Meet The Designer: Fernando Maceda, Product Design Manager, Acquabella

February 17, 2021

As part of our new series with today’s bathroom designers, we talk to Fernando Maceda, Product Design Manager for Acquabella, to find out his thoughts on bathroom design, lockdown, and what motivates him when he embarks on new design projects.

BR: What motivates you in your professional life?

FM: My motivation is to create new products to make peoples’ lives easier: functional solutions that make your day-to-day life more comfortable. Furthermore, I am motivated by creating pieces that transmit emotions and the capacity to generate unique experiences through textures, shapes and colours.

BR: Where do get your inspiration from when embarking on a new design?

FM: Inspiration is often found in everyday things such as social life, nature and also areas which are not related to the bathroom market. For example, I am particularly attracted to sports cars, whose designs are characterised by elegant lines and attention to detail.

BR: What do you enjoy most about being a designer?

FM: The capacity to influence peoples’ lives in a positive way.

BR: What is the one thing we will never find in your house or garden?

FM: Boredom! I have 2 young children and there are always games to play.

BR: What has been the worst thing about lockdown?

FM: Lockdown has been challenging, both professionally and personally. For me, it has been especially difficult not being able to see my closest family.

BR: What take-aways will bring with you when life returns to normal?

FM: I believe that I will give much more value to the little things that matter, and also to enjoy the present to the full because you don’t know when it might change.

BR: When we can travel again, where will you go first?

FM: To the places where we have wanted to go and we couldn’t since the beginning of the pandemic. I think the most important thing is not where, but the possibility of being able to travel again. That would be a great experience.

BR: Can you tell us about any projects you are working on at the moment?

FM: We are constantly creating and developing new ideas. We are currently fully focused on different projects that involve expandiing the Acquawhite collection – launched in 2020 and manufactured with our new material Dolotek-, as well as enriching the range of products manufactured with Akron – customisable in colour, texture and size. Currently, there is one I am particularly excited about, a design that brings us back to the origins of Acquabella. Watch this space!

BR: How has the pandemic changed design?

FM: Design must go hand-in-hand with our lifestyle. If these conditions change, the design has to provide solutions. Bathrooms are possibly spaces that have undergone the greatest changes. In these times when safety has become a priority, we want the bathroom to be as aseptic as possible, especially when it comes to bathrooms with higher transit of people. In the private sphere, the bathroom is the centre of well-being at home, becoming our refuge after everyday life.

BR: What design trends can we expect to see next?

FM: Design trends for 2021 are very much in line with those seen in the previous year. Nevertheless, I believe we are entering a period of renovation and change; people have spent a long time in their homes and they want to feel as good as possible.

Recently, Pantone presented the Colour of the Year 2021: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow. Whether you like them or not, the important thing is the idea they convey: a message of strength and hopefulness after a year marked by the Covid-19 health crisis. So that, I think we will see neutral, bright and warm colours that combine with each other while generating optimism, calm and relaxation.

In terms of product design, users generally require more and more simplicity of use, safety, quality, durability and sustainability. With regards to materials, we notice how the organic and natural look continues to dominate in interior design: fabrics, wood and stone. We will also see combinations of textures and materials like terrazzo and granite, or luxury materials such as marble and calacatta, all of them with a high level of detail.

Acquabella

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Entering through their own front door, guests will be welcomed with a hamper from Fortnum & Mason and greeted for check-in by the hotel team, who are available around the clock for the duration of their stay.

From there, they can relax in the drawing-room or a basement den featuring original log burners, oversized sunken sofas and Bang & Olufsen TVs, while a 10-seater dining room offers space for entertaining family and friends. Completing the 2nd and 3rd floors – which afford views across the capital’s rooftops – are two double bedrooms with en-suites boasting roll-top copper baths and toiletries from London perfumery Floris.

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GROHE-Rainshower-SmartActive-hand-shower-colours-collection

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With a flexibly adjustable glider, GROHE’s practical QuickFix system which allows the upper and lower wall brackets to be adjusted to existing drill holes, and GROHE’s TileFix technology which sees tile levelling discs become a thing of the past, install time can be significantly reduced for installers.

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The home improvement retail giant currently has 151 stores and 15 standalone Bathstore stores employing over 5,600 people cross the UK and Ireland.

In Walton-on-Thames, the existing Bathstore showroom on New Zealand Avenue is set to be refreshed to include Kitchens by Homebase, after what the company says was a successful launch in Guildford earlier this year, combining inspiration and expert advice for those looking to make changes to their kitchens and bathrooms.

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To finish the look, Roca’s Escuadra basin mixer taps are the ideal partner – either the smooth body extended basin mixer or the wall-mounted three hole basin mixer. The Ruy Ohtake by Roca collection, has already been awarded two major international awards: a respected International Design Award (IDA) and a Red Dot Award ‘best of the best’, the highest recognition of the prestigious German award. -ends-

This unique range was developed with organic lines and a timeless design, with inspiration taken from the elements of nature – the shape of the waves, the horizon line and the purest form of design, the egg. The result: a beautifully sculpted exclusive collection of basins, to transform any bathroom into an elegantly completed space. As Ruy Ohtake concludes “The beautiful challenge is to make the dialogue between geometry and nature, with its irreverent curves…”

For more information visit www.uk.roca.com.

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“Following a period of successive months of growth where output had been gradually picking up, today’s figures are hugely concerning. Output was 3.5% below pre-coronavirus levels in December compared to November.

