Designer bathrooms on the rise

IF YOU have been spending a long time in the bathroom of late, it isn’t always a case of nature calling. Especially if your humble loo is decked out with branded basins and customised faucets, or smart toilet bowls and home spa equipment. In fact, bathrooms are the new designer kitchen as more homeowners splash out thousands to do up the smallest rooms in the house.

In Friday’s edition of BT Lifestyle, we put the spotlight on bathroom trends as more luxury sanitary-ware brands set up shop in Singapore with fancy showrooms that appeal directly to homeowners themselves, instead of architects and designers. With more people taking an active interest in customising their own personal oases, the competition is heating up among leading manufacturers as they compete for market share while giving new meaning to bath time.

In Arts, get a close-up look at the Prix Pictet, a prestigious 10-year-old global photography prize that makes its debut in Singapore with an exhibition focusing on the impact of politics and the environment on human lives. For moviegoers, check out the enigmatic police procedural drama Only The River Flows from China, which makes its debut in Singapore after its success on the festival circuit.

In Dining Out, get a taste of old-school Korean favourites such as naengmyeon cold noodles and BBQ at D’Rim, which brings some K-drama vibe to Orchard Road at the upscale Mandarin Gallery. Read all this and more in Friday’s issue of BT.