Grohe Spa unveils ‘Aqua Sanctuary’ at Milan Design Week 2026

This year’s edition of Milan Design Week will see Grohe present a new chapter in its evolving design narrative with ‘Aqua Sanctuary’, an immersive installation exploring water as a medium for architecture, ritual and wellbeing. Staged at Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato in the heart of Brera, the installation marks a historic first for the venue, which will be transformed into a contemplative spatial experience from 22-26 April.

Grohe Spa, the luxury sub-brand of the German bathroom brand Grohe, is guided by its philosophy of “Wellbeing through Water”, reimagining the bathroom as a space of intentional design where daily rituals become moments of restoration.

Conceived as a sequence of three interconnected sanctums, the Aqua Sanctuary invites visitors to step away from the pace of the city and enter a slower, more reflective mood. Light, shadow, materiality and sound interact with flowing water to create a multisensory journey, exploring how architecture and water can converge to shape restorative spaces that cleanse, rejuvenate and relax.

‘At the Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato, we have envisioned a series of spaces that express the restorative power of water, creating exquisite moments of transcendence,’ says Paul Flowers, chief design and brand identity officer and executive vice president, Lixil Corporation (a global manufacturer of pioneering water and housing products, with Grohe as part of its strong brand portfolio since 2014). ‘The Grohe Spa Aqua Sanctuary presents the profound fusion of water and architecture, consciously shaping our living and bathing spaces, whilst elevating wellbeing.’

At the heart of the installation are collections that articulate Grohe Spa’s approach to contemporary bathroom design. The Grohe ‘Atrio Private Collection’ reimagines the bathroom as a fully customisable environment, defined by a refined palette of finishes, materials and interchangeable handle designs. Extending across the entire bathroom, the collection allows for a cohesive visual language, while maintaining a distinctive aesthetic rooted in the purity of the circle. As part of the Grohe Spa portfolio, it positions water as the centrepiece of a personalised daily ritual – an expression of luxury shaped through detail, craftsmanship and individual preference.

Complementing this is the Grohe ‘Grohtherm Aqua Tiles’, a concealed thermostat system designed to deliver a precisely tailored shower experience. Its minimalist interface, defined by recessed metal controls, enables users to orchestrate multiple water functions with clarity and ease, from overhead showers to body sprays. Integrated with modular ceiling elements and a range of spray patterns, the system transforms the everyday shower into a relaxing, spa-like environment.

Together, these collections reflect Grohe Spa’s broader vision: a holistic approach to bathroom design that merges advanced technology with material refinement and spatial thinking. Rather than focusing on individual products alone, the ‘Aqua Sanctuary’ presents an integrated ecosystem of finishes, forms and experiences, demonstrating how water can shape environments that are as emotionally resonant as they are functional.

On show from 22-26 April 2026 at Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato, Milan, the Grohe Spa ‘Aqua Sanctuary’ offers a moment of pause within the intensity of Milan Design Week – an invitation to reconsider water not simply as a resource but as a transformative element in contemporary living.

www.grohe.com