The washlet, invented by the Japanese, is now being championed in Europe. Toto presents “Neorest,” a mixture of motorcycle seat and space capsule.

Gold, silver and bronze for fittings at the ISH. Almost enough to give you wings.

For many manufacturers, be it of bathroom or heating appliances, electronics is the key. Sometimes this results in gimmicks, other times in convincing innovations.

Be it ceramic or solid surface materials – alongside bowls with extremely fine edges there are now extra-large washbasins with integrated rests and extravagant models from the star designers.

The ISH is truly a fair that focuses on the future. Here, everything revolves very practically around water, energy and climate. And wherever you look you encounter the image of the digital worker.

Mosa has fitted out the four-star hotel Van der Valk in Antwerp with the new, enlarged “Solids” tiles.

You can take a shower anytime. Those who appreciate luxury and coziness can’t do without them: The bathtub is returning to the bathroom as a freestanding feature.

Colt International has installed an extensive fire ventilation system in the new Docks shopping center in Brussels.

The bathroom as wet room has well and truly served its purpose. At the ISH it is clear: In future, fitness and healthcare will take place in the home. And even include automatic urine analysis.

Instead of enjoying the view from just one room, guests at the new ski lodge “Oberholz” in the Italian Dolomites have a choice of three, each of whose panorama windows faces a different mountain.

Fuhrimann Hächler toyed with the temporary nature of rural architecture when converting an old farmhouse in Switzerland.

Bathrooms are becoming homelier: With Bette Lux Oval Couture a freestanding bathtub is now available whose exterior is covered with colored fabric. We spoke to designer Dominik Tesseraux.

Designer Werner Aisslinger was responsible for the interior design of the new Stockholm hotel “Hobo”, set to open next week. He explained his concept on a car ride through Berlin.

Pedrali has fitted out the Ore restaurant in Versailles château with comfortable Ester upholstered armchairs.

This year, the space&interiors platform in Milan focuses on architectural lightness.

India Mahdavi has designed a cafe for the Ladurée macaroon pâtisserie in Geneva, and turned to Alice in Wonderland for inspiration.

Curator Joanna Warsza has already devised exhibition projects in St. Petersburg and at the Venice Biennale. Next year she will be active in Munich, too.

If you feel comfortable in the shop, you also buy more. The right light plays an active role. Three examples show how lighting can affect us during shopping.

The Netflix series “Abstract – The Art of Design” is an entertaining take on designers at work and at home. In passing, it discusses what design is currently understood to mean.

Leicht has developed an open living room-cum-kitchen for a new build – with a view out over nature.

Norwegian architects Gartnerfuglen have developed a mobile mini-hut for the ardent one among you who want to go ice fishing. And the only materials needed are wood, chicken-wire and water for the walls.

It’s the 20th anniversary of Münchner Stoff Frühling. In the jubilee year, 28 international textile makers and publishers will be presenting their latest creations – and the fabrics and spring will themselves be highlighted in a gala dinner complete with fashion show.

Anyone who put their money on RCR as winner of the Pritzker Prize 2017 against all the odds would have really won big time. Was it justifiable to bestow the award on the three Catalan architects?

Siller has created a transparent staircase illuminated in color by LEDs.

Nils Holger Moormann has devised a box for micro-apartments – you can sleep, work and eat in it or on it, and store your stuff, too. Not a big thing, but the real thing.

Architecture year books gather buildings and bundle themes. Is a national performance show of building still up-to-date? Examples from all over Europe show - the format remains alive.

The Hansgrohe Group has kitted out a hotel on the shores of the Melchsee with fittings and showers from their brands Axor and hansgrohe.

As if they were made of snow, the new metal roofs float above the station in La-Chaux-de-Fonds. They protect passers-by and waiters from the weather and arrange the various means of transport.

Christian Petersen is not just any old brick-maker. He loves a good joke, has a sharp mind and a big heart. And today anyone wanting something special will invariably contact Petersen Tegl. Peter Zumthor knows this full well, as do architect the world over.

Personal hygiene has long since been a priority and wellness already is, too. Today health is increasingly the focus of bathrooms. And you can find the corresponding products at the ISH, the world’s leading trade fair for the sanitary, heating technology and air-conditioning technology industry.

Kiril Ass is one of the sharpest and most versatile representatives of the young and vibrant Moscow architecture scene. He objects to the official urban planning policy, which seeks solace in the glittering simulation of a city.

In what was once Berliner Staatsoper’s stage sets storeroom: Frank Gehry has created the Pierre Boulez Hall, an impressive new concert hall for the Barenboim Said Academy.

In South Tyrol, Pedevilla Architekten have designed a Fire Dept. building made of concrete dyed red – it looks entrancing, especially when surrounded by snow. Which is often the case here.