Diane, Author at Bathroom Review

First ever KBB Installation Awards coming to London in February 2022

November 8, 2021

The BiKBBI Awards 2022 will shine a spotlight on excellence in the KBB installation industry, recognising and celebrating companies and individuals who have excelled, prospered, and gone above and beyond the call of duty over the past 12 months, and is now open for entries.

The programme comprises nine categories and, to be considered, entrants will need to complete a simple nomination form available via the BIKBBI website. The worthy winners will be announced at a glittering black tie dinner and ceremony on Tuesday 1 February 2022 at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London.

The categories include: Young Installer of the Year sponsored by VitrA, Community Champion of the Year sponsored by Trend Bedrooms, Installation Business of the Year sponsored by Hafele, Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Showerwall, Independent Retailer of the Year sponsored by Malmo, National Retailer of the Year sponsored by Anthill, Customer Service Champion of the Year sponsored by AO, Installer of the Year sponsored by ROCA and Installation Manager of the Year sponsored by Image-On Workwear.

BiKBBI Chief Executive Officer, Damian Walters, commented: ‘It’s long been an ambition of the institute to introduce an awards programme dedicated to KBB installation, recognising the significant role we play within the wider industry, and rewarding the hard work and dedication of both businesses and individuals. We want to hear from businesses big and small, we want to know about the promising apprentices and trainees that have entered the industry; tell us about your hardworking colleagues and the great community initiatives you’ve been involved with. Perhaps you are really proud of the customer service you deliver or want to shout about the great retailers you work with? This awards programme is to celebrate the KBB installation industry and we anticipate a great response to this call to action.’

To learn more about the BiKBBI Awards 2022, to start your awards submission and to purchase tickets to the Awards Ceremony and Dinner on Tuesday 1 February 2022, simply visit https://www.bikbbi.org.uk/events/bikbbi-annual-awards-2022/.

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Join Roca and Laufen at HIX

November 5, 2021

LAUFEN is returning for the inaugural HIX event at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London from 18. – 19. November 2021, and is acknowledging ten years of Global Projects at LAUFEN.

According to Laufen, over the last 10 years the team, led by Ilker Hussein, Global Projects Corporate Director ROCA Group have nurtured a vision to create a dialogue for initiatives throughout the organisation. A supportive network of over 120 Global Project Managers facilitates the network of interested parties into a cohesive group for the delivery of hotel projects.

Recent wins include the Sofitel Mexico City, Swissotel Doha and the iconic Katara Lusail Towers in Doha, featuring the iconic Raffles and Fairmont Hotels, all of which are from within the Accor Group.

Accor’s Global Vice-President Design Luxury & Premium Brands, Federico Toresi comments “The strength of LAUFEN is their understanding of our project needs, from a commercial angle as well as from a guest experience perspective, which is always our priority. Their knowledge means we can find solutions for every project. There are viable alternatives out there, but few can provide the service and vision that LAUFEN gives us.”

LAUFEN can be found in the prominent position near to the main entrance alongside the ROCA booth, where visitors will be able to meet members of the LAUFEN global projects team and see products from Kartell by Laufen, Sonar and Ino.

The stand backdrop will be of the recent Kartell by Laufen creative campaign devised by Hugo Comte more widely known for his fashion photography. In keeping with his usual style, he has produced dynamic shots, where young models, seem to be playing with the ceramic and plastic components of the collection, almost wearing them or transforming them into accessories that break through the boundaries of the bathroom.

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Plumbing manufacturer drives up the sustainability change with sales fleet

November 4, 2021

Heating and plumbing product manufacturer Intatec has changed its fleet of sales vehicles to hybrid as part of its sustainability plans for the future.

Intatec, based in Hixon, Staffordshire, decided to change over a dozen of its vehicles from diesel to hybrid as part of its commitments to the environment and the future.

The company, which has been running since 2002 and specialises in manufacturing anti-scald bathroom products and is a major supplier to the heating and plumbing industries, made the switch to the vehicles, which are more efficient to run and emit less greenhouse gasses, this autumn.

The move by the company comes from their plan to move towards being more carbon neutral, and also follows on from achieving their ISO 14001, an environmental management system, which it renewed two years ago, and their drive to create products which achieve the Water Efficiency Programme (WEP) standard.

Managing Director, Stuart Gizzi, said: “It was important for us to look at all parts of the business, and we wanted to ensure that our sales team, who can cover many miles in a week, were using vehicles which weren’t only efficient but would also be practical.

“We decided to go for the hybrid option rather than fully electric as we don’t believe there currently is a good enough charging infrastructure in the UK yet, so it wouldn’t be feasible, particularly for our colleagues covering some of the remote areas.

