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26 October 2024 | Theme story

Individualisation is the new luxury

Personalisation and individualisation have become the new luxury in our rapidly changing, digitised world. Instead of conferring status, luxury has become all about expressing your identity and personality in today’s industrialised consumer society, where everything is just a tap away. Enlightened consumers are well-informed and know exactly what they want: from the coffee, they order at the station in the morning - a lungo or a latte macchiato with a shot of vanilla or a special topping - to the wallpaper of their smartphone.

While baristas are long used to this, responding to this trend has become a real challenge for Industry 4.0. Mass production is passé. Thanks to new technologies such as 3D printing or the Internet of Things, where devices are connected and exchange data, the industry can deliver flexible standard products, even producing just one single item. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find two identical cars rolling off the assembly line. However, consumers can do more than pick their preferred colours, shapes, or materials. Thanks to modular systems, they can now order ‘self-designed’ shoes or personalised T-shirts.

Obviously, we also like to express our style and individuality in our interiors, which must be consistent with our values and meet our personal wishes. Today’s living rooms have morphed into work and play areas, bedrooms have a library, reading corner, or even a fitness corner, and gardens have become tranquil oases with lots of greenery where you can also do yoga. Bathrooms have also undergone something of a makeover, as they gradually transform into customisable spas - the word ‘spa’ comes from ‘salum per aquam’ or ‘sanitas per aquam’, health through water - for holistic experiences. Bathrooms have become spaces to be enjoyed, where we can feel good, immerse ourselves in water, light, and warmth, and feel energised. According to Andreas Diefenbach, the head of German design studio Phoenix, bathrooms should be a “combination of perfectly matched multisensory experiences”, with diverse materials such as wood, stone and metal, rough and velvety surfaces. Patricia Urquiola, the superstar of Spanish design, goes one step further: “Bathrooms are full of the many small memories and personal items that make a house a home.”

For bathroom manufacturers, these trends can be quite challenging, which is why they collaborate with designers to create a unique shower and bathroom experience tailored to consumers by playing with contrasts, bold colour combinations and new and high-quality materials. Sustainability also plays a role in this.

AXOR has now managed to provide a multi-tiered answer with its AXOR FinishPlus and AXOR Signature. The AXOR Starck Nature Shower Column by French designer Philippe Starck is an excellent example of this new approach. The slim-line outdoor version of this indoor classic has a traditional mixer tap instead of a thermostatic tap for temperature control, which is more reliable for outdoor use, as well as a gloriously gentle PowderRain jet with millions of water droplets to pamper yourself. The two simple levers control the amount of water and temperature. Moreover, the outdoor shower is available in different physical vapour deposition (PVD) surfaces with tactile texture and high scratch and weather resistance. It comes with or without a hand-held shower and can be installed on various substrates such as stone, glass, metal or wood. Now, all discerning customers have to do is choose the one that suits their tastes, which can be tricky given the dazzling array of options.

About NOA:

NOA outdoor living is an experience park for outdoor design in Kruisem. In the theme gardens, you can find inspiration to decorate your garden. These gardens combine architecture, landscape, and interior, and welcome architects, landscape architects, designers, and contractors as well as private prospects. In this inspiration park, you will find luxurious garden furniture and designs by more than 30 high-end partners, who are happy to advise you as you bring your dream garden to life. Moreover, the park is the perfect professional networking location; the conference rooms, covered patio, spacious showroom, and plaza of NOA outdoor living are the ideal setting for your conference, product presentation, or product launch.

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