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Bringing together the joy of bathing with the delights of music and sound was an obvious choice for Kaldewei. SOUND WAVE is the ultimate combination of relaxing spa and unique sound experience – above and below the water.

SOUND WAVE isn’t only a winner with spa lovers. Professionals like sound engineer Bryan Gallant from The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada, are big fans of this Kaldewei innovation.

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Kaldewei soundwave — The Warehouse Studio

A sustainable steel enamel Kaldewei bathtub fitted with SOUND WAVE recently took up residence at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. Opened by Bryan Adams in 1997, The Warehouse Studio consists of four studios of varying sizes and fit-out, housed in a historic building in the west coast metropolis. Rock greats have been regular visitors here for years: REM, Nickelback, Billy Joel, Muse, Metallica and AC/DC have all recorded tracks or entire albums at The Warehouse Studio. Bryan Adams himself has also made most of his recordings here.

After finishing work, the musicians can now enjoy the special mix of sound and relaxation and literally immerse themselves in their new songs – like in a symphony in enamel.

“Unfortunately a whole band can’t fit into the bathtub, but we’re talking with Kaldewei about designing one!” says studio manager Bryan Gallant with a twinkle in his eye. Bryan Adams has had a close connection with Kaldewei for some time: in 2020 the Canadian rock musician and photographer was asked by Kaldewei to present the subject of hand hygiene in pictures. With “Naturally Connected” he created an emotional visual rendering of connectedness in turbulent times.

How it works

Six acoustic panels and two transducers are attached to the outside of the bathtub; these remain entirely invisible behind the panelling. The chosen digital device then works as a remote control which is automatically recognised after the first sign-in. Up to eight devices and individuals – a biggish family, for example, or an entire band – can be pairedwith SOUND WAVE at the same time.

Kaldewei warehouse studio — Kaldewei The Warehouse Studio

More info about Sound Wave here:

About The Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio is housed in a historic building in Vancouver. It was built in 1886 as a supply warehouse and wholesale grocery. After the great fire that devastated Vancouver that same year, it was subsequently used as a town hall, prison and morgue. Saved in 1988 from the wrecking ball and a future as a car park, the Oppenheimer building was restored and reborn as The Warehouse Studio in 1997.

About KALDEWEI
KALDEWEI is a German family-run business that has now been devoted to its material, steel enamel, for over 100 years and four generations. The portfolio takes in bathtubs, shower surfaces and washbasins, as well as installation systems for project business and private clients. These superb bathroom solutions made of superior KALDEWEI steel enamel can be 100 per cent recycled when they come to the end of their long useful life.

The premium manufacturer is thus making a major contribution to eco-friendly building. KALDEWEI is also a long-term partner of the WWF marine conservation programme that is devoted to reducing plastic waste in our oceans. Because it takes its responsibility to the environment and future generations seriously.

Published by Diane Larner

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David Barber, managing director of Ideal Standard UK said: “This scheme is the first of its kind within the industry. It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity to lead the way in investing in young talent and apprentices as they begin their careers in the plumbing and heating industry. I hope that other organisations will see the benefits of the scheme and get involved in supporting our future plumbers. For employers who are concerned about any managerial obligations this may bring, the Ideal Standard team will provide support throughout.”

Kevin Wellman, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering added: “This initiative comes at a time when plumbing apprenticeships have been hit by the global pandemic and we were already faced with a skills shortage in the industry. Members of the CIPHE are in prime position to provide the necessary opportunities for new apprentices and, in turn, benefit from a level of support from the CIPHE and a major industry manufacturer that they could only usually dream of.“

For further information about Ideal Standard, visit www.idealstandard.co.uk. For more information about CIPHE or the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, visit www.ciphe.org.uk/ or www.bathroom-association.org.uk.

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This month we talk to Tom Reynold – Chief Executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association – to understand why the BMA has joined forces with FIESTA and what this means for the younger generation.

Recruiting and retaining the next generation of talent in the bathroom sector is a challenge which is being faced head-on.

For years, concerns have been raised about a skills shortage in the sector, particularly at the higher end of the market.

As the economic fall out of the coronavirus deepens, we know the younger generation is being hardest hit by the rise in unemployment, and there are opportunities for us to support them and attract the diverse and skilled talent we need to sustain our sector.

The Bathroom Manufacturers Association joined the Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills and Training Alliance (FIESTA) six months ago to address these issues.

As a Kickstart Gateway body, FIESTA enables businesses of all shapes and sizes from across the interiors industry to join forces, using Government schemes to tackle the education and training issues together.

At BMA, our members are working with FIESTA’s Skills Plus Approved Training Agency (ATA) – a service to assist with the management of apprenticeships to create new, fully-funded job placements. These are exclusively for 16-24-year-olds at risk of long-term unemployment.

BMA member, Ideal Standard is already capitalising on the opportunity, with four young people starting their new roles in the first wave of the Kickstart programme.

With more support and guidance for businesses, we can increase the number of apprentices across the bathroom sector, and I would encourage everyone to commit to this. We need sector buy-in to make an impact.

The theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, “Build the Future” encourages everyone to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge for a rewarding career. The onus is on employers to play their part, building a workforce with future-ready skills. At BMA we know working with FIESTA is the best way to do this, inspiring a new generation of bathroom sector employees, and solving the skills gap in our sector.

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