Diane, Author at Bathroom Review

Flair Showers launches BABY AYO reduced-height wetroom system for compact and loft bathrooms

March 19, 2026

Flair Showers has expanded its wetroom portfolio with the launch of BABY AYO, a reduced-height shower screen system designed for compact bathrooms and loft conversions.

Building on the design language of its AYO wetroom range and BABY ILI enclosures, the new collection stands at 1800mm high, offering a practical solution for spaces with restricted or sloping ceilings. As demand for space-efficient bathroom design continues to rise, particularly in attic renovations, the lower profile allows specifiers greater flexibility when planning contemporary wetroom layouts.

The modular system combines pared-back detailing with robust materials. Panels are manufactured from 8mm toughened safety glass, certified to EN12150 standards, and treated with a Clearvue hydrophobic coating to minimise limescale and grime build-up. Ultra-clear seals and concealed internal fixings maintain a clean, architectural aesthetic, supporting the growing trend for spa-inspired bathrooms in smaller footprints.

Part of the premium Harmony Collections, BABY AYO is available in three finishes – Silver, Matte Black and Brushed Brass – all applied using PVD technology for enhanced durability and colour consistency across components.

Designed with versatility in mind, the collection includes fixed panels ranging from 700mm to 1400mm, alongside T-pieces, 300mm rotating panels, recessed channels and a range of stabilising bars, including angled, ceiling-mounted and L-shaped options. All panels are reversible, enabling multiple wetroom configurations across both tray and floor-level installations.

For projects requiring a tray, Flair Showers also offers its Gemstone Slate Textured Trays. With a minimal height of 25–30mm, anti-slip properties and four colour options – Onyx Black, Graphite Black, Flint Grey and White – the trays are designed to integrate seamlessly with contemporary bathroom schemes. Both square and linear waste options are available, with chrome or colour-matched grilles.

BABY AYO is backed by a 20-year guarantee and has been tested for durability, stability and water retention, ensuring compliance with industry standards and long-term performance.

Ronán O’Grady, lead product designer at Flair Showers, said the launch responds to increasing demand for solutions tailored to compact and awkward spaces: “We are seeing a clear shift towards bathroom designs that maximise smaller footprints, including rooms with low or angled ceilings. BABY AYO allows our retail partners to deliver a premium wetroom experience without compromising on design or performance.”

Information on the collection is included in the 2026 Harmony Collections brochure, available in print and digital formats via Flair Showers – www.flairshowers.co.uk

Flair-Showers-BABY-AYO-Wetroom-Panel-Brushed-Brass

Keep Reading

Drummonds unveils Hudson Collection in collaboration with Pembrooke & Ives

March 18, 2026

Drummonds has introduced the Hudson Collection, a new brassware range developed in collaboration with New York-based design studio Pembrooke & Ives. The collection brings together British manufacturing heritage and a contemporary American design sensibility, with a focus on proportion, materiality and longevity.

The partnership evolved over several years, beginning shortly after Drummonds established its New York showroom. Creative Director James Lentaigne and Pembrooke & Ives founder Andrew Sheinman found common ground in a shared interest in the physical and architectural qualities of plumbing – from weight and tactility to its role within interior space.

Named after the Hudson River, the collection references the city both brands now operate from, despite their British roots. Its design language balances precision with restraint: angular cross-head handles provide a defined, architectural expression, while lever options introduce a more understated alternative. Across the range, crisp geometry is softened by subtle curves, creating a sense of equilibrium and adaptability.

The cross-head handle is designed as a central feature, with a sculptural, almost monolithic quality that reflects Drummonds’ established approach to brassware. In contrast, the spout adopts a more fluid form, introducing a gentle curvature that offsets the collection’s sharper lines.

