ISH, the world’s premier trade fair for water technology and bathroom products held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, attracted around 190,000 visitors from 161 countries this year. ISH 2019 saw 2,532 exhibitors from 57 countries showcasing their latest and greatest.  

Grohe stand at ISH 2019

From innovative materials and signature colours to collaborations with international design luminaries and 3D-printed metal faucets, here are our top picks from ISH 2019!

FinishPlus on Metropole by Hansgrohe

Sometimes, a simple change of colour can elevate a bathroom design to a new level. hansgrohe excels in the battle of bathroom colour with its signature FinishPlus surface finishes range.

And now the brand has expanded the offering of two of its most popular faucet lines Metropol and Talis E with five new FinishPlus colours: Matt Black, Matt White, Polished Gold Optic, Brushed Bronze, and Brushed Black Chrome to suit every bathroom styles.  

Supertube by Geberit

Behind a great bathroom product is a great technology, and to appreciate one is to appreciate the other. Geberit sets a new bar in bathroom fixture efficiency with its SuperTube technology. 

SuperTube features Geberit PE Sovent fitting and two new bends that work in tandem to maintain a continuous flow of air in the drainage system by rotating the wastewater.

This technology eliminates the need for ventilation pipes and enables the use of smaller pipe diameters without compromising the system’s performance, translating to a more compact system with fewer components and less time to install.   

Breccia by Antoniolupi

Designed by Mario Ferrarini, antoniolupi’s Breccia is an integrated washbasin made with the brand’s patented Flumood,  a composite material created mostly with aluminium hydroxide and synthetic resin with low styrene emission.

The material has a high ductility, easy to clean, and can heal from scratches, burn and daily wear and tear. It has a satin finish that feels smooth to the touch and can be embossed to create texture. 

Breccia features an elegant drain in the form of a thin groove that appears like simple ‘cut’ to the basin’s perfectly circular perimeter that allows water to flow out discreetly.    

Breccia can be made to measure and offered with single or double sinks in 12 millimetre-thick Flumood in satin finish.

Sonar by Laufen

Laufen’s stand at ISH 2019

Until recently, there was a limit to the shapes and sizes of a ceramic washbasin. Laufen has broken this barrier in 2013 with its signature material SaphirKeramik.

Touted as the world’s thinnest ceramic, SaphirKeramik facilitates slimmer, lighter design and less material usage without sacrificing the quality of traditional ceramic. It is also completely recyclable. 

Sonar bathtub

Designed by Patricia Urquiola, Sonar is one of the third generation SaphirKeramik collections from Laufen. Sonar offers nine variants of wall-mounted and floor standing washbasins with an incredibly thin D-shape bowl that makes it ideal to install in small spaces without compromising the bowl’s capacity and the bathroom layout.

For example, a double bowl basin takes up only one metre of space, while the single version takes up 60 centimetres. A freestanding bath with the same aesthetic is also available from the collection. 

Icon 3D by Grohe

Grohe Atrio Brilliant Icon 3D

In addition to setting a record-breaking number of most new items (500!) at the fair, Grohe unveiled one of the most intriguing innovation in the world of bathroom technology to date: 3D-printed metal faucets.

The technology, named Icon 3D, produced the faucets by printing metal using a powder bed laser melting process in Grohe’s plant in Hemer, Germany. 

“It’s the ultimate blend of customization and industrial production,” said Grohe AG CEO Michael Rauterkus during Grohe’s presentation. “We believe that 3D metal-printing will revolutionize the water experience in the home.” 

Grohe Allure Brilliant Icon 3D

So far the technology has been used to produce two of Grohe’s existing faucet lines: Atrio Icon 3D and Allure Brilliant Icon 3D. Grohe’s Vice President of Design Michael Seum predicted that it will have a huge impact on bathroom fixture manufacturing and business model.

Said Seum: “This production method offers the option to design faucets in small quantities according to our customers’ requests, offering them limitless options for personalisation.”