Making a splash

Did you know that the average person spends more than two years of their life in the bathroom? It’s a staggering statistic that helps to emphasise the importance of ensuring these rooms are comfortable and enjoyable places to be in. Far too often, washrooms are overlooked, particularly in commercial environments, where the rest of the interior might be decorated to a high specification, yet hygiene spaces are treated as an afterthought.

Let’s face it, the restroom might not be the most glamorous part of an architectural project but it is key to overall user satisfaction. Washroom specialist The Splash Lab launched in 2017 to right the wrong of restrooms being treated as secondary spaces. The firm’s innovative user-driven design approach has seen it develop a collection of award-winning products aimed at improving each interaction point throughout the washroom environment.

‘Poorly designed restrooms often end up looking ugly and can really spoil an otherwise immersive experience you might be enjoying in a high-end restaurant or a cool office building,’ explains The Splash Lab's art director, Amanda King, adding: ‘We work with architects and designers to make the job of creating an amazing bathroom as effortless and efficient as possible.’

The Splash Lab focuses on the hand-washing experience, providing a range of high-quality sinks, taps and soap dispensers that make this important task as pleasant and stylish as possible. Other items such as hand dryers and toilet roll holders offer holistic solutions that ensure consistency across key touchpoints.

Rather than producing an expansive catalogue of products, The Splash Lab has developed a modular system that can be used to create a cohesive aesthetic in any space. The company grew out of a British bathroom brand called Lovair that was founded in 1992 by designer Ian Lovell and his sons, Justin and Fraser. Having successfully delivered a series of custom restroom fixtures for Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, the firm rebranded as The Splash Lab in 2017. 

The products developed by Lovair for the Apple Park campus formed the basis for The Splash Lab’s original collection, which has evolved over time to become the popular Radius line. The Lovair L-960 sensor faucet was a minimalist design with a gently curved spout that was first manufactured in brass and later adapted to be made from stainless steel, allowing its proportions to be slimmed down. It featured a sensor eye based on the curved silhouette of the then-newly released iPhone 6, which remains a hallmark of The Splash Lab’s sensor products.

Recognising that it had created something unique in the bathroom market, The Splash Lab based the TSL 960 and TSL 990 faucets on the L-960’s angled bend. The same form was subsequently applied to the Radius range, which also references the Golden Ratio. This stylistic consistency that unifies the brand’s collection allows designers to create bathrooms with a sense of harmony and simplicity.

‘A lot of other restroom brands try to make a different product for everything and you end up with overwhelming lists of items that are all very similar,’ says King. ‘Our modular system works with any aesthetic and is also code compliant however you use it. The radiused curve that often appears in our products makes them appear simple but not hard edged. There’s a gentleness and grace to all of the designs.’

In addition to developing attractive and innovative products, The Splash Lab seeks to address key societal themes that impact the way restroom spaces are designed and used. Inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability are at the heart of everything the brand creates, and each product is rigorously tested to ensure it is easy for anyone to interact with. Its timeless products are made from materials that will last a long time, thereby improving their ecological credentials. The Splash Lab also developed a quieter hand dryer that can reduce noise in the restroom – alleviating a key trigger for people with autism. As King points out: ‘We’re trying to offer products that make the restroom nicer for anyone to use.’

With showrooms in London and Los Angeles, as well as a global network of retailers, The Splash Lab is set up to support architects and designers who understand the restroom’s importance to their projects. The company previously worked with Fletcher Crane Architects in London to provide sophisticated and DDA-compliant fixtures for the washrooms of a new office housed in a refurbished warehouse. It also contributed products to the modern, minimalist washrooms at Dallas-Fort Worth airport’s Terminal D South, working alongside Luis Vidal + Architects to create a customised version of the solid-surface Monolith C Series washbasins that feature an integrated console for supplying soap to each dispenser. This system proved so successful it is now being rolled out across the airport’s other terminals.

As King points out, The Splash Lab is on a mission to help create restrooms that are dignified, hygienic and pleasant to use. ‘Our goal is to lift up designers and support them in their efforts to create bold and beautiful washrooms,’ she says. ‘We want to help develop a vision for a new generation of amazing restrooms by giving designers space to really envision something we haven’t considered before’. It’s a worthy ambition and one that could make a big difference to how we experience hospitality settings and public spaces in years to come.

© Architonic

Head to the Architonic Magazine for more insights on the latest products, trends and practices in architecture and design.