While visiting fairs like the Salone del Mobile is primarily about being amazed by new products and future technologies, Casa Decor has a different flavor altogether. Each year, this event—which has gained a widespread following across Europe—transforms the interiors of a different historic building in Madrid. In doing so, it explores the boundaries of interior design to offer a perspective deeply rooted in contemporary trends and needs. This year, the exhibition took over a former convent that will soon become a hotel, turning its spaces into a home that welcomed over 40,000 visitors over the course of six weeks. We went to take a closer look.

Conversations with the designers confirmed something that Domus has been reporting on in recent months: a different way of inhabiting spaces, whether private (with increasingly blurred boundaries or shrinking dimensions) or public. The concept of treating space as a place for experience and well-being—which often remained in an embryonic stage or was reserved exclusively for large collective environments—now feels like an indispensable goal, one that must be guaranteed to everyone, at any moment of the day. Space becomes an environment; it engages all the senses and places the individual firmly at the center.

In this sense, observing Kaldewei’s collaboration with the Spanish studio Isabel López Vilalta (ILV) was truly enlightening. They transformed the bathroom into an informal sanctuary that celebrates the value of the body and the skin through a masterful play of monochromatic volumes. 'Rather than designing a sequence of objects, we sought to create an atmosphere that encourages you to slow down and disconnect from the rhythm of daily life,' architect Nathiara Nunes, a partner at the studio, told us.

Awarded Best Project at Casa Decor 2026, the space conceived by ILV rejects traditional usage. In fact, the layout of the environment moves away from the classic relationship with the wall as a support, developing all of its functions right at the center of the room. This enhances the formal value of the project, which features an elliptical shape that is also mirrored on the ceiling. The integration of functions comes together seamlessly within the marble surfaces, which chromatically match the products Kaldewei created in a unique, custom-made terracotta tone achieved after numerous attempts.

Nathiara Nunes

The true highlights of the installation are Kaldewei's products, embedded in the marble like precious gems: the ultra-slim 'Silenio' built-in washbasin, the 'Superplan Zero' flush-to-floor shower tray, the 'Avellino' countertop washbasin, and, above all, a bathtub whose gentle, ergonomic shell hides more than meets the eye. This product features a control panel that does not merely regulate the flow of water, but also warms the surface of the tub itself, ensuring a pleasant sensation even before it is filled. Furthermore, the system introduces a brand-new feature for a bathtub: audio management.

The Kaldewei Sound Wave system pushes the bathing experience into an auditory dimension that completes the well-being ritual. This invisible system transforms the bathtub into a literal sounding board that plays music both above and below the water. In doing so, Kaldewei taps into the global trend of listening systems and 'listening rooms,' offering one of the boldest and most innovative responses seen on the market to date. For the company, experimenting with sound had actually begun some time ago; however, it is only today that this pioneering vision materializes to meet a need that is now shared and recognized by the public.

These advanced technologies inspired the construction of the space, following a principle of contrasts that gives the installation its name, Fuerza Suave. This principle emphasizes the dialogue between past and future, industrial product aesthetics and tailored intervention, solid blocks of color and the masterful play of marble veining. The result is a harmonious and intuitive space, despite being generated by such profound complexity. "In this project, the bathroom is understood as a place where architecture, materials, and experience converge to foster mindfulness, comfort, and a deeper connection with oneself."