Keep Reading

KEUCO at Milan Design Week 2026 – a vitruvian approach to contemporary design

March 18, 2026

From 20–26 April, Milan Design Week returns to transform the city once again—and this year, KEUCO will take a prominent place in the heart of the Brera Design District. KEUCO is inviting visitors to discover their installation at Corso Garibaldi 34, where it will join forces with two complementary German brands: Gira, specialists in sustainable smart switches and home technology, and TRILUX, leaders in intelligent, future‑ready lighting systems.

Together, the three brands present a shared vision inspired by the enduring architectural principles of Vitruvius: firmitas (durability), utilitas (functionality), and venustas (beauty). These values—still defining “good design” today—are reflected in every detail of the collections on display. All three brands proudly stand #VITRUVapproved.

At the centre of KEUCO’s presentation is the sensual and sophisticated EDITION 400 collection. Its fittings and accessories balance soft, organic contours with precise linearity, creating a distinctive oval signature. With finishes ranging from deep matt black to warm brushed brass, EDITION 400 brings tactile elegance and contemporary refinement to the modern bathroom.

Visitors will also be able to explore other KEUCO highlights, including the iconic I-look mirror series and AXESS, our inclusive design solution developed exclusively with Studio F. A. Porsche.

Keep Reading

Pimberly confirmed as Platinum Sponsor for Bathroom Association Connect Conference

March 18, 2026

The Bathroom Association has confirmed that Pimberly, the UK provider of cloud-based Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions, will be a Platinum Sponsor of Connect Conference, taking place on Thursday, 8 October at The Grand Hotel, Birmingham.

The Platinum partnership builds on Pimberly’s Gold Sponsorship in 2025, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting the bathroom manufacturing sector and the Association’s annual programme of insight, connection and collaboration.

The Connect Conference is the Association’s flagship industry gathering, bringing together manufacturers, the wider supply chain and partners for a day of keynote talks, discussion and dedicated networking, followed by an exclusive gala dinner.

With the 2026 theme set to ‘Stronger Together’, the conference will focus on practical, forward-looking collaboration across policy, standards, skills, innovation, and meeting customer needs, and on how supply chain alignment strengthens the category as a whole.

Amy Kirk, marketing and events director at the Bathroom Association, said: “Pimberly’s continued support of Connect Conference is hugely valued. Moving from Gold Sponsor in 2025 to Platinum Sponsor this year is a strong statement of commitment to our sector. Connect Conference is about bringing people together to share insight, strengthen capability and build confidence across the supply chain, and Pimberly’s sponsorship helps us deliver an event that’s practical, relevant and focused on what the industry needs next.”

Josh Bradley, VP marketing at Pimberly, said: “We’re delighted to be Platinum Sponsors of the Connect Conference on 8 October. The bathroom sector continues to be a strong area of growth for Pimberly, and we’re proud to support industry-leading bathrooms brands with the tools they need to deliver efficiency in their routes to market. As product data becomes central to omni-channel success, from digital platforms and in-store experiences to printed catalogues and sales enablement, we’re excited to keep working alongside the Association and its members.”

Pimberly is an affiliate member of the Bathroom Association and supports bathroom brands including Abode, VADO, PJH Group, Ideal Bathrooms and Aqualisa. Founded in Manchester in 2016, the company has grown rapidly, helping manufacturers, retailers and distributors streamline product data and strengthen digital product storytelling across all channels.

Following the Connect Conference daytime programme, delegates will come together for the gala dinner, with the charity raffle and auction also returning, alongside the much-loved 30-Under-30 Awards, celebrating emerging talent across the bathroom sector.

Further conference details, including delegate packages and sponsorship opportunities, are available via the Connect Conference website.

Keep Reading

REHAU highlights bathroom surface & edgeband excellence at kbb Birmingham

March 17, 2026

REHAU Interior Solutions UK presented its latest surface and edgeband innovations at stand W110, NEC Birmingham, inspiring bathroom designers seeking the very best materials for their upcoming projects.

Recognised for its leadership in decorative surface solutions, REHAU used kbb Birmingham to highlight its Surfaces Matter campaign, underlining the vital role surfaces play in shaping bathrooms that are both visually striking and built to last. Demonstrating a balance of durability and design flexibility, the initiative showcased how REHAU’s advanced materials combine refined aesthetics with high performance and sustainability, seamlessly complemented by its industry-leading edgeband solutions.

