Promotion: the post-covid focus on wellness in interior design has found its strongest expression in the bathroom, according to speakers at a panel hosted by Dezeen and the tapware brand Graff at New York's BDNY trade fair.

Interior designers Ahmad AbouZanat of Ahmad AbouZanat Studio and Danu Kennedy of Parts and Labor Design were joined by Graff business relations manager Brian Gallop on the BDNY panel, which was themed around "the bathroom trends redefining wellness" and moderated by Dezeen contributor Dan Howarth.

The panel explored why wellness has become such an important element of design, as well as how interest in wellness has intersected with other bathroom trends related to technology, materials and ambiance.

The connection between the pandemic and the rise of wellness as an aspirational interior design goal was noted by AbouZanat, who said that the experience had reorientated what qualities clients sought in their homes.

"The shift that happened during [and after] covid is the word and term 'feel'. How we feel in the space, whether in the home in general or just in the bathroom became more present in the conversation," he said. "That extended to how we're designing, what we're using in terms of materials and the approach."

The other panellists noted that the ancient association of water to wellness and the manageable size of bathroom spaces in the context of renovation projects had helped to elevate this room to the centre of attention for health-minded makeovers.

"The elemental nature of a bathroom is automatically connecting you with nature and I think there's an inherent wellness line there, whether you're conscious of it or not, in that space," said Kennedy.

"It's where we bathe ourselves, it's where we really connect with water, and I think we always subconsciously think of wellness when we think of that space."

"If you think back to the Ancient Romans, you think about civilisation, everything was based around water," agreed Gallop. "Water is wellness, 100 per cent."

"When we look at the bathroom space, it's an easy thing to do either yourself or even with a designer," he continued. "You can change out a faucet, you can change out a shower head, and have that experience of getting ready in the morning, or 'oh it's been a bad day i'm going to come home and take a hot shower, turn on my rain head', or do chromatherapy."

"Because it's an easier, smaller space to do, you're not committing to a whole kitchen remodel or a whole living room remodel. It's a bathroom and I think it's intimate and something you can embrace really easily."

When it came to the question of how clients were seeking to bring wellness into their bathroom spaces, all of the experts agreed that it could be seen in classic design elements such as materials and colour, with AbouZanat saying that there was an interest in components that brought the visual charm of patina and natural ageing, while Kennedy saw more regard given to the psychology of colour.

"We've seen a lot of that muted palette, that beige on beige plaster and that serenity, which I think will exist probably forever, it feels quite timeless," said Kennedy. "But I do also see people wanting a little bit more energy in their spaces too, and that is also wellness, having that invigoration."

At the same time, technology has opened new doors to how wellness could be brought into the bathroom, they said. Gallop favoured a subtle approach to technology in this arena.

"When you take a bath, it's how is your water coming out and filling your tub, what are the sounds that it's making, if it's a waterfall effect, is it a cascade," he said. "When you talk about a shower head, as a gentleman I love a rain-head, especially after a long run, having that fall on my head it feels really good, it evokes a wonderful emotion."

"Coming from where we were four, five years ago, people are very in tune to how they bathe and those features that make them feel good, and they're being more specific when they come to you as a designer," he continued.

"Your average home owner is asking for an experience in the bathroom. When I look at global tourism and spas, I think that people are wanting to take that home."

Lighting was also an area where trends in wellness and technology were converging, noted the other panellists.

Kennedy noted that the application of different lighting modes for the day and evening helped people to regulate their internal body clocks, while AbouZanat made the case that smart appliances had made tailored lighting in the style of hotel interiors accessible to everyone.

"With technology and smaller smart appliances [available now], we as designers have more access to creating lighting scenes and these different scenarios without the client having to invest in a budget for automation systems full-scale," he said."There's an advantage because people do want this stuff."

"They stay at a nice hotel somewhere and they experience the dim of a light, things that go on and off in different ways, and it's good for them to bring it back home and have access to that."

The Graff x Dezeen panel took place at the BDNY Hub on Monday, 11 November. For more information on Graff, visit the brand's website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Graff as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.