Modular Customizable Bathroom Tiles
The idea of functional, plug-and-play tiles is itself not entirely new, but it is great to watch the evolution of such a design strategy through multiple multiple layers of a project, seeing how it evolves from a conceptual approach to a concrete reality.
Daniela Bekerman began with the classic white tile of familiar dimensions found within the back-splashes of many contemporary kitchen and bathroom spaces. She then began experimenting with everything from soap dishes to dish-drying racks, towel-hanging hooks and other modules that could fit within the system.
The problem, as always, is that some of these strategies rely on wall depth – a fact hidden at first glance. This requires not only more work than a typical do-it-yourself tile installation project would, but could pose problems for cleaning and retrofitting elements down the line.
Still, with all of the focus on this kind of modularity in prefab fixtures and fittings, one has to wonder why mainstream tile manufacturers have yet to capitalize on the trend – some are clearly more difficult from a technical standpoint to produce and install.
Nonetheless, many such concepts could be implemented with relative ease in existing frameworks as well as new constructions and remodels.
From Yanko Design:
“Faucet Modular tiles by designer Daniela Bekerman. In your kitchen you’ll have faucet and it’s environment, soap dish, dish rack, everything you’ve dreamed of in a kitchen and never had plugged into the wall. All of it, now modular. That’s the future, that is what’s going to happen. Everything will plug into everything else and everything will work – right? Bekerman wishes it so!”
“With these tiles, you have control over how your kitchen is designed, allowing you to keep it truly clean by taking all the bits out at any time. The faucet is able to be pulled out from the tile wall with the hose, and it’s got a silicone button for different water intensities. Soap can be filled in through a silicone hole in the wall, dispensed then below with another big button. Finally, the dish rack is made of aluminum covered silicone with an antislip cover for the dishes that can be taken out to increase the space between the dishes. Fun stuff!”