REHAU put the spotlight on its RAUVISIO crystal pure collection, a range of solid-colour polymer glass surfaces offered in both high-gloss and matt finishes, ideal for bathrooms due to their resistance to moisture and smooth, non-porous finish, which enables easier cleaning.

Also on display was the multi-award winning RAUVISIO cube, an architectural, concrete-inspired surface that combines an industrial aesthetic with impressive lightness and ease of processing. RAUVISIO cube’s engineered surface is easier to work with than cast concrete and brings more possibilities to bathrooms through its versatility.

Additionally, visitors discovered the super-matt RAUVISIO brilliant noble matt and noir ranges, featuring rich, sophisticated colours with a velvety touch and outstanding everyday durability, making them perfect for both residential and commercial high-traffic areas.

Complementing these surfaces were REHAU’s edgebands and tambour door systems, giving visitors an insight into how these products work seamlessly with surface collections, enabling cohesive, exceptional bathroom spaces.

For more information on REHAU products, visit interior.rehau.uk or contact us at UKinteriors@rehau.com.

Keep Reading

GROHE expands Essence ceramics with new basin designs and enhanced hygiene

March 17, 2026

Blending organic design with advanced performance, GROHE’s latest additions to its Essence ceramic collection introduce ultra-slim basins and next-generation WC technology for a more refined, hygienic bathroom space.

As one of the most personal spaces in the home, the bathroom continues to evolve as a sanctuary for wellbeing, relaxation and self-expression. Reflecting this shift, GROHE has expanded its best-selling Essence ceramic range with new basin designs and upgraded technologies that balance aesthetics with performance.

Inspired by nature, the Essence collection is characterised by soft curves, slim proportions and a minimalist language that brings a sense of calm to contemporary bathroom schemes. Designed for those seeking both style and tranquillity, the range combines understated elegance with practical innovation.

Elina Enqvist-Twomey, Leader, product management, fixtures – GROHE UK, comments: “With our new Essence range we’re delighted to give customers a modern, yet timeless addition to the bathroom that provides style and functionality in equal parts. The new range focuses on sleek and slim silhouettes that lean into Essence’s nature-inspired shape, evoking feelings of simplicity, purity and ultimately calm.”

At the heart of the expansion are two new basin lines that respond to current design trends. The thin-rimmed basins deliver a sculptural aesthetic, defined by an ultra-slim 5mm edge. Available as both vessel and countertop options, the designs offer flexibility across a range of bathroom layouts. The vessel basins come in round formats (40cm and 45cm) alongside a 60cm oval option, while the countertop basins are offered in 50cm, 60cm and 80cm sizes, all featuring the collection’s signature lozenge shape.

Finished in GROHE’s White Alpine, both basin styles incorporate advanced surface technologies to support hygiene and ease of maintenance. GROHE AquaCeramic coating helps repel dirt and limescale, while HyperClean glazing delivers antibacterial properties for enhanced cleanliness.

The wider Essence collection has also been updated, with the wall-hung WC now featuring GROHE’s TripleVortex flush technology. Using three water outlets, the system creates a powerful yet quiet, splash-free flow that effectively cleans the entire bowl. Combined with a rimless design and integrated antibacterial and anti-stick finishes, the latest updates reinforce the brand’s focus on hygiene-led innovation.

With its latest additions, GROHE continues to evolve the Essence range, offering specifiers and homeowners a refined solution that brings together contemporary design, comfort and high-performance functionality.

Keep Reading

CRL Stone launches new Ceralsio Patagonia finish

March 17, 2026

Blending natural drama with modern durability, Patagonia is the latest surface to join the Ceralsio ceramic collection from CRL Stone. Inspired by the intricate beauty of natural stone, Patagonia makes an immediate visual impact with its layered pattern and tonal variation.

