About the Experience!

We are excited to talk about our recent trip to Salone del Bagno in Milan! We spent our time in Italy at the International Bathroom Exhibition to get a pulse on the international trends in furniture design. There was a lot to take in, and we have curated a list of things to summarize our takeaways from the show.

What is Salone del Bagno?

The Salone Internazionale del Bagno, Italian for the International Bathroom Exhibition, is a show that is held every two years in Milan, Italy. It is part of a larger show, Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, which is the Milan International Furniture Fair. The Bathroom Exhibition is where hundreds of the world’s foremost innovators in the bathroom industry gather to show off the latest in design, sustainability, and innovation. We view this design show as one of the best places to understand global trends and gather inspiration. We have curated a list of the main three trends we saw at the 2024 Exhibition.

Trend 1: Bold Colors

Out with pastels and in with the big, the bright, and the bold! Salone del Bagno showcased designs heavily featuring bold pops of color. Deep emotional purples, flaming oranges, reds, and pinks, and flamboyant splashes of blue were skillfully paired and blended together.

How to Achieve This Look:

We love this trend and think it is a great way to embrace personality in your space. Here’s a few ways we suggest pulling it off:

• Going all in with a bold background – Throw fire engine red tile on your bathroom walls? Absolutely!
• Contrasting eye-catchers – Choose two vibrant colors and use them on different elements in a design. We’ve seen this look achieved in multiple ways. The first is when colors on the opposite ends of the color wheel contrast each other in a design. For instance, a blue vanity is paired with an orange floor tile. The second is a more harmonious approach when complementary colors like orange and red are used together.
• Dramatic monochrome – The monochrome look has been trending over the past few years, but selecting a bold color breathes new life into it. When all surfaces in a room are tone on tone (tile, paint, vanity, and even toilet as we’ve seen), that’s a sure way to add drama! This approach works especially well in a smaller room such as a half bathroom, so monochrome colors don’t become overwhelming.

Trend 2: Curves

We encountered round design elements around every bend at the show (pun intended). Circles, arches, and swoops dominated the silhouettes of many products including furniture pieces with curved ends. We also saw many circle mirrors that are very similar to our Bondi range.

How to Achieve This Look:

Curves are an easy thing to add to your home. They’re a great way to soften a room, and to introduce a modern trend in a timeless way. Here is a couple ways we’ve seen this achieved:

• Arches – Adding arched door ways and openings is a super trendy design feature that will blend seamlessly into almost all design styles; from ultra traditional, to uber contemporary.
• Round Mirrors – A round mirror like our Bondi, is a great way to add curves to a bathroom, and can soften the hard lines of a square vanity. It’s an easy tweak that doesn’t require the investment of a full bathroom remodel.

Trend 3: Textures

The trend of elevating a simple design by adding textures such as lines, flutes, ridges, or other similar elements is going strong. We saw a lot of these textures paired with a classic wood-grain like walnut, and we thought it looked so classy!

How to Achieve This Look:

Adding texture is a snazzy way to elevate your room. We’ve assembled a list of ways you can get the look.

• Layering materials – You could pair a shiny tile with a satin finish vanity. One of the easiest ways to add texture through materials is with textiles (think curtains, drapes, and rugs). Adding a rug or runner to your bathroom is an idea that is all over social feeds right now, and it is an simple texture add that warms up a bathroom full of cold, hard surfaces.
• Picking well-designed pieces – Find a furniture piece that incorporates textures into the design. We may be a bit biased, but we love our Elenora and Byron ranges as they both have beautifully textured fronts. The Elenora’s textured motif fits well in a more glam or transitional style, while the fluted front Byron, which we saw variations of all over the design show, works well in a more modern styled bathroom.

This show left us feeling invigorated, and our R&D team has gone into overdrive mode to make sure our product line is staying ahead of the trends. We have some exciting things in the works that tie in really well with a lot of the inspo we saw in Milan. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this, we’ll be in touch soon!