“I am on my second hybrid car now, both the same model and I can see how much improvement in range and economy there has been between the two in just that short time,

“ While electric power technology and particularly its charging infrastructure still has a long way to go still, the hybrid option is the one that best suits us and is in line with our company’s green plans for the future.

“Any business that has a sales force out on the road needs to look at its whole operation to minimise environmental impact, incorporating if it can use only electric or hybrid vehicles, but also hybrid meetings to meet the needs of its customers. We all need to adapt the way we work and people may discover, as we have, that the environmentally friendly option has also made a positive impact on personal taxation without compromising on a luxury company car. “

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New colours for Roca’s Tempo collection

November 4, 2021

Offering both free-standing and wall-mounted options, Roca’s Tempo collection is now available in four on-trend finishes – Rose Gold, Titanium Black, Brushed Titanium Black and Chrome.

In modern bathrooms, accessories can be much more than just a functional element, they can deliver stylish detail and innovative design. This is especially true if you opt for coloured pieces, with both black and rose gold offering particularly striking design options.

Black Magic

If you’re looking for ways to add style and sophistication to your bathroom, black bathroom accessories are a great way to achieve this. Bolder fixtures can enhance all types of bathroom designs; from industrial style to minimalistic bathroom aesthetics.

Distinguished and quintessentially modern, the Tempo accessory range in Roca’s Titanium Black and Brushed Titanium Black elevate and transform details of the bathroom that wouldn’t ordinarily get a second look. Now accessories such as soap dishes, shelves, hooks and towel rails are eye-catching design pieces in their own right.

Subtle luxury

The new Rose Gold coloured Tempo accessories bring a touch of luxury and elegance to the bathroom, offering the perfect finishing touch for adding subtle glamour. Giving plenty of scope for creative bathroom design schemes – Rose Gold pairs well with cool pastels, earthy tones and rich, saturated colours such as deep teal or navy blue.

Maximum resistance and minimalistic design

The Tempo modern bathroom accessories collection is minimalistic by design, but with maximum resistance to wear and tear, thanks to the resistance of an anticorrosive plating. The new black and rose gold finishes bring greater visual impact to white basins or be bold and pair with Roca’s range of Fineceramic® sanitaryware in colours such as Onyx, Pearl or Beige. The accessories are also the perfect complement to minimalist brassware, such as the Insignia tap.

The full accessory range

Roca’s Tempo accessory collection brings a full range of useful additions to the bathroom space including robe hooks, soap dishes, toothbrush and tumbler holders, towel rails and racks, toilet roll holders and toilet brush holders. Tempo’s single towel rails are available in three lengths- 300mm, 450mm and 600mm and there is also the option for a double version in the 400mm as well. All products are available in the original Chrome, as well as the new colours – Rose Gold, Brushed Titanium Black and Titanium Black.

For more information visit https://www.uk.roca.com/products/accessories/tempo

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Five questions Duravit put to Bertrand Lejoly

November 2, 2021

Bertrand Lejoly was born in 1980; he grew up in the German-speaking part of Belgium, where he absorbed Belgian, German, and French culture from an early age.

On completing his studies at the École supérieure des arts Saint-Luc in Liège, he gained his first professional experience as an industrial designer in Germany. Relocating to Milan, he worked for Matteo Thun as a senior designer for seven years; he returned to Belgium in 2013 and became head of the design department for the architect Vincent Van Duysen.

In 2018 Bertrand Lejoly opened his own design studio in Antwerp, using his intimate understanding of architecture and interior design to create holistic interiors: from furniture through lighting, crockery and accessories up to the new DNeo complete bathroom range for Duravit.

Interview with Bertrand Lejoly

What does the bathroom mean to you personally?

In the bathroom it’s all about expressing your own personality and creating a cosy atmosphere where you
feel good: on the one hand I want to relax in peace after a strenuous day at work and on the other it’s important for me to start the day refreshed early in the morning. For that reason, these two moods need to be skillfully blended in the bathroom and that was my aim with D-Neo.

What was Duravit’s brief?

Duravit’s brief was ambitious. The collection had to be varied and above all timeless. It shouldn’t be overly polarizing, but it had to be smart and thoughtfully designed while also appealing to a broad target group. That’s the toughest brief you can be given – and at the same time, the most challenging. Whether D-Neo really is timeless will only be seen in the fullness of time and will ultimately be decided by the market itself. That’s what makes my job so exciting.

What’s your personal highlight in the D-Neo series?

My favourite piece from the collection is the washbasin – the central element in the bathroom, which is why it was also the starting point for the creative design process. The subtle, all-round rim is like a frame that’s not only functional, but also the aesthetic touchstone for the series as a whole. At the same time, each item has its own unique expressive power.