This distinctive surface evokes the textures and colours of raw earth and rock formations, creating a bold design statement. Whether used as a feature kitchen island, bathroom wall, or part of a commercial interior scheme, Patagonia brings a unique sense of character and movement to the space.

Alongside its strong design credentials, Patagonia delivers all the practical benefits that define the Ceralsio collection. The surface is completely non-porous, highly stain resistant and built to withstand scratches, heat and UV exposure — qualities that make it ideal for busy environments and long-term use.

Patagonia is suitable for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications, including kitchen and bathroom countertops, flooring, media walls, facades and outdoor kitchens. The material’s colour and texture remain stable over time, even in areas exposed to direct sunlight or changing conditions.

Offered in 12 mm and 20 mm thicknesses, Patagonia is part of Ceralsio’s response to the growing demand for slim, large-format surfaces that offer both design versatility and technical resilience.

For more information and brochures call CRL Stone on 01706 863600, or visit www.crlstone.co.uk

Keep Reading

City Plumbing joins the Bathroom Association in landmark partnership

March 16, 2026

The Bathroom Association is celebrating as City Plumbing, one of the UK’s most respected and wide-reaching plumbing and heating merchants, has officially joined the Association.

As the first major national merchant to become a member of the Bathroom Association, City Plumbing’s decision marks a powerful endorsement of the Association’s broadened vision to unite the whole bathroom supply chain, from manufacturers and merchants to retailers, designers, and installers.

Daphne Doody-Green, chief executive of the association, commented: “City Plumbing’s decision to join the Association is hugely symbolic. It’s a signal that our new, more inclusive direction is not just timely, it’s necessary. With over 350 branches, award-winning showrooms, and a frontline connection to customers across the UK, City Plumbing brings a vital perspective to our work. This partnership is proof that by collaborating across the whole supply chain, we can tackle shared challenges, accelerate innovation, and make bathrooms better, for people and for the planet.”

City-Plumbing-Joins-Bathroom-Association

City Plumbing, part of the Highbourne Group, employs over 3,000 colleagues and operates nine businesses across the trade, home improvement, and DIY markets. Known for providing expert advice and a comprehensive range of plumbing, heating and bathroom products, the business is a cornerstone of the UK’s bathroom retail ecosystem.

With most of its branches housing state-of-the-art bathroom showrooms, City Plumbing plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer choice and supporting trade professionals with product selection, design expertise, and fast access to essential stock.

Steve Smith, managing director – Bathroom at City Plumbing, said: “We’re proud to be the first merchant partner to join the Bathroom Association. Their direction aligns with our values of being customer-first and creating the future. By adding our voice to this influential community, we’re committing to a shared goal: creating a better, more connected bathroom industry where innovation thrives, and challenges are solved collectively.”

Collaboration in action

City Plumbing’s membership opens the door to greater representation and sharper insights at the heart of the sector. From influencing government policy to enhancing product compliance and promoting sustainability, the Association and its newest member will collaborate to champion high standards and drive market growth.

“Our vision is clear,” added Green. “We’re building a platform where merchants, manufacturers, installers, and retailers can share knowledge, shape standards, and drive change together. City Plumbing joining us in this journey shows we’re on the right track.”

This partnership demonstrates what’s possible when businesses across the spectrum come together with a shared purpose: to make bathrooms better for everyone.

Keep Reading

Lakes expands popular Wave Collection

March 13, 2026

UK manufacturer of showering spaces, Lakes, has expanded its Wave Collection with two new colour additions – Gunmetal and Brushed Nickel. Launched in June 2022, the Wave Collection has become a cornerstone of the Lakes portfolio, recognised for its precision engineering, installer-friendly design and commercial versatility.

The introduction of these new finishes reflects Lakes’ continued commitment to staying at the forefront of trends within the showering market, making contemporary design choices more accessible across a wider range of products.

The range expansion follows a successful 2025 for Lakes, which the company says saw it become the first bathroom manufacturer in the world to achieve B Corporation certification, recognising its verified commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, customer care and employee wellbeing.

