hansgrohe PuraVida Basin Mixers | Copyright: hansgrohe/Hansgrohe SE
When it comes to the refurbishment of an existing bathroom or the designing of a brand new bathroom, home owners are faced with a myriad of tasks, including the purchase of new bathroom products, which can be exciting but challenging. After all, what are the things that home owners should consider in their search for bathroom products to create an aesthetically-pleasing personal space for revitalisation?
Here are some things for home owners to consider when purchasing bathroom products. Also, check out the clever and dependable bathroom solutions from AXOR and hansgrohe:
#1 First Things First – Site Conditions
Before the shopping begins, it is important for home owners to check the existing site conditions in their bathroom to prevent any unnecessary purchase of unsuitable products.
Water pressure is a very important factor which determines the suitability of shower products. With a low water pressure in the bathroom, it is not recommended to install shower products with large shower faces – a big overhead shower would not perform at its best with a weak water pressure. It is important to first find out about existing site conditions and subsequently consult the customer service representatives from manufacturers or their authorised dealers about suitable shower products. Home owners facing low water pressure could also consider showerheads with smaller nozzles, to ensure the optimal performance of shower products.
Another important condition to check would be the existing shower connections – are the hot and cold water connections exposed in the bathroom? If yes, it would mean that installing the beautiful overhead shower would likely require the hacking of bathroom walls, and this could cause quite a hassle for home owners.
However, not all is lost as home owners can consider a showerpipe system (a combination of an overhead shower and a handshower) which does not require hacking of the walls, like the Crometta 160 1Jet ShowerPipe.
In essence, home owners should find out more about their existing site conditions before making their purchases of bathroom products, to avoid any unnecessary disappointment.
With an increasing trend of different generations staying in the modern home, it is important that thought be given to the needs of the elderly and the young especially for the often-shared bathroom space to make it more accessible and safer for them.Bringing even more comfort and quality of life into the shower, the hansgrohe brand offers its new hansgrohe Unica Comfort shower bars which double as sturdy grab handles, certified for stability by TÜV Süd, a leading German organisation for technical service, certification, and training.Safety on wet floors is an everyday concern for all bathroom users and the clever Unica Comfort shower bars are multifunctional and can double as grab handles. They also blend harmoniously into any bathroom setting thanks to their understated, elegant look.
Home owners should also consider the water efficiency of the products to reduce unnecessary wastage of water, with frequency of water usage in their daily lives.Recognised as “a champion of the value of water”, Hansgrohe has been integrating sustainability holistically into its business, where it has been developing products which save both water and energy, and is dedicated to ensuring sustainability in its businesses.
Home owners can consider shower products which are more environmentally-friendly. Hansgrohe offers its innovative EcoSmart technology – products fitted with this technology require less water compared to conventional products. Launched in 2016, hansgrohe’s latest Crometta showers are offered in their water-saving EcoSmart versions, limiting the water flow to nine litres per minute. Furthermore, the new Crometta range of showers are environmentally-friendly, as they use less chrome in their shower case and spray discs.
For home owners who want to do more for the environment, there are even more water-saving showers for their consideration.
There are Green versions offered too – with two spray modes: Rain and IntenseRain, the Crometta Vario Green handshower features an even lower flow rate of 6l/min, thus being more environmentally friendly. These smart and dependable shower products from Hansgrohe make the bathroom a better and greener space.
Furthermore, the shower products offered by Hansgrohe are compliant with PUB’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS), a grading system to reflect the water efficiency level of a product. Under the WELS, a basin mixer with a 1-tick, 2-tick or a 3-tick label would have a flow rate of > 4 to 6 litres, > 2 to 4 litres or 2 litres/min or less respectively. More details on the WLES labels and the flow rates of products can be found at this link.
#5 Functionality
Home owners are increasingly searching for shower products with great functionality for their bathrooms. They are becoming more discerning about the products they install in their bathrooms, and are exploring innovative and smart technologies offered in the market for a more pleasurable showering experience.
