Why GROHE Baulines is a smart all-rounder? Let’s find out…
The first big love, the first own car, the first own apartment: There are milestones in life that we never forget and that shape us forever. Our own home in particular allows us to take a big step towards self-realisation because this is where our very personal style comes to the fore – in the furniture, the wall color and matching accessories. Each apartment is as individual as its residents and has specific requirements in terms of functionality and design. Whether you have to deal with small rooms or a small budget – interior design often poses challenges. GROHE offers a solution for every lifestyle: The relaunched Baulines faucet is the ideal solution for anyone who seeks high quality and aesthetic design at an affordable price.
“Baulines represents an entry-level product into the versatile world of GROHE. Above that, it also appeals to consumers whose residential projects follow the Micro Living trend. Especially in urban areas space becomes scarce. With intelligent, condensed living concepts which are reduced to essential elements, we can make efficient use of limited space and still enhance our quality of life. Baulines is the perfect product for people who are searching for this kind of simplicity and minimalism”, explains Patrick Speck, Leader, LIXIL Global Design EMENA.
Modern, minimalist, and functional: GROHE Baulines is a smart all-rounder
Thanks to the relaunched design of Baulines bathroom faucets, users benefit from an increased comfort zone: The extended angle with the tapered spout ensures a more convenient water flow, thereby preventing water splashing when washing your hands.
Moreover, the product offers further advantages in terms of safety and health: Thanks to its innovative zinc die casting process at the LIXIL plant in Klaeng, Thailand, one of the most sustainable plants in Southeast Asia, the faucet offers safe water enjoyment. Not only is the surface of the faucet seamlessly closed so that impurities cannot enter, there are also dedicated inner waterways to make sure that the water is lead- and nickel-free. Above that these inner waterways have no contact to the body material which result in a barrier between hot water and the external surface to avoid scalding on hot surfaces. Thus, extra safe, especially for households with children.
Enabling consumers to lead a more eco-conscious lifestyle is GROHE’s biggest lever for sustainability and therefore particularly important for GROHE when developing new products. That is why the relaunched Baulines bathroom faucets are equipped with water-saving GROHE EcoJoy technology. A flow restrictor reduces water consumption from ten liters per minute to just over five liters. An aerator enriches the water with air, ensuring the same voluminous experience as with conventional faucets. This way, everyone can easily make their contribution to save water in everyday life without compromising on comfort.
Everyone who has decided on the GROHE Baulines sink mixer can choose the matching Bau Ceramic and matching Bau Accessories to create a complete bathroom concept. All elements are coordinated in form and function and, in combination, create a harmonious integrated solution for your home spa.
So let the unique (love) story begin with your new GROHE Baulines.
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GROHE PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Patrick Speck, The Leader LIXIL Global Design EMENA at GROHE, talks about the importance of health, well-being, and sustainability in the hospitality sector
Well-being has become a global movement. How do you define this?
This can be defined by the fact that consumers want to take good care of their health and well-being to live better lives, that are also more sustainable and better for the environment. Especially now, the bathroom is understood as a deliberate contrast to the hectic world outside, it has become an oasis of well-being, a personal retreat for body and soul. This goes hand-in-hand with the fact that consumers expect more from their bathroom products: they should create precisely those special moments.
COVID-19 has changed our thinking process like never making health and well-being a priority. What kind of transformation can you see at GROHE and in your industry?
The year 2020, has left a major impact on many industries across the world, especially the industry of hygiene and sanitisation. People are looking to recreate well-being experiences in the comfort of their homes while ensuring the highest hygiene standards. At GROHE, we can say that we are already experiencing a higher demand for our hygiene enhancing products – from both our private and business customers.
What are the consumer’s new expectations in the pandemic context in terms of hygiene and how can a brand like GROHE fulfill those needs?
Touching surfaces is not an attractive option anymore. With our wide range of touchless and hands-free products, like the infra-red faucet GROHE Essence E or the kitchen faucet GROHE SmartControl, we have the right response to this increased need of hygiene as they minimise the risk of spreading germs and cross-contamination.
How do you see this shift towards hygiene and well-being affecting the hospitality sector?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highly affected the hospitality sector considering travel restrictions and safety measures that were imposed in many countries around the world. People are eager to be able to travel again, but in the new normal, travellers and guests are prioritising safety and hygiene when choosing their accommodation creating new needs that hotels will have to meet.
Do you think the design of the hotels needs to change as well? If yes, then how?