In addition, Lakes launched the extensive ROKU® Collection, featuring seven new bathscreens and two ranges of high-quality shower trays, while adding even more design options to its Flagship Modular Walk-In range. Beyond product development, the senior management team was strengthened with several key appointments to drive further growth.

Mike Gahir, managing director at Lakes Showering Spaces, said: “The Wave Collection is a great example of how we take emerging design trends and engineer them into products that are practical, reliable and commercially viable.

“Our approach to expanding our product portfolio has always been to listen closely to the market and act quickly, but adding new finishes is just one part of a much wider strategy.

“In the last few years, Lakes has looked to disrupt the market with bold product additions, strengthened our service proposition, improved availability across our collections and, as the company says, achieved B Corp certification.”

Gahir added that the addition of Gunmetal and Brushed Nickel to the Wave Collection aligns with broader bathroom and interior trends, allowing merchants, retailers and installers to offer a trusted product for more projects than ever.

Engineered with 8mm glass, the Wave Collection strikes an ideal balance between strength, durability and ease of installation. The range includes hinged, quadrant, slider and bi-fold doors, along with a side panel compatible with hinged, slider and bi-fold configurations.

Robust yet lightweight frames ensure long-lasting performance while remaining easy to handle on site, even in confined spaces. This installer-focused design reduces fitting time while delivering a product built to exceed UK standards for quality and reliability.

Like all Lakes enclosures, the Wave Collection features easy-to-clean AllClear® technology on both sides of the glass and is backed by a genuine no-quibble lifetime guarantee.

The new Gunmetal and Brushed Nickel finishes are stocked now and available through Lakes’ national network of merchants and retailers.

To find out more about Lakes, visit www.lakesshoweringspaces.com.

Keep Reading

Kaldewei unveils ‘Bubbles of Time’ installation at Fuorisalone 2026

March 13, 2026

Premium bathroom manufacturer Kaldewei will present Bubbles of Time during Fuorisalone 2026, transforming the historic Palazzo Crespi into an immersive design installation exploring time, materiality and contemporary bathroom architecture.

Developed with Milan-based design studio Parasite 2.0 and curated by Forgotten Architecture, the exhibition unfolds across the ground-floor and basement foyers of the building, creating a layered spatial narrative that combines iconic Kaldewei products with new innovations and visionary perspectives.

A central feature of the installation is a reinterpretation of the Meisterstück Classic Duo Oval, one of Kaldewei’s most recognisable freestanding bathtubs. Presented within a theatrical setting of floating forms, light and reflections, the products appear as fleeting moments within a continuous flow of time.

Parasite 2.0’s scenography draws inspiration from the architectural legacy of Piero Portaluppi. “Portaluppi’s bathroom design makes us constantly wonder whether something is about to happen,” explain Stefano Colombo, Eugenio Cosentino and Luca Marullo Viola of Parasite 2.0. “From a Hitchcock thriller to a romantic comedy with Grace Kelly – in Portaluppi’s hands, bathrooms become the perfect stage.”

Designed in the 1920s by Portaluppi, Palazzo Crespi is considered a landmark of Italian modernism. The architect’s holistic approach – combining structure, materiality and atmosphere – provides the conceptual framework for the installation.

Through Bubbles of Time, Kaldewei positions its products not simply as bathroom fixtures but as enduring architectural elements designed to last for generations. The installation reflects on how durable materials, thoughtful design and technological innovation continue to shape the future of bathroom design while honouring its heritage.

Bubbles of Time programme
Location: Palazzo Crespi, Corso Giacomo Matteotti 1, Milan

Exhibition: 20–26 April 2026 | 11:00am–7:00pm
Press preview: 19 April 2026 | 4:00–8:00pm (registration required)
Opening event: 20 April 2026 | 5:00–11:00pm (registration required)
Talk: 21 April 2026 | 7:00pm (registration required)

Keep Reading