From thermostats, showerheads to basin mixers, hansgrohe offers the latest high quality products fitted with the Select technology, which allows for the selection of individual water pleasure with the simple push of the Select button.
Home owners can consider hansgrohe Select products as they are easy to install without any complicated set ups or unnecessary space. The hansgrohe Select technology is purely mechanical and requires no electronics. For its latest Talis Select basin mixers, a Select cartridge was specially developed for the mixers to work seamlessly. Users simply need to control the water flow with the intuitive push of the Select button, and to control the temperature by turning the valve. It is a hassle-free experience, as no additional electricity or devices are required in the base cabinet.
The Select button also grants the freedom to switch between different spray modes, based on the different preferences of individuals or even on the mood of each individual.
Hansgrohe also offers other innovative technologies, including AirPower which injects air into water, making the water droplets plumper and softer on the skin as well as QuickClean which allows for the removal of any limescale with a gentle rub on the shower nozzles. Thus, homeowners could consider these functional technologies for their bathrooms.
#6 Design
At the same time that home owners opt for functional shower products, they are increasingly considering those with great design in creating their bathroom space.
Shower products with both design and functionality are not that difficult to find and need not be exclusively independent – both AXOR and hansgrohe products offer home owners the opportunity to create bathroom spaces with exquisitely-designed products of great functionality without any compromise. After all, the Hansgrohe Group with its 116 years of experience in the bathroom industry has won more than 500 design awards and was recently ranked 6th in the 2017 iF Company Ranking for companies with the highest design competence, making it 1st in the sanitary fittings industry and also the best Germany company in the ranking.
Drawing from an era of increasing prosperity and dynamic modernization, AXOR and Phoenix Design have created a bath and kitchen collection in the style of the first industrially manufactured fittings. With authentic forms and defining design features of the early 20th century, AXOR Montreux is an iconic collection that stylistically reflects on a time of scientific and cultural change. Functionally, it delivers the highest qualitative standards and pays tribute to the technological advancements of the age, without compromising comfort.
Industrial design elements, such as pipes and valves, were not only combined with classical details (e.g. delicate cross handles), but also with contemporary lever handles.
A unique reminiscence of this time also includes a bridge variant of the three-hole washbasin mixer. With cross handles and authentically labeled ceramic inlays it is a genuine reminder of the first industrially-manufactured fittings.
#7 Authenticity and Warranty of Bathroom Products
Home owners may either go online or visit boutiques to shop for their desired products. Buying online can be easy and fuss-free; however, home owners must be careful and check that the websites are trusted and more importantly, that the products sold on these websites are authentic. It is not unheard of for imitation goods to make their way even onto trusted marketplace websites, and it takes more than just a discerning eye to distinguish between genuine and fake products sold online. A safer alternative would be to purchase directly from the websites of the manufacturers or their authorised dealers.
For a better peace of mind, home owners could also choose to follow up with a personal visit to the manufacturers or their authorised dealers, where they can further clarify any queries with the customer service representatives and have a better understanding of their upcoming purchases.
In addition, purchasing locally from manufacturers or their authorised dealers would mean that their bathroom products have received the required approval from local authorities; home owners would be well-assured that these products are WELS-compliant for local use, especially with the recent focus on the water-saving efficiencies of bathroom products in view of the upcoming 30% increment of water prices.
Being careful of where one purchases bathroom products is not only to ensure the authenticity of the products but also to enjoy the product warranty provided by manufacturers.
The Hansgrohe Group offers a voluntary five-year international warranty for AXOR and hansgrohe products purchased from Hansgrohe Singapore and its authorised dealers, upon the presentation of the proof of purchases, in the unlikely event of a manufacturing defect.
To enjoy this warranty, home owners should always take steps to ensure that they are purchasing authentic bathroom products from authorised dealers.
Article and images courtesy of Hansgrohe. Log on to Hansgrohe’s official website for more info.
