»THE INTERACTION

OF THE COLOURS WITH

THEIR SURROUNDINGS IS

TRULY FASCINATING«

What role do colours play in your work?

Colour is incredibly important. Having said that, If

you ask ten people about their opinion of colours you

get 15 different answers. We all respond to colour

differently. In the kitchen and bath - when somebody

makes an investment in colour, it’s not like wall paint,

where that can be changed quickly. So our approach

to colour, finish and materials is to ensure relevance

in the home for many years to come – this is what we

call design permanence. The GROHE SPA Colours have

been carefully curated to ensure our customers have

a rich toolbox and most importantly the freedom to

create their desired vision.

Where do you get your inspiration from when

you create a finish?

The team and I attend major design fairs globally, for

example the ICFF in New York, Maison&Objet in Paris,

the Tokyo and London design weeks and Salone del

Mobile in Milan. So we definitely get our inspiration

from the cutting edge of the design world.

When we’re at these design fairs, we’re not looking

specifically at our industry. We look at movements within

the home sector, like the furniture industry. And then

we’re responding to that with this selection of colours and

finishes. With our range of colours, we want consumers

to see that they have unlimited design flexibility with our

collection. There’s a lot in the industry where they just

pick up on a trend but fads and fashion just disappear.

Even the quality is poor. At GROHE, we have a more

balanced approach. When you buy a GROHE product

it’s about quality, technology, sustainability and design.

You know this colour and finish is on the cutting edge

of interior trends and at the same time it will last, due

to our higher quality standards.

What differentiates the GROHE SPA Colours from

colour, as we typically perceive it?

We could have gone after colours that were not such

long-standing trends. They might be around for one

or two years. But the problem there is when you’re

working with bath interiors, these are fixtures - once

installed they are there for a long period of time. We

have to be really selective around the appropriateness

of the colour and how it’s used. And I think there are

other areas, where if you wanted to bring colour into

the bathroom, you can do that - with lighting as well.

That’s why we’ve taken an approach where the colour

is a long-standing trend. And we’ve seen the warm

finishes now year after year, in Milan and London. It’s

now an accepted colour and finish strategy. But it’s

not to say that we won’t have more unique finishes

coming up during the process of developing the next

generation of colours.

Throughout the year Michael Seum and his

design team visit several fairs in the world to

find long-lasting trends in the furniture industry.

Looking beyond the sanitary industry they focus

on emerging trends in interior design – to create

products that inspire GROHE’s consumers, not

simply following the latest fashion.

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