Whose towel is this?: Bodenschatz

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Swiss accessories brand Bodenschatz is on a mission to bring architectural order to the bathroom.

By Bodenschatz, Margarete Schütte Lihotzky, and Simon Keane-Cowell for

Bodenschatz

September 29, 2019 | 10:00 pm CUT

Bathrooms become the places of calm and order they should be via Swiss manufacturer Bodenschatz's portfolio of resolutely architectural, solutions-delivering bathroom-accessory products

In her recent comedy special on Netflix, Ellen DeGeneres describes that everyday situation we've all encountered at some point in the bathroom: you exit the shower, only to find your towel out of hand's reach. What do you do? Perform a shuffle, whereby you slowly scoot across the floor, bringing the bath mat with you in your clenched toes.

The joke isn't so much the fact that it looks ridiculous. It's that she uses the image as proof that, in spite of her major wealth, DeGeneres is still 'relatable'. Her tongue is firmly in her cheek, of course.

But her story tells us something about the organisation of bathrooms in general. While the kitchen has, as a room type, been subject to a good century of rationalisation and optimisation (think of Austrian architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s game-changing ‘Frankfurt Kitchen’ of 1926), the bathroom less so.

For Bodenschatz, it's not only about optimising existing product types. The company has set itself the challenge of developing new, research-driven typologies

‘Quality, functionality and design are our values,’ explains Bodenschatz’s head of marketing and sales Thomas Hoffmann. ‘But also innovation. We’re constantly striving to find new solutions.’ So beyond what you’d expect to see in a bathroom-accessories brand’s product portfolio – such items as toilet-paper holders, toilet brushes and soap dispensers – you’ll also find typology-challenging products like Creativa, a multi-armed, swivel towel rail, and the Kleiderboy (or clothes boy), a super-rational, wall-mounted, multi-purpose rail.

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'Things are changing in the bathroom. This means specifying high-quality, durable products that are able to adapt during their life cycle'

With 80 years in business under its belt, Swiss bathroom-accessories manufacturer Bodenschatz has firmly established itself as one of the leading go-to brands when it comes to bringing order to the most watery room in the house or the hotel. As the trend in spending more time enjoying our ablutions continues to grow, driven by the increasing installation of spa-like technology and a greater cultural awareness of the need to be more mindful (to return to ourselves), so too does the need for better, more architectural products within the bathroom that support users’ activities and rituals.

Bodenschatz conducted user-experience studies in both Switzerland and the UK into how bathrooms are used across a range of building types, which included valuable ethnographic research

Both articulate a resolutely architectural language and, most importantly, are the result of comprehensive research into the needs and problems of users. The company conducted a user-experience study in both Switzerland and the UK on the current situation in bathrooms across a range of building types, including single-family houses, owner-occupied apartments and rented flats. The methodology included visiting users at home and documenting their activities. Problem clusters were compiled to form a clear brief, and product solutions developed accordingly. The outcome is a range of products that work hard while you relax.

Bodenschatz’s latest innovation comes in the form not of a particular accessory, but rather a professional solution. Adesio, a new form of adhesion, now allows architects, installers and building owners a choice of whether to drill or glue when mounting bathroom products. Developed with Sika, ZHAW and other industry partners, and tested over a number of years, the new wonder stuff means that Bodenschatz’s popular Chic range of accessories can now be mounted on thin walls or on glass, with other lines being available for adhesion-mounting in the near future. Installation becomes simpler, safer and more flexible.

A greater focus on the needs of bathroom users as individuals 'means specifying high-quality, durable products that are able to adapt during their life cycle,' explains Bodenschatz's head of marketing and sales Thomas Hoffmann

‘Things are changing in the bathroom,’ says Thomas Hoffmann. ‘While on the one hand the trend continues in bathrooms becoming a sort of wellness oasis, you also have the emerging development of the smart bathroom. What’s clear, however, is that against this backdrop, architects and planners are having to respond to the increasing demand for bathroom spaces that cater to the individual needs of various users. And this means specifying high-quality, durable products that are able to adapt during their life cycle.’

How do you like your bathroom experience?