Lucky me! I’ve been graced with this year’s trip to ISH Frankfurt. I’ve been a plumbing journalist for 10 years, but this is my first trip abroad to see what my colleagues have been talking about. I will do my best to paint you a picture of the show, as well as impart the knowledge I’ve gained about where the markets could be heading and what’s on its way across the ocean. I think you’ll be eager for these products "
Germany is ready for Blue Responsibility. Are you?
First Impressions
They’ve told me it’s big. I didn’t think they’d lie, but Wow! This is how a biennial event should be. World economy in the toilet? It sure is! And the toilet’s at the show! Traffic is heavy and people walk with a purpose.First things first: No, I don’t speak a lick of German. I’m a natural busy-body, so not being able to overhear people’s conversations about business and money and market strategies isreallybugging me. But from what I can tell, like the U.S., not many are focusing on new construction anymore. They’re in the thick of retrofit/remodel "
These 10 Trends will shape the plumbing fixtures market.
Pop Up The Bathroom
In the Messe Frankfurt-sponsored press hall, I picked up a 2009 Trends Dossier: Pop Up The Bathroom. This booklet was filled with interviews of plumbing designers, and stated the 10 most important trends in the bathroom. I’ll list them below. Let’s see if you Americans agree …- Soft Bathroom
- Green Bathroom
- Fashion Bathroom
- Easy Bathroom
- Design for a Better Bath
- Private Spa
- Water Love
- Homing
- Techness
- Interior Concepts
I saw plenty of products on the show floor illustrating “water love”. Manufacturers are doing creative things with the flow of water. The dossier says people are experiencing water “emotionally,” and it comes in the form of soaking, showering, hand-washing, and even toilet flushing.
Americans have been “homing” (or nesting) for a few years already. You all know the new buzzword “staycation” (where you don’t physically travel anywhere "
