Bathrooms Washrooms

Don’t be afraid to go bold in your bathroom designs

Rob Holroyd is contracts manager at Easy Bathrooms The perfect bathroom varies so much from person to person, meaning that when choosing products for new build schemes, designers often opt for pared back designs. And there’s nothing wrong with that; a simple, functional look is a safe bet to appeal to the majority of people.

But there are scenarios where daring to go bold can pay off.

Buyers are increasingly becoming interested in interior design, which is often why show homes are the first units in a new build scheme to be reserved – people want the ‘interior designed’ look.

With unlimited access to Instagram and Pinterest, society is more attuned to the world of interior design than ever before – and it is important that housebuilders are harnessing this interest.

When working on developments where the prospective buyer is easy to ‘profile’, developers are able to home in on the trends that they are demanding. For example, at the very top end of the market, with stately-style properties, the buyers are often families who are looking for the perfect luxury home. In this instance, specifiers are able to make choices that appeal to a high-end, grand style, such as a copper freestanding bath with marble covered walls and floors.

On the other hand, if developers are building country-style homes, they are able to tap into timeless designs that have been seen in English homes for many years, such as herringbone floors. This can be incorporated into the bathroom in a modern way with the installation of letterbox tiles in a herringbone format.

On the other hand, Scottish residents often opt for Nordic styles, embracing the concept of ‘hygge’, pastel tones and clean lines, meaning that rustic, wood-effect plank tiles could be a good option.

When profiling buyers in such a way, it is important to speak to them about their likes, dislikes and overall style, and transform it into a scheme that is going to work for them, their families and their everyday lives.

As we begin the new year, and the challenges that face us ahead, we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our policy of stockholding and how it is even more relevant today.

“‘These are challenging times for all businesses, and the last thing we need to make our projects even more stressful is a delayed chain of supply,” says Managing Director, JIS Europe, Richard Thelwell. “We are able to maintain the chain of supply quite simply due to our longstanding policy of stockholding providing further financial stability to ourselves but as importantly to our customers.”

Furthermore the Sussex Range is manufactured from 100% stainless steel including our recently introduced Black Edition of powder coated rails.

“More and more people are coming round to the durability and sustainability of stainless steel, particularly after the year we have just had, we all need to be aware of our environmental and social impact.”

“On a practical note our customers don’t want to go to the expense and disruption of fitting out their bathroom to 2 years down the line find that an inferior mild steel rail rusts, leaks and they then need a complete re-tile when the replacement isn’t dimensionally identical to the original.” Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, and manufactured from over 90% recyclable material. It does not rust, flake or corrode. It is the sustainable, durable choice.

We source our rails ethically and take our social responsibility seriously, from our sourcing to our manufacture to our charity initiatives.

We offer 3 formats of rail throughout the range: Electric, dual fuel and central heating only and we offer both a polished and satin finish as well as the Black Edition Range.

“The cornerstones of our business are quite simply quality, stock holding and ultimately customer service. The three work hand in hand.”

“Wishing you all health and good will in 2021”

Should you require further details please visit our website www.sussexrange.co.uk or contact us on 01825 722988 and info@jiseurope.co.uk

Hinged shower door with in-line panel and frosted hinged toilet door with chrome fittings. Solid surface illuminated basin unit with inset concrete effect panel and integrated mirror column.

Roman has been designing and manufacturing showering solutions for over 35 years, and is home to the UK’s largest manufacturing plant. All Roman products are designed and created in Britain, offering the ultimate in quality, precision and craftsmanship

▪ UK Manufacturer

▪ Dedicated In-House Design Team ▪ Supplier to Major International Hotel Groups ▪ Bespoke Product Capability ▪ Experienced in Large Project Work ▪ Solid Surface Fabrication

▪ Products Exceed all Compliance Standards ▪ Global Manufacturer to over 60 International Markets

▪ Promotes Sustainability and Circular Economy

For more information please visit our website: www.roman-showers.com

NEXT GENERATION MIRROR PROVIDES HEALTHY ECO-FRIENDLY OPTION

A lead and solvent-free mirror, demonstrating huge health benefits and environmentally friendly credentials to eco-conscious customers has been launched by Saint-Gobain Glass.

MIRALITE PURE is made from 30% recycled glass and uses water-based rather than chemical solvents in its manufacture.

Saint-Gobain removed lead from its mirrors more than 10 years ago and the next step has been to remove the solvent used in the silver protection paint. This has now been achieved with MIRALITE PURE and the solvent has been replaced by a water-based paint, which is a real technical achievement due to the complexity of the process involved.