What are your most important sources of inspiration?

Anything to do with architecture, art, and fashion has a huge influence on me. At the same time, some of my ideas are also inspired by everyday items.

How would you characterize D-Neo in two sentences?

D-Neo is like a partner you live with and who gives you plenty of room to explore your own personality. The objects form the kind of basis that affords you a whole range of options for adapting the bathroom furnishings to suit your own individual requirements and ideas.

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What to do if you want to start talking about your bathroom products to the media, customers & the world in general?

November 2, 2021

Talk to a storytelling agency for advice on what to do with the words, images and videos…

Often half the battle, when a bathroom company wants to create a full, interesting content programme, is the question, “What is interesting content? I love my company and what we do but how and where do I get others to love it too??”

This is where the services of an “outside” person, friend or agency may prove valuable. We all know that when you are too close, you cannot see the wood for the trees. It’s something we have all experienced professionally, socially and personally probably!

As an agency, we often hear our clients say, “No, nothing’s happened this month; nothing exciting to say!” Then we chat, and find out they have just worked on a famous building project, designed and installed an amazing bathroom, appointed three new key people, launched a website, won an award, made a video – you get the idea!

It is the job of a PR or marketing agency – or department or individual – to unearth great stories, produce them, and then decide where to put them.

It is the love of creating product pieces, case studies, news, video scripts, articles, features, podcasts, videos, photographs, thought-leadership papers – and more – that makes the difference! This great content is designed to suit all of today’s communication channels.

We know all the relevant journalists and then we talk to them which results in fabulous coverage for our clients. Of course, this stuff is also fab for your website and social media channels.

So why not chew the cud with someone else, or a friend, and see how you can make your stories come to life?

If you need any help with your marketing or would just like to find out more about Taylor Alden, please visit tayloralden.co.uk and email alison@tayloralden.co.uk

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UK’s tallest Premier Inn officially tops out

November 2, 2021

London-based property developer, Rockwell, together with Whitbread, has celebrated a landmark moment as the UK’s tallest Premier Inn hotel officially topped out.

Located adjacent to Westferry DLR station, the £151m project, comprising a 400-bedroom hotel and 68 new homes, will now mark Westferry as a destination in its own right, rejuvenating a formerly derelict site into a high-quality mixed-use scheme.

Designed by architects, Simpson Haugh, and constructed by John Sisk & Son, the 30-storey mixed-use scheme, which is set for completion in Q3 2022, will also include a restaurant, café, gym facilities and landscaped pocket park, alongside communal gardens for new residents.

The creation of new jobs has been fundamental throughout; in the early stages of the development, Rockwell partnered with the London Training Centre to deliver hospitality skills training and qualifications to residents of Tower Hamlets. Rockwell’s first 30 graduates, all women from the Westferry area, have now found employment having completed an intensive two-month training programme and gaining Level 2 qualifications in a range of different skillsets.

Upon completion, the development will create many morehotel and hospitality job opportunities for individuals living in Tower Hamlets and many more graduates from developer Rockwell’s Hospitality Skills Programme.

Despite initial setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the construction of this development has continued on schedule whilst being respectful of the UK Government’s guidance and social distancing measures.

Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell commented: “This is a pivotal moment for the development and for Rockwell. I am immensely proud of the entire project team who have come together to deliver this outstanding development on time despite difficulties faced through multiple lockdowns.

“As we near completion, our Hospitality Skills Programme will also enable local residents to gain the necessary skills and qualifications required to provide them with the best possible chance of securing employment through opportunities being created at Westferry. Delivering significant employment opportunities is a vital part of the positive legacy the development will leave on the area, especially as we move into post-pandemic economic recovery.”

Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager, for Whitbread said: “For my generation skyline views were reserved for boutique and top-end hotels. We’re changing that at Westferry with a 28-storey Premier Inn that will offer our customers panoramic views over London at an affordable price as well as immediate access to one of London’s top business and leisure destinations. The hotel is a landmark development for Whitbread and we’re looking forward to fitting out the building with our latest format rooms and delivering long-term economic benefits to Westferry.”

At 400 bedrooms, Premier Inn Westferry will be the largest Premier Inn hotel in Greater London (excluding airport sites) and will feature 80 of Premier Inn’s enhanced Premier Plus bedrooms.

John Sisk & Son is the contractor for the development which is scheduled for completion in mid 2022.

Paul Brown, COO for the UK and Civils, and recently appointed CEO designate, said: “This is a key milestone in the project’s delivery, and it’s a credit to the whole project team who have overcome the challenges of the pandemic to get us here. It’s amazing to see the skyline of London being transformed as we deliver another exemplar project in the Capital.

