Bathrooms are often underrated spaces in the home, brushed aside even as we access them day in and day out. In actuality, our bathrooms have the potential to be highly indulgent spaces, private sanctuaries we can retreat to at the end of a long day. They are the places we look forward to on the way home, craving a hot bath to soothe aching muscles or a cold shower to wash away hours of work.
That’s why bathroom renovations should be a labour of love, each detail planned and executed with care. And there is one upgrade in particular that many homeowners don’t consider when embarking on their bathroom makeover: touchless fittings, from the toilet to the faucet.
A bathroom upgrade like no other
Touchless technology is not just convenient—it’s chic, it’s hygienic and it’s low-maintenance too, giving the entire bathroom a one-of-a-kind luxurious touch that you won’t be able to live without. Interior designers and architects have been equipping more and more homes with touchless fittings for this very reason.
As Terrence from Architology Interiors shared with us, “the biggest advantage of touchless bathroom fittings is the feeling that the bathroom is able to respond to you dynamically. These fittings also help to limit the accumulation of water around joints and hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. We are all more aware of the bacteria that survive on surfaces since the global pandemic, so even a toilet cover that closes on its own is a welcome feature.”
One of the most striking touchless bathroom picks on the market is without a doubt KOHLER’s Veil Intelligent Toilet, which has a minimalist design with clean lines to suit sleek, modern bathrooms. It comes with a concealed tank, a large, ergonomic seat for enhanced comfort and, most importantly, touchless features that make it a must-have upgrade for more streamlined interiors. The entire toilet is remote-controlled and comes with various smart rinsing options and a powerful flushing system, as well as an adjustable motion sensor that opens and closes the seat cover automatically.
The brand’s ModernLife Touchless Toilet is an equally futuristic model for a thoroughly smart bathroom, complete with a rimless bowl design, anti-bacteria glaze and sensor-activated, touchless flushing.
Choosing smarter fittings
When asked if he had any advice for homeowners looking to upgrade their bathroom fittings, Terrence had plenty of wisdom to share. “The bathroom should be considered in totality—any upgrade should encompass all aspects of the room, so homeowners should consider a complete makeover of all the fittings,” he told us. “Since bathrooms are the most humid spaces in the house, they can easily promote the growth of mould and bacteria, making hygiene and ease of maintenance the two strongest considerations when choosing fittings.”
When it comes to shopping for the ideal bathroom fittings, “this ultimately translates to the choice of materials used and the design of each product, which needs to discourage the accumulation of water and staining over time.”
Another fitting that highlights the importance of this consideration is the faucet, which is consistently exposed to human touch and an accumulation of germs and bacteria, be it in the bathroom or the kitchen. KOHLER attempts to counteract this with the Malleco Touchless Faucet, fitted out with a smart motion sensor just like the Veil Intelligent Toilet. “What I like about it is that we are finally able to solve the issue of soap scum accumulating at the base of the faucet after each use,” Terrence mused. “It’s not realistic to wipe it dry every time, so the touchless technology solves a very small but fundamental inconvenience in day-to-day life.”
Many of us have incorporated this kind of smart, touchless technology into the living area, the bedroom and even the kitchen—so why are we leaving the bathroom behind? From smart door locks to touchless speakers and facial recognition software, the Architology team thinks it’s about time to “take this realm of responsiveness into the bathroom environment too.”
Designing for the future
Having established the convenience and cleanliness of touchless bathroom fittings, there is still one major consideration many homeowners have when renovating the bathroom: the aesthetics of the overall space, potentially disrupted by the wrong fittings.
The designers at Architology urge homeowners to look for fittings with high levels of customisation to ensure a cohesive look. “It’s not simply about the design of each product, but whether the finish still sits in line with the aesthetic direction of the whole house. Many homeowners now realise that the choice between rose gold, gold, stainless steel and black is a deciding factor in the final look of every room.”
Opting for fittings with multiple design possibilities to suit different interior styles is thus the final key to a successful renovation. This will give you the choice between a one-piece, two-piece or wall-mounted toilet and multiple faucets and washbasins with the perfect finish for an endlessly soothing bathroom design.
Find out more and start bringing your dream bathroom to life at the KOHLER Experience Centre, conveniently located at Tanjong Pagar.
KOHLER Experience Centre
52/56 Peck Seah Street
Singapore 079321
Tel: 6224 0039
kohler.com.sg
This post was brought to you by KOHLER.
