Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard's Design Continuum Pushes Multisensory Bathroom Design

During Milan Design Week 2026, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard presented Design Continuum, an exhibition at Foro Buonaparte 70 that reframes bathroom design as a multisensory experience rather than a purely visual or functional one. Sven Ullrich, executive vice president of product and marketing at Villeroy & Boch Group, stated that design "has to touch more than one sense." Created with design agency Elastique, the exhibition comprised five interconnected rooms blending projection, sound, texture, and scent. Visitors encountered a 3D-printed washbasin made from recycled ceramic paired with a sand-releasing silo that triggered projection mapping of material transformation. Rotatable ribbed basins altered projected colors and patterns. Purpose-built soundscapes defined each space, while fragranced environments and textured ceramic surfaces heightened perception. Ullrich emphasized moving away from fixed viewpoints toward fluid spatial understanding shaped by movement and interaction. The exhibition ran from April 21 to 26, 2026, and explored ceramics as a foundational material within broader spatial compositions, suggesting a shift in bathroom design toward felt, experiential environments.