What did the Sleep 2012 exhibition have to offer bathroom designers?

Far from the suggestion of its title, the Sleep exhibition was anything but tired. Held in the UK’s fashion, architectural (and actual) capital of London, at the Business Design Centre, Sleep was the ultimate showcase for hotel design. And this year, the show seemed to have an even greater emphasis on the role and influence of style-centric bathrooms in hotel developments.

It had not only brought the most recent bathroom products from the Italian style barometer show Cersaie, to the UK. But products were also being unveiled at the Sleep exhibition, including a UK debut for brand Keramag Designn and European launchpad for Grohe’s F Digital. All of which gave the event a design edge, a buzz and a genuine belief that Sleep was setting the standards for future hotel styling.

Its significance to interior designers, architects and developers was reflected in the visitor numbers, where exhibitors suggested they were anything from ‘reasonable’ to ‘the best year ever’. Although, numbers are yet to be confirmed, standing room-only at the seminars, plus crowded room installations, suggests Sleep is the pinnacle of hotel styling and specification. In fact, visitor Kia Sundra of Kia Designs acclaimed it as “definitely one of the best shows I’ve been to at [the] design centre. [It] can be a difficult space.”

Sponsored Video

Lauren Goodbrand of Kitchens International on winning the Kbsa Concept Designer Award 2024

Part of the same organisation team as kbb, Sleep set the bar for showcasing bathrooms for hospitality projects. Now the only question remains, can the team equal that, along with kitchens, at kbbLDN, in May. It simply must, not only to create an air of anticipation but to give the kitchen and bathroom industry the design-focused show it craves.