Yes, adaptation is a must. GROHE is mapping out how improved architecture and design can help tackle current hygiene challenges. Particular attention with regard to these requirements is paid to areas like hotel bathrooms, public washrooms, and spas. Touchless faucets, controlled by an infrared sensor, can be a good alternative to make hand-washing more hygienic. Thanks to the activation of the water flow by just holding the hands under the spout, the spread of germs and cross-contamination are minimised.
What kind of offerings from GROHE can lead to the well-being of guests at hotels and how can technology play a vital role here?
Intelligent technology is increasingly used in the hospitality sector to guarantee a clean and comfortable space. But I believe technology is an enabler and not a solution itself. We need to ask what the purpose is and how it is going to impact our customer’s lives.
For example, using GROHE’s infra-red and touchless technologies in a public space like a hotel gym can have a great impact on the consumer journey and the hotel’s offering as these technologies minimize cross-contamination, from the faucet to the shower to the toilet, creating a more hygienic and comfortable experience for guests who still seek to use the health and fitness facilities available at hotels.
What is your business strategy in this regard?
For decades, we have supported designers and architects and equipped hotels with high-quality fittings, showers, and sanitary systems. For each hotel category we have the perfect product to meet the highest standards based on our brand pillars quality, technology, design and sustainability. With new hygiene measures being rolled out, intelligent architectural concepts are playing a key role in improving consumer health and safety, especially in public spaces such as lavatories, offices, or restaurants. Developing touchless products to improve hygiene in sensitive areas like these is not a new topic – we offer this portfolio for private and public settings since years. We aim to continue growing this portfolio, living up to our reputation as a pioneering brand in the sanitary industry.
How do you see the future of hospitality?
Despite the unprecedented circumstances witnessed by the hospitality sector this past year, it still remains resilient in the face of these new challenges. Today there are countless actions adapted to each market, considering the severity of what is happening. The first thing the sector must do is transmit a message of security and normality. We have a pipeline of almost 600 new developments in the hospitality sector in the MENA, of which 46 are within the UAE. This shows how the sector is succeeding in taking action towards creating this sense of normality and as GROHE, we have a great responsibility towards our partners to support them in acquiring the latest innovations and technologies in hygiene that guarantee a state-of-the-art offering to their guests.
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GROHE launches digital platform ‘GROHE X’
Picture: Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA and Co-CEO GROHE AG
With GROHE X, LIXIL EMENA launches an industry-first digital platform for its leading global sanitary brand, GROHE. Visitors to the hub have the opportunity to create their own individual GROHE brand experience thanks to informative and inspirational multimedia content tailored to the needs of its professional business partners and consumers. Whether an industry customer wants to know which global trends are impacting the sanitary business, an installer is looking for how-to videos to make their working day easier, an architect is seeking inspiration from the latest trends, or a consumer is searching for state-of-the-art product innovations to make their dream bathroom a reality – GROHE X allows everyone to explore the world of GROHE and expand their horizon for a better way of living, whenever and wherever they want it. Originally intended as an alternative to the biennial ISH, the world’s leading trade fair for water and HVAC, from which GROHE withdrew due to the covid-19 pandemic, GROHE X is now more than a trade fair substitute:
Besides uniting thought-provoking and entertaining stories in one place, GROHE X brings the world closer together as a platform for engaging exchange with and gaining support from the brand’s experts. Now that opportunities for face-to-face meetings are limited, GROHE X provides the perfect environment for collaborating and sharing ideas – GROHE X is the new place to meet. In addition to the comprehensive free editorial content available, the platform launches on March 16 with dedicated event formats tailored to GROHE’s professional business partners.
“GROHE X is a result of our disruptive way of thinking. We embraced the new normal and understood challenges as new opportunities,” is how Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA and Co-CEO Grohe AG explains the central role that GROHE X plays for the global brand. “For me, GROHE X is proof that, especially at times like these, you need to exchange ‘but’ for ‘imagine if’ and I’m more than proud that everyone at GROHE was so bold to think open-minded like this. With GROHE X, we offer our customers a central, always-available brand hub to get inspired but also to interact with us – wherever they are, whenever they need us. Also in the future, we aim to pave new paths with GROHE X. The digital platform is just the beginning of an own experience ecosystem that will drive engagement with our customers in the years to come. As soon as it is possible again, GROHE X will be supplemented by hybrid or truck tour events,” he adds.
“Although physical distance is key these days, we still want to offer our customers a unique setting to experience our innovations and to exchange with us directly,” says Thomas Fuhr, Leader Fittings LIXIL International and Co-CEO Grohe AG “GROHE X allows everyone to immerse in the diverse world of GROHE and it gives you the building blocks to create your individual brand experience. You will get exclusive, behind-the-scenes insights of our plants and how our customer-centric supply chain connects them to the global markets, learn more about our latest technologies developed in our in-house R&D department located in Hemer, Germany, and we will also take you along with us on our sustainability journey to which we will add another milestone. It is amazing what our teams brought to life in such a short period of time.”