This advancement helps to improve indoor air quality when in the end application as it avoids the release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and formaldehydes into the atmosphere, which can cause eye irritation, respiratory problems, and other health issues.

The healthy and environmentally friendly mirror reflects high levels of light and is extremely versatile and durable for a wide range of interior design projects.

MIRALITE PURE is ideal for use in residential properties such as in bathrooms and hallways, as well as in commercial premises including hotels, restaurants, offices, retail and sports facilities. It can be framed or unframed, or simply used as a decorative feature to line a wall or add to furniture such as tabletops, doors and other surfaces. Its black coated backing also means it is perfect for creating backlighting effects such as use with LED lights. It can be easily cut to many different shapes and sizes and does not flake or chip when drilled, bevelled or cut. For added design flexibility it can be customised with a logo, a sandblasted design or engraved.

Jenni Young, Market Manager - Premium Residential and Design & Deco said: “MIRALITE PURE is another example of Saint-Gobain going above and beyond the minimum requirements of legislation and industry standards and putting the health of consumers and environmental protection first. This philosophy results in next-generation products that are future-proofed and anticipate the needs of health and environmentally aware designers and their customers.”

MIRALITE PURE is the latest addition to the Saint-Gobain range which also includes MIRALITE VERSAILLES (clear) and three colour choices (grey, bronze and clear) in the MIRALITE ANTIQUE range of vintage decorative interior mirrors, which have been designed to have the appearance of aged mirrors whilst being produced to the latest quality, manufacturing and environmental standards.

For more information visit https://uk.saintgobain-building-glass.com/en-gb/hub/ products-applications/mirrors.

Follow Saint-Gobain Glass UK and Ireland on LinkedIn or Twitter @SG_GlassExperts. •23•

WAFVirtual 2020:

• GROHE, Founding Partner of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), sponsors £10,000 prize money for the research prize • Researchers from the University of Patras, Greece, win this year’s prize for their project that explores how rainwater can be used to help cool facades of buildings in hot cities • Patrick Speck, Leader LIXIL Global Design, EMENA, presented the award

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ROHE, a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, and Founder sponsor of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), is proud to present the winner of the Water Research Prize 2020. The Water Research Prize is funded by GROHE and is part of the World Architecture Festival annual awards programme.

Researchers from the University of Patras, Greece, have won this year’s £10,000 research prize to investigate how rainwater can be used to help cool facades of buildings in hot cities. The winners were announced as part of the WAFVirtual programme, which took place online last week. The winning project is a suspended modular lightweight front system for evaporative cooling with harvested rainwater. The structure which can be retrofitted to existing building facades will now be developed with respective consultants. Rainwater will be collected in a roof-tank and used within the system which will spray some of it onto the building, while retaining as much water as possible. During the winter season the water is harvested in insulated tanks so that in the summer months the water can be used for multiple cooling purposes. The harvested water is then filtered and distributed to different building facilities including cooling systems, sprinklers, plants or even ponds supplied through a pump that is powered by solar panels.

Researchers from Greece win the GROHE Water Research Prize

Researchers Katherine A. Liapi and Kyra Papanikolau from the University of Patras say the new structure, which will serve as a prototype, ‘will combine art, technology, architecture, and mathematics’. In the future, it will be able to include planting to further support cooling strategies.

“What I like most about the winning entry is that it uses a clever blend of environmental and product design, and at its heart it promotes sustainability in dense urban environments”, says Patrick Speck, Leader LIXIL Global Design, EMENA and who makes up part of the judging panel.

Paul Finch, WAF Programme Director and member of the judging panel for the Water Research Prize adds, “We decided as a jury that this project was a worthy winner because it exploits the scarce resource of water in a creative way and promotes sustainability via a visually impressive facade.”

About WAF and the Water Research Prize

2018 marked WAF’s tenth anniversary with a manifesto identifying key challenges which architects will need to address over the next ten years. They highlighted ten issues: Climate, Energy and Carbon; Water; Ageing and Health; Re-use; Smart City Technology; Building Technology; Cultural Identity; Ethics and Values; Power and Justice; as well as Virtual World.

GROHE took over the sponsorship for the water category of the WAF Research Awards. Architects and other consultants or institutions will be able to compete for £10,000 of funding to help explore issues raised in the WAFX Manifesto in respect of water.

Pictured: Diagrams of the winning project show how the system will work efficiently all year round