sensory design and wellbeing

This shift towards adopting positive changes in lifestyle was reinforced by the 34% of respondents who told us that they successfully manage to put time aside to relax each day. This figure is a 24% increase when we asked the same question in a nationwide survey in 2018. So it seems that, despite the devastating impact of the pandemic on the physical and mental health of many, we are making adjustments to our lifestyles. We wanted to delve a little deeper into how this may impact on future home design – and what role the bathroom can play in creating a sanctuary in our homes.

To understand how all this may alter our interaction with the spaces in the home, let’s first look at how we’re now using those ‘public’ areas of the home. Families are increasingly adopting zoned living areas, segregating space for work and play. John Lewis’ Flexible Living Report 2020 found that one in five people had reconfigured their open-plan space to accommodate multiple activities throughout the day. It observed that “….although sparked by urgent needs in the midst of the pandemic, this new perspective on a modular, flexible approach to living within our own four walls, is here to stay.”

Living in lockdown has, of course, changed everything. Indeed our own poll indicates that we may be shifting towards these more private spaces within the home, with half of our respondents entertaining at home less than they were before the pandemic. It seems that, together with our greater understanding of wellbeing, our homes have now become the ultimate sanctuary and safe haven away from the outside world. With this in mind, can we expect to see a greater focus on these more private spaces in the home – and, crucially, those rooms most intrinsically linked to wellbeing?

Let’s start with auditory. Our ears work even when we’re asleep - and when we are awake, we need to consider the impact those seemingly mundane sounds could have on our mental wellbeing. Think about the affect that a dripping tap, for example, can have upon one’s mood. In fact, as we discovered in our 2021 White Paper on the importance of acoustic design in the home, these seemingly innocuous noises are indeed affecting us. We found that one in four adults (28%) were regularly disturbed by bathroom sounds at night or when trying to relax, and one in five (19%) were regularly disturbed by flushing toilets, running taps or pipe and drains.

Managing the acoustics within a bathroom is, therefore, key and there are several ways to ensure noise is contained within a space, both inside the room and behind the scenes. Geberit’s Silent-db20 can reduce noise transfer from draining water from washbasins or showers; likewise, wall-hung toilets with concealed cisterns and pre-wall frames such as Geberit Duofix decouple from the construction, prevent noise from travelling down the wall and through the floor.

When it comes to the visual sense, colour in the washroom can have a profound influence on how we view the space. The psychology of colour is an important reference point here. White, for instance, brings a sense of cleanliness and purity, while green references nature and is associated with balance and healing. Red, on the other hand, is more dynamic and energetic with blue perceived as more calming.

In modern bathroom design, brassware is often used as a reference point when matching colours, with bathroom accessories commonly chosen to match brassware finishes. Instead, at Geberit, we offer a wide range of flush plate colours and finishes which complement our ceramic furniture options. Opting for natural materials like wood, slate and stone over high-gloss within the space will bring warmth and comfort to the washroom. Similarly, there is no denying that lighting can also affect our mood. According to the Illuminating Engineering Society, the direction of a light source can transform a space and affect how a room might make us feel. The society advises, for instance, that lighting positioned above eye level can create a feeling of restraint, creating a more formal atmosphere. On the other side, lighting positioned below eye level can invoke a feeling of individual importance and help establish a more informal setting. Meanwhile, exposure to harsh light sources, especially in the middle of the night can shock us and stimulate our sense of alertness, disturbing our natural sleeping patterns. Opting for automatic lights or orientation lighting can help preserve the sanctuary of sleep and prevent overstimulation of the visual sense.

Often overlooked, scent has a strong effect on our experiences because it’s processed in the olfactory cortex of the brain’s limbic system. Of course, it goes without saying that this can sometimes have a negative effect in the washroom. Lavatory odours are generally dealt with by masking the unpleasant smell with a scented spray. The latest thinking in odour extraction technology by manufacturers takes a more innovative approach. The new Geberit odour extraction unit can be installed in all concealed cisterns from the Sigma range and filters the air within the room to neutralise any unwanted odours.

How we view and use our homes has changed forever. The FT, writing about this subject early in 2021, hit the nail on the head when it noted that, “…home is like the water a fish swims through: so familiar that it often goes unnoticed. Light switches are flicked without looking, and furniture edges navigated with blind precision…lockdown challenged this passivity.” As homeowners become ever more aware of wellbeing, architects and specifiers must understand how the washroom can provide the ultimate place of escape in the home. The potential for wellbeing is at its highest when the design of spaces is informed and uniquely enriched by all four of our senses. We are entering an exciting new design paradigm, where we shift from creating just ‘bathrooms’, to thinking about how the design process itself can elevate this space by considering the potential for wellbeing.