas- ter suite. The Westin group of hotels, which made a business out of selling their Heavenly Bed, has even expanded into selling bat h products and fxtures. It behooves designers to pay attention to what hotels and resorts are featuring to stay ahead of client requests. Here are some of the hottest looks and amenities in that sector that will probably show up on master bath proj- ect wish lists soon. TRENDS AT BD WEST T h i s reg ion a l ho spit a l- ity design show featured some of the same brands you've seen at KBIS or Cov- erings – like Porcelanosa, Delta Faucet, Danze, Grohe, Brizo and Arizona Tile – but with offerings geared to- ward the fashion-forward, large-scale purchasing and resource-conscious end of the hospitality market. One of t he domina nt style trends at the show was "opulent modernism," where luxurious looks and amenities such as oversized spa tubs, chandeliers and marble-look tile played of of clean, contemporary lines. Rich stone and wood-look porcelain tile was abundant, as were highly decorative lighting fxtures. Overall, the show foor looks were clean- lined but elegant. Another strong trend was digital integration. Electric Mirror epitomized this with its Vive technology. Vive lets users stream music or podcasts through Bluetooth- enabled mirrors. In t he residential sector, we've al- ready seen Bluetooth-enabled showerheads from Kohler, medicine cabinets from Rob- ern and vent fans from Broan. Mirrors are what's next, and Vive will be available for resi- dential projects, too. Sandra Vivas, general manager for San Diego's Gaslamp District boutique hotel, The Keating, confrms this: "One of the trends that's becoming more popu- lar is the use of technology in bathrooms. Mirrors with built-in TV and sound sys- tems that can be controlled by Bluetooth are now becom- ing easier to install in homes." Customi zat ion, which we've become accustomed to with our smart phones and tablets, is another strong hospitality trend. Neo-Metro, a fxtures brand that markets to both high-end residential and hospitality markets, of- fers this in its bath suites. The company designs sleek wall-mount toilets in a choice of Pantone colors. As with Apple's colorful 5c collection, your clients don't have to set- tle for just one or two colors. You can also customize storage, which will surely be as welcome in residential projects as it is in hospitality. Green was a huge trend at BD West, too, as hotels seek to save money on water and energy use. Their challenge is to minimize overhead, while still delivering a quality bath- room experience. As a result, air-injected showerheads, toi- lets that minimize water use and LED-powered lighting were all on display. Another popular trend in the hospitality market is one that will likely emerge in the residential sector, too: clean-lined resin vanity components. These tops and coordinating storage pieces were on display at Cevisama in Spain two years ago, and at the Neo-Metro booth at BD West in March. Resin's low-maintenance, repairable fnish makes it a natural for the hospitality sector, but busy homeowners beneft, too. The challenge is combining this sensible ma- terial with high style, and that challenge has clearly been mastered. A HOTELIER'S INSIGHTS While it's true that hotel man- agers are buying hundreds of fxtures, faucets and vanities, and acres of foor and wall tile for a project, the attri- butes they seek are seeping into the residential market, especially as local building and remodeling codes con- tinue to toughen: High-tech, low-maintenance, resource- saving, durable, timeless and safe for users are all crucial criteria for hospitality de- signers. But, they also need to excite the senses and de- liver a resort-like ambiance Hotel Inspirations For Residential Master Baths 1 Opulent modernism was the dominant design concept at a recent hospitality show. 2 Resin gets stylish for sleek vanities. 3 Solid surface goes upscale in hotel vanities. 4 Sleek but durable lavs are trending in the hospitality market. Photo: FODA Design Photo: Neo-Metro Photo: Neo-Metro Photo: Laufen KBD_22-25_TrendSpot.indd 22 4/15/14 1:36 PM