Putting customer-centricity at the heart
With tailored content carefully curated for each target group, GROHE X also reflects GROHE’s new commercial strategy, which was introduced in July last year. Based on comprehensive feedback from GROHE’s business partners of what they expect from the brand, the leadership team developed a go-to-market approach that offers a differentiated product portfolio and dedicated services to each of the target groups: wholesalers and installers, architects, designers and planners, as well as end-consumers.
The focus on the needs and aspirations of customers will also be of central importance with regard to the new products that GROHE will present on GROHE X: Developing relevant product solutions that improve consumers’ lives requires a deep understanding of what consumers expect from their living spaces. This is why GROHE is anticipating even unarticulated consumer needs at an early stage of the development process. To find out which consumer insights the brand is building on, which solutions will offer consumers added value in the bathroom and kitchen of the future, and how the brand plans to further expand its sustainability transformation as a double winner of the German Sustainability Award 2021, visit grohe-x.com from March 16, 2021, onward.
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GROHE brings health, well-being, and sustainability to the spotlight
In the course of its continuing efforts to support the design community, GROHE held the first 2021 edition of its GROHE Design Series event virtually, tackling the new hygiene focus in the hospitality sector, as well as the shift in consumer behavior around health and well-being, ending with a spotlight on sustainability in MENA. The Digital Dialogue between Renu Misra, Leader, MENA, LIXIL EMENA, Patrick Speck, Leader LIXIL Global Design EMENA, and Catherine Belbin, Editor and Editorial Consultant, was moderated by Yeliz Olcay, Regional Specification Manager at GROHE MENA. Leading architects, interior designers, and media attended the event, and interacted with the speakers during the live session.
Health and well-being in the hospitality sector
The first session of the event covered the new Hygiene focus that emerged in the Hospitality sector as a result of travel restrictions and safety measures imposed in many countries around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though consumers’ needs and the way they plan their traveling journeys have changed, they are still eager to travel and are looking for spaces that they trust are maintaining the best hygiene standards. It is therefore a must for the sector to adapt to the shift in consumer behavior to remain resilient in the face of these challenges.
When it comes to hotels in specific, there are many sensitive areas that are considered public, like spas and gyms where the chances of encountering people are high, which might cause hotel guests to start avoiding these areas, while still wanting to have access to the wellbeing experiences that many hotels offer. This is where GROHE’s touchless products and technologies can help make a difference. “Public sectors such as hotels, food preparation, catering, and high-traffic are very sensitive areas with stringent requirements when it comes to hygiene especially in sanitary facilities and washing areas. With the increased demand for hygiene, we are experiencing right now and in order to minimize the risk of spreading germs and also cross-contamination, we need to reduce contact with any surface as much as we can. As a sanitary brand we are developing solutions for quite a while now to answer this consumer demand: An example are our touchless-control faucets, like the GROHE Essence E. Touchless products are not new but the sensor technology allows for example an extra hygienic hand washing routine without touching the faucet and also reduces water consumption, as the water flow automatically shuts off when the hands are removed from the sensor. On top, GROHE design quality ensures that the long service life and functionality of our products is not affected by heavy use” explained Patrick Speck, Leader LIXIL Global Design EMENA.
The effect of urbanisation on health and well-being
Moving on to the second topic, the speakers discussed how global trends of seismic scale – namely urbanization – are creating shifts in consumer behavior that is driving technological development. “Today consumers are fundamentally changing how they define and use their living spaces. Consumers are creating new living spaces that blend and redefine the kitchen and the living room, the bath and the bedroom – bathroom and kitchen products become furnishing items. They have risen from passive consumption to taking control over the creation of their living spaces while seeking simplicity and intelligent product solutions” said Renu Misra, Leader, MENA, LIXIL EMENA. “Now, more than ever, product innovation and design depend on an empathetic understanding of these trends as consumers are inclined to choose integrated solutions over single products to create spaces that enhance their health and wellbeing” she added.
