Kohler Bold Talk 2.0: Design for Well Being

KOHLER, the global lifestyle brand, hosted its first-ever virtual Kohler Bold Talks, leveraging technology to connect with industry experts from across borders. Focusing on the current scenario, Kohler themed the talk around on "Design for Wellbeing" post-Covid-19.   

Highlighting the success of the event Salil Sadanandan, President, Kitchen, and Bath Kohler Brand K&B South Asia, Middle East & SSA said, “In these times it is so important to seek inspiration from outside especially from people who are blessed with creative vision. Keeping this in mind Kohler collaborated with experts across borders and conducted our first-ever virtual Kohler Bold Talks this Friday evening. Our featured panelists were Mark Hayes from New York and Clint Nagata from Bangkok who shared their perspective on 'Design for Wellbeing', in the post COVID world. Moderated by our team’s Annie Sim from Singapore, it was an insightful and stimulating chat.” 

Kohler hosted the two industry experts Clint Nagata, founder and Co-CEO of Bling with Mark Hayes, Principal at Stonehill Taylor to conduct a dialogue about well-being in hospitality design on projects today, and how will this concept change in the coming days. The panel spoke extensively about the importance of fundamental health in Hotels, Corporate spaces, luxury resorts where the idea of well being no more revolves around in-house gyms or yoga studios.

Mark Hayes highlighted that the basic things that contribute to well-being in hospitality environments will not change and stated, “Wellbeing is about creating places where people can contemplate life, rest and walk into a relaxation zone. We believe in designing spaces that is about self-actualization, the guests can develop their best self through how the owners and operators provide well-being.”

The speakers dwelled upon how consumers today are strongly looking at health fundamentals from the perspective of keeping surfaces clean and sanitized. Further on, the panel touched upon several technological advancements in the design industry amidst the outbreak such as RFID technology, hands-free guestroom access, and hands-free fixtures in bathroom in public areas.

Clint Nagata shared his opinion on the current situation and how it’s going impact and inspire design – “This crisis has allowed us to refocus our approach towards all sorts of things. Especially wellness centers and the importance of finding peace and calm within your spaces. When it comes to wellness centers, we think of resorts and places by the beach, close to nature, but it's more important to create the sense of wellness in the city environment as well.” 

The Kohler Bold Talk live concluded with a key takeaway from both Clint and Mark that we’re currently part of an ecosystem that is evolving every day and it is extremely critical to understand how global trends are impacting every facet of the industry, be it décor, food, lifestyle, travel or hospitality.   

KOHLER Bold Talks is a platform to foster discussion and exchange of ideas that propagate an evolution of trends across industries.