Marketing director of HiB Steve Kaye looks at what the future holds for bathroom design, and says true innovation sets the industry standard

Most consumers interact with technology continuously around their home. From connected, voice-activated smart technology, to personalised entertainment services, more efficient cooking appliances and energy-saving gadgets.

For most people, innovation is centred around interactivity with devices. Technology in the bathroom has followed this trend with the introduction of customisable lighting, wireless and digital connectivity, as well as energy and water-saving technology.

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Hygienic and time-saving

But there are many ‘life-improving’ innovations for customers that do not involve digital connectivity.

Hygiene-related innovations such as fingerprint resistant finishes and antibacterial surfaces are also key inventions that benefit users.

Time-saving solutions such as heated pads that reduce condensation on a mirror’s surface or energy-saving developments such as cold-start taps, all fall under innovations that have improved customers’ lives.

It is perhaps in these areas where bathroom innovations of the future may originate from.

Industry standard

Inspiration for the development of these innovations can come from a myriad of places.

For example, the heated pad for bathroom mirrors and cabinets, reportedly started life as an idea between HiB Chairman Warren Ginsberg and David Perl.

Just five years after the launch of HiB, the first products fitted with a heated pad were introduced to the bathroom market.

It is one of the most popular features, simply because it offers a solution to a problem faced by everyone with a bathroom; condensation on the mirrored surface after a shower or bath, a real enhancement to the bathroom experience.

True innovations are features and inventions, like the heated pad, that eventually become industry standard.

With the focus on hygiene and anti-bacterial still set in peoples’ minds post pandemic and the continued pressure of environmental legislation weighing on manufacturers, solutions that offer both hygiene and sustainability as a priority are expected to be areas of innovation in the future.

Cost competitive

Being able to solve these issues at a cost that manufacturers can manage but also at a price that consumers can afford is a huge innovation and should be celebrated.

It can be incredibly tough to bring innovations to the market, especially with the rising costs experienced at all points in the production process.

So, what does the future hold? There are plenty of avenues for manufacturers to explore.

Bathrooms have seen a huge evolution over the past 150 years and there’s space for further developments. But it’s pretty clear that the future is brimming with possibilities.