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Leading Danish design company Unidrain has rethought the pedal bin and created a piece of furniture that uniquely combines functionality and aesthetics. The elegant yet simple lines of the exterior conceal sophisticated design solutions that address practical challenges.

Great shape, great function: The new Reframe pedal bin.

A pedal bin is Unidrain’s latest addition to their Reframe designer accessories series. Every detail surrounding the Reframe Pedal bin is concise and stylish; its timeless design has been crafted to match the other elements within the Reframe Collection. Its elegant and simplistic exterior belies the carefully considered design solutions that have addressed specific practical challenges. There are no external mechanics, and the clean lines surrounding the pedal bin make it easy to clean, and delightful to view since it coordinates with all kitchen designs.

Soft-open lid that does not hit the wall.

The pedal bin has been designed with a soft open/close lid. This means it can be placed against any surface as it has been specifically crafted to stop the lid from hitting a wall when it opens, preventing any damage to paintwork and avoiding annoying clunk and banging noises, making it both silent and stylish.

The bin has a non-slip rubber foot, which complements the specially designed pedal and guarantees the bin’s stability during use. The pedal itself is spring-loaded, so it is protected against overloading. Contrary to its elegant appearance, the pedal bin is a solid and sturdy bathroom accessory.

Unidrain_reframe-collection

Change bags in an instant.

Another unique, handy, and hygienic feature is the removable insert. This inner container is made of impact-resistant plastic, making it easy to clean and keeping it rust-free. The inner container also has a ring of double-sided tape on the inside, which simplifies the fitting of bin bags. There is no tying of knots or bag slippage down the interior of the bin.

“This is a benefit for domestic users but much more so for our customers in the hotel and hospitality industries, where hygiene and efficient solutions are equally as important.” Explains Rene Risom, international sales manager at Unidrain.

This was one of the elements that delighted hotelier and interior designer Mette Brochner-Mortensen; she and her husband Soren run several boutique hotels in Copenhagen. Already a fan of Unidrain’s Reframe accessories collection, she was keen to test the pedal bin.

“One of things that I noticed almost instantly was how well the design interacts with the other Reframe products. The exterior appears simplistic, but this aesthetic exterior belies the sophistication of the carefully thought-out design solutions. The lid opens and closes easily and silently without knocking against the wall. It’s incredibly stable and doesn’t tip when you step on the pedal. These small details demonstrate that needs of the user have been carefully considered and catered for.”

The pedal bin is available in brushed and polished steel as well as copper, brass and black PVD finishes. It joins the other Reframe accessories, including the soap dispenser, shower shelf, screen wiper, hooks, corner shelf, toilet brush, toilet roll holder, plus spare toilet roll holder. Another small but significant detail is the height at 31.5cm. It is the same height as the toilet brush, an important design aesthetic when crafting a bathroom.

Product details
Height: 31.5 cm Diameter: 28.1 cm Capacity: 4 litres
Available in copper, brass or black PVD finish, brushed or polished steel.
The volume of each bag is 4 litres, and a roll of binbags is included with the bin.
Price: from £265.00 (including VAT)

Contact Unidrain today to find out more! export@unidrain.dk

Bathroom Review Unidrain Reframe Pedal Bin

Scavolini, an Italian kitchen and bathroom furniture manufacturer, has launched Miko. This new range includes vanity units and wall storage that embrace many elements commonly found in living room and kitchen furniture, such as colour, textured surfaces, and a variety of fabulous finishes.

An immediate standout feature of the collection is the Moon Blue matt lacquer (pictured above) . This calming colour is hard to resist, but if you’re feeling a shade braver, Miko is also available in 24 other lacquers, including Powder Pink, Mustard Yellow, Ruby Red and Slate Black.

In addition to colour, Scavolini’s Miko collection brings texture to the bathroom with a slatted door, offered in gloss or matt lacquers, and laminates. These tactile finishes provide a pleasing contrast to the smooth ceramics in the bathroom, adding a sense of warmth, especially when chosen in a wood-effect finish. Also of note is the easy-to-open grip handle, which is available with a profile in a white, black or metallic finish (including Brass, Silver, Bronze and Titanium).

Finally, for a distinctive look, why not consider the timeless beauty of natural stone? While real stone can be a labour of love to take care of, particularly in wet areas like the bathroom, Scavolini’s choice of marble and slate-effect laminate doors are low maintenance and hassle free, making them a welcome addition to the Miko collection.

Bathroom Review Scavolini Miko

Scavolini bathrooms start from £5,000.

Stockist: 07444 799256 or scavolini.com

Kudos Showers has added a touch of tinted glass to their Ultimate10 wet room panels, designed to complement their popular coloured profile finishes.

These new tinted coloured glass options are available as part of the 10mm Ultimate wet room panel range and bespoke collection at Kudos.  Four coloured options are available in smoked, smoked with a modesty stripe, bronze tint and satinised (frosted) and they can be ordered in 5 sizes along with matching foldaway deflectors. Decorative panels are the latest design trend in shower enclosures, a new feature that also offers a certain amount of privacy or modesty for the bather.