“I am immensely proud of the project team for this achievement. It took talent, dedication, and hard work to get to where we are on this building. It’s a privilege to be a part of this project, and I look forward to its future milestones to come.”

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Geberit sponsor specialist category at National Healthy Housing Awards

November 1, 2021

Geberit is sponsoring the Technical Officer of the Year Category at the 2021 National Healthy Housing Awards.

Organised by Foundations, the Government-funded national body for home improvement agencies, this year’s awards will showcase the outstanding work carried out by teams and individuals from a wide range of sectors who have made a vital difference in supporting independent living.

The Technical Officer of the Year Award recognises those who have contributed to the adaptions sector, changing the lives of elderly, vulnerable and disabled people every day.

On sponsoring the category, Simon Thomas, CARE Sales Director at Geberit said: “We are incredibly proud to be sponsoring an award at this year’s National Healthy Housing Awards. It’s an honour to be recognising the outstanding work carried out by technical officers every day to support people across the country to live comfortably in their own homes.

“At Geberit, we are passionate about making a difference and we see first-hand the difference these vital adaptions make in the home. For a huge number of people across the UK, the reality is that an everyday task such as using the toilet can be something they’re unable to do alone and with dignity.

“It can be difficult to provide this independence, especially in the bathroom, however, when adapted correctly, installing the right equipment can make life easier and support individual wellbeing.” Sponsored by ProCare, the award ceremony will be held in Manchester in December.

For more information, visit: https://healthyhousingawards.co.uk/

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The Parkgate Hotel opens its doors in Cardiff

October 29, 2021

The Celtic Collection has opened The Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff following a two-year redevelopment.

In collaboration with property developer Rightacres and the Welsh Rugby Union, The Celtic Collection has transformed the city’s former Head Post Office and County Court buildings into a new 170-key hotel.

Dating back to the turn of the 20th Century, the buildings’ striking period features have been brought out in a careful restoration and their storied history has been honoured through the hotel’s branding: the Sorting Room is its signature restaurant, while the Postmaster Suite and Telegraph Room are its event spaces.

The F&B offering includes a signature restaurant with a theatre kitchen and all-day dining menu and a more intimate lounge space for light bites and cocktails. Elsewhere, the rooftop spa provides views across the city skyline.

Situated a stone’s throw away from the iconic Principality Stadium, the hotel offers hospitality packages in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union, opening just in time for the Autumn Nations Series. As part of these packages, guests can enjoy match day tickets, pre- and post-match hospitality in the hotel’s grand function suite and an overnight stay.

Hotel Manager, Brady Smith, comments: “The beautiful restoration of these iconic heritage buildings has exceeded all our expectations and the last piece in the jigsaw is the guests – we can’t wait to start delivering exceptional experiences in this stunning setting.”

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Sanifos makes Glamping possible

October 29, 2021

Saniflo UK has provided a drainage solution for Galley Hill Park. The company is well known for providing solutions to unusual and remote places guaranteeing business continuity for some of the country’s prominent staycation attractions locations.

Galley Hill Farm situated on the edge of the rolling Lincolnshire Wolds, an ‘Area of Natural Beauty’, is a farm with a successful ‘Pick Your Own’ business and a caravan site with 10 pitches in a stunning woodland grove adjacent to the family farmhouse.

The busy caravan site encompasses a block with shower and WCs and has recently expanded from 5 to 10 pitches plus two sizeable glamping pods complete with bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room..

Waste from the house and the toilet block is discharged to a septic tank that was recently upgraded due to new regulations that came into effect in 2020. A separate chemical disposal point was also installed for the caravan site.

The proposed space on site for the glamping pods did not have sufficient gravity fall to reach the septic tank, which was 70m away, and thus required a pump to discharge the waste. A Sanifos 610 underground lifting station provided the perfect solution; with sufficient capacity to accommodate more units in future.

A clearing behind the farmhouse was prepared which included concrete bases for the pods, a large pit for siting the Sanifos and trench for the main connection pipe. A small shed was erected to house the electrics and alarm for the Sanifos. The pods were dropped into place and the waste connections installed from the borehole water supply, which has its own water filtration system.

The Sanifos 610 has a 612-litre tank and is offered with a choice of one or two pumps. Galley Hill Farm specified the twin pump model to ensure continuity of service. The pumps work alternately to ensure even wear of the motors, but in the event of one pump failing, the other will activate to ensure it keeps working. It is supplied with a smart control box which is an interactive, intelligent station monitoring system and integrates an alarm for early warning of any problems.

www.saniflo.co.uk

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