Sustainability and creating better homes for everyone, everywhere in the MENA
The focus of the last session was on sustainability and GROHE’s efforts in working towards LIXIL’s vision of creating better homes for everyone, everywhere. Besides quality, technology and design, sustainability is one of the four GROHE brand values and it is deeply anchored in the brand’s strategy. GROHE committed itself in its “principles and guidelines for sustainability” to continuously improving all products, processes, and services in terms of protecting the environment and conserving resources. Since then, GROHE has set new industry standards, applying its 360-degree sustainability approach and in the past ten years alone, more than 490 design and innovation awards as well two recognitions at the German Sustainability Award 2021 have confirmed GROHE’s success. “I firmly believe that the MENA region and the UAE, in particular, embrace the sustainability movement and welcomes the new products such as those from GROHE, that contribute to both their own wellbeing as that of the planet. People are aware of the need to minimize their carbon footprint and are open to new concepts and ways to do this, from buying a shower that uses less water to choosing to live in a custom-designed green residential community” said Catherine Belbin, Design Editor.
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GROHE launches new water-saving head shower
GROHE’s new Tempesta 250 head shower ensures a warm summer rain in your own shower – even in winter. Relax under its full face Rain spray and generous diameter of 250mm, confident that your luxurious shower is also eco-friendly, thanks to the water-saving EcoJoy function. The technology limits the flow of water to a sustainable 9.5 litres per minute without compromising performance. Pure water enjoyment while doing your bit for the planet – a perfect combination for 66% of Germans who are searching for a shower which assists them in being sustainable in their day-to-day life.
GROHE Tempesta 250 is available in a round or a square design as a single head shower, in a set with shower arm, or as a complete shower system. Its minimalist design allows it to be integrated into any modern bathroom and its universal connection makes it easy to install on all standard shower arms – a simple upgrade for a relaxing, sustainable shower enjoyment.
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Grohe introduces new 250mm head shower
German sanitary fittings manufacturer, Grohe, has brought out a new shower head with a full rain spray and a diameter of 250 mm. The luxurious Tempesta 250 is also eco-friendly, thanks to a water-saving EcoJoy function.
This technology limits the flow of water to a sustainable 9.5 litres per minute without compromising performance.
In addition, the head shower Tempesta 250, which is manufactured at its own shower competence centre in Lahr, Germany, impresses with its slim design and elegant chrome finish. This design has already been awarded the renowned iF Design Award 2020 and the internationally renowned ICONIC AWARD 2020: Innovative Architecture.
Grohe Tempesta 250 is available in a round or a square design as a single head shower, in a set with shower arm, or as a complete shower system. Its minimalist design allows it to be integrated into any contemporary bathroom and its universal connection makes it easy to install on all standard shower arms.
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GROHE SmartControl kitchen wins top design awards
Answering the “why” of a product is essential in the beginning of a design process in order to create meaningful and relevant product solutions to the consumer. To understand how they want to live and what they expect from their living spaces requires a deep understanding of consumers. “Anticipating even unarticulated needs in an early stage of the product development process is crucial for creating purpose-driven products with a real added value to the consumer,” explains Patrick Speck, leader LIXIL Global Design EMENA.
Each product at GROHE is based on three design values: easy, human, and performance. “Our design approach is to create products that are easy – the design should clearly communicate its intention. Additionally, the functionality needs to be accessible and human. It should support the consumer. And lastly, GROHE products are distinguished through their performance,” says Patrick Speck. This is well received, also by international design award juries. This year, GROHE was honored with 44 design distinctions, continuing the success from the past years. Among the award-winning products, especially GROHE SmartControl kitchen impressed the experts due to its outstanding combination of minimalistic design and consumer-centricity.
Consumers are searching for products which make their daily lives more comfortable. The innovative GROHE SmartControl kitchen faucet convinced exactly through this quality at ten top awards in 2020. “With our SmartControl kitchen we re-invented the kitchen faucet by integrating an intelligent button at the top of the faucet which provides a completely new user interaction,” says Patrick Speck. “The shape is reduced to the absolute minimum, leaving no room for distraction or confusion – puristic design in its purest form.” Instead of using a lever, the SmartControl kitchen faucet offers intuitive push and turn operation. To start the water flow, the consumer pushes the button. This also works easily with the elbow or wrist and is ideal for moments when both hands are full or not clean. By turning the button, the amount of water can be precisely adjusted from the water-saving eco-jet to the powerful jet stream. Intuitive control, straightforward comfort and ultimate flexibility at the touch of a button.
Besides its user-friendliness, the line also scores points with its minimalist and purist shape in three different design variants: the cylindrical GROHE Minta design, the organic shaped GROHE Essene design and the A-shaped GROHE Zedra design. Furthermore, GROHE offers the SmartControl kitchen faucet in a total of ten different colors which were awarded with the iF gold award in 2020 – Providing a solution for any taste and kitchen style.
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