Kudos Shower Products Ltd has been designing and manufacturing shower products at their Cumbria facility since 1999.  Their portfolio includes shower enclosures, shower trays, over-bath screens and wet-room solutions sold via KBB showrooms and merchants across the UK. Visit their website kudosshowers.co.uk, call them on 01539 564040 or email info@kudosshowers.co.uk.

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Kudos PR contact:  Lesley Holdsworth at Java Productions Ltd.

t: 01274 563846   m: 07889 310300   e: lesley@javaproductions.co.uk

Global surface manufacturer Cosentino will open the doors of its new London City Centre showroom at 1 Hatton Gardens this November.

Billed as a dynamic space for designers and architects to meet, the new City Centre boasts three floors and over 420 sqm of design inspiration. As London’s newest creative hub for co-working, exchanging ideas and inspiring events, visitors can immerse themselves in the area’s luxury design legacy.

An iconic address seeped in history, Cosentino City London is the perfect setting to showcase the impressive portfolio of materials from its brands Silestone, Dekton and Sensa.The showroom is equipped with a fully working Atelier Lab that exists to serve architects and designers, helping specifiers with interior and exterior projects.

A place of learning, the Cosentino team will be on hand to help educate on the different materials available for various applications for every project, including countertops, flooring, cladding, furniture and facades.With a fully stocked sample library, interactive digital display boards and desk or meeting spaces for hire, teams can touch, experiment and experience the beauty of Cosentino first-hand, seeing projects come to life before their eyes.Cosentino City London will also be the brand’s UK event hub. An impressive schedule of events includes exhibitions, roundtables, supper clubs, CPDs, industry parties and more.

Utopia is adding nine new decors to its collection of 22mm laminate worktops, strengthening an already comprehensive collection and giving customers greater choice and even more design opportunities.

Inspired by natural materials such as stone and wood, the new effects span a range of colours from light granite and marble-inspired options through to metallic veining and dark, alluring effects. This season’s new collection is all about patterns and tones and has been carefully selected to sit alongside existing and new additions to Utopia’s door finishes. The new decors also meet the growing demand from those wishing to achieve either a unicolour look when choosing a woodgrain option or a bold contrast.

Launching this Autumn, the new decors are Dark Monolith, Dorchester Oak (pictured above fight), Igneous Spark, Interstellar, Light Callisto, Marquina (pictured above left), Moon Rock, Rift Grey (pictured top) and Sorrento Walnut, and can all be seen in Utopia’s latest brochures.

Helen Clark, head of marketing at Utopia, states, “Through our extensive collection we are able to capture all the visual appeal of natural marble, granite and wood effects in a durable, easy care format that’s also extremely practical, too. With 19 decors now available, the consumer has plenty of choice in adding that vital finishing touch to their bathroom design.”

Utopia Furniture Ltd

01902 406402                                                 

    More news from Utopia

Retailers using Virtual Worlds design technology can now include products that enhance and protect tile and natural stone with the addition of the Schlüter-Systems’ catalogue to the platform.

Bathroom Review Schluter Systems Virtual Worlds

Tile installation products manufacturer Schlüter-Systems, offers everything needed to prepare for and protect an installation of tile or stone in a bathroom or wetroom. The latest catalogue, now available on Virtual Worlds, includes the Schlüter-DITRA range. When it comes to waterproofing, uncoupling, vapour pressure equalisation, load transfer and heat distribution, nothing parallels the DITRA uncoupling mat installed under tiles. The latest redesign of DITRA now features EasyCut gridlines that make the mat easier to handle and faster to cut, and an EasyFill design with integrated air release vents for better air circulation.

The catalogue also features the Schlüter-DITRA-HEAT and DITRA-HEAT peel and stick uncoupling mats, designed for attaching electric heating cables, and Schlüter-KERDI-BOARD, a tileable, waterproof backerboard which has multiple uses, such as creating a fully waterproofed wall or adding finishing touches such as a bench or shelving to a bathroom.

All of these and more are now available for Virtual Worlds’ retailers to add to their designs at the click of a button. For more information, visit www.virtualworlds.co.uk

Level up bathroom design with RAK-Ischia from RAK Ceramics, a brassware collection that is understatedly elegant. Available in four on-trend finishes, RAK-Ischia can be chosen to create a cohesive look throughout the bathroom, from the basin to the bath, with a comprehensive collection where function meets style.

Bathroom Review RAK Ischia

The basin mixer can be chosen in tall, medium and standard sizes, making it simple to combine it with any style of washbasin, while a wall-mounted version is also available. Complete the look with bath shower mixer and thermostatic concealed and exposed shower valves.

The simplistic styling of RAK-Ischia is ideal for minimal bathroom designs where less is more, with a straightforward single lever to make operation simple and cleaning a breeze. Aptly designed for a high standard of functionality and longevity, the brassware is made from top quality materials and graced with a luxurious finish. The single lever, deck mounted installation needs at least 0.5 Bar water pressure for flawless flow.

