A little touch of luxury every day

Cleopatra, ruler of ancient Egypt from 51–30 BC, was said to bathe in fermented asses milk to retain her famed beauty; Mary, Queen of Scots—during her imprisonment in Sheffield Castle from 1568 to 1587—preferred sweet white wine to water for her bath; and, so enamoured of bathing and baths in general was he, that Napoleon Bonaparte would spend up to two hours at a time in his, which his servants had to keep topping up with hot water to maintain the right temperature.

Although separated by centuries, these famous historical figures each knew the merits of a good bathing experience—something many of us are, ourselves, rediscovering thanks to a focus on considered bathroom design and modern technology that adds a touch of luxury to our daily routine.

“People’s bathing habits have definitely changed over the past 30 years as more of an emphasis has been placed on lifestyle balance,” says Alex Warner, Design and Marketing Manager for Atlantis. “We’re seeing a greater importance given not only to experiential features but also to accessories such as heated towel rails, which once were ‘nice to have’ and are now ‘must haves’.”

“Atlantis is well known for creating luxurious shower systems and bathroom products—which we’ve been doing since 2001—to provide clients with a singular bathing experience,” says Alex. “We have now extended our product range to include the Icona heated towel rail.”

A new product for Atlantis, both in terms of development and offering, Icona is a more design-led range with an architectural aesthetic, says Lewis Warner, General Manager.

“Icona marks a shift in direction for us, as previously we have been known for our EasyNiche recessed towel rails. Icona has been designed to be a statement piece with six finishes matched to the Foundry series of shower hardware.

“The shapes are more organic with a minimalist aesthetic and the design is deliberately pared-back, not over-complicated—simple, no frills shapes that looks good in any context.”

Lewis says Icona was two-plus years in development, with the team ensuring the proportions and styling have been really worked out, spending time on fine-tuning and getting them right.

“Icona is sold as a single rail allowing for multiple rails to be configured as per requirements and space and the concealed fixing system ensures a clean-lined aesthetic is achieved every time.”

“One of the biggest considerations with Icona was ensuring the range had an option for everyone”, says Alex. “The best way to achieve that was partly through its pared-back design but also the finishes available had to marry up with what the public is looking for.

“Chrome always matches regardless of the manufacturer but other finishes don’t always match from producer to producer, which is why we made the decision to offer Icona in the six iconic finishes found in our Foundry Series of shower hardware—matte black, gunmetal, brushed gold, brushed nickel, polished brass and aged brass.

“These finishes are all common themes you see on platforms such as ArchiPro across multiple producers, allowing homeowners to marry fixtures together to create a cohesive design scheme.”

Icona is constructed from 304 Stainless Steel and H59 Brass depending on the selected style/finish and includes a range of matching accessories in the form of a robe hook, hand towel rail and toilet roll holder.

“This is the start of things to come with Icona,” says Lewis. “We have plans to further expand the range, which is available now through plumbing retailers and is priced in the high-middle to high-end range.

“Icona carries a 10-year warranty on finish and a 5-year warranty on the 12V transformer—which powers up to five rails.”

Learn more about heated towel rails for your next bathroom project.