The RAK-Ischia brassware can be chosen in Chrome, Nickel, Black or Gold.

Contact:

RAK Ceramics UK

01730 237850

www.rakceramics.com/uk/

Inspired by the trend for industrial style kitchen design and blurring the lines between the industrial and domestic space, Mercurio is the latest addition to the CRL Quartz collection from CRL Stone.

The soft grey veining featured in the Mercurio quartz surface creates a rich stone-inspired design. Enriching interiors with a refined elegance and unmistakable beauty, this durable surface evokes a modern feel by gently reflecting light, with a super honed finish to make it smooth, flat and consistent.

Available in thicknesses of 20mm and 30mm, Mercurio comes in a slab size of 3300 x 1650 mm, making it the perfect surface for large areas, including kitchen islands.

CRL Quartz is an engineered surface created to meet the demands of modern living. Hard-wearing and easy to care for, the material is ideal for the kitchen and bathroom, where durability and flexible design are paramount.

Scratch, heat and stain resistant, unlike natural materials such as marble, CRL Quartz never needs to be sealed. Requiring minimum maintenance to keep it looking as good as new, the non-porous surface makes cleaning simple; soap and water or a mild detergent are all that is needed.

The surface comes with a 25-year residential warranty and 10-year commercial warranty for added peace of mind.

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

Leading bathroom and washroom manufacturer, Ideal Standard, is returning to HIX – Europe’s largest hotel design show. HIX takes place at London’s Business Design Centre on 16th and 17th November, showcasing the latest solutions for the hotel sector.

Ideal Standard will be exhibiting at the event, with the La Dolce Vita, Solos, and Conca ranges among the collections taking pride of place on Stand 8. All these ranges form part of the wider Atelier Collections, created in collaboration with Italian design studio Palomba Serafini Associati (PS+A), which offers beautiful yet durable solutions for hotel guest bathrooms and front-of-house washrooms.

La Dolce Vita is the latest addition to the Atelier Collections, inspired by its namesake expression – ‘the sweet life’. The collection strikes a delicate balance between geometric shapes and flowing forms found in the natural environment. HIX will be the first time that many in the sector will be able to see it in the flesh, with the starring role played by an eye-catching statement freestanding bath.

Ideal Standard’s Solos shower system will also be at the stand, having debuted at Clerkenwell Design Week. Solos is about radical minimalism at the forefront of design. The shower range offers users the ultimate spa-like experience, with integrated coloured LED lights controllable from a smartphone app. The versatility of Ideal Standard’s i.life showering collection will also be on show, with an Ultraflat S i.life shower tray and i.life dual access wetroom panel showcasing the sleek look available.

HIX will also bring together professionals from across the industry to discuss the latest design trends for the sector. One of these trends is a greater focus on furniture as a key product for keeping spaces clutter-free and an opportunity to add more colour to the bathroom. Echoing this, Ideal Standard will feature pieces of its premium Conca furniture range in a Dark Walnut finish – highlighting the visual impact furniture and ceramic pairings can have.

Ideal Standard has also recently launched its new Hotel Bathrooms & Washrooms CPD, and HIX attendees will have an exclusive opportunity to speak with members of the manufacturer’s team to book a CPD session and stay on top of the latest developments.

To find out more about Ideal Standard, the Atelier Collections and what is on offer at HIX, visit: https://hixevent.com/hix-exhibitor/ideal-standard/

To book a place on Ideal Standard’s new Hotel Bathrooms and Washrooms CPD, visit: https://www.idealspec.co.uk/cpds/new-cpd-hotel-bathrooms-and-washrooms_5.html

The jury of the German Design Awards 2024 has selected the five finalists for the “Newcomer” award: Leonie Burkhardt, Justus Hilfenhaus, Nicolas König, studio formagora (Finn Blankenberg, Esra Heuermann, Nick Potter) and Sebastian Winter impressed the jury with their portfolios from the disciplines of textile design, product design, architecture, participatory design, and digital design.

With innovative solutions for current social and ecological issues and forward-looking ideas, projects, and products at a high level of design, they impressively demonstrate the crucial role that young design talents play in the successful transformation processes of our time.

The award demonstrates the importance of young design for the competitiveness and future viability of medium-sized companies. As drivers of further development, young designers with their future skills are decisive for their innovative expertise.

Collaborative work, interdisciplinary exchange, openness, a love of experimentation and a spirit of research are common features of the finalists’ portfolios. They all deal with opportunities for change, react to a faster-changing world, work conceptually and experimentally and dare to find playful solutions to complex challenges.

The jury of the German Design Awards 2024 was impressed by the wide range of content, diversity of perspectives and their respective implementation in practice.  They can win the German Design Award, endowed with 15,000 euros and will be presented on 26 January 2024 in Frankfurt am Main.

The 5 finalists and their work:

Leonie Burkhardt (Textile Design)
Leonie Burkhardt was born in Heilbronn in 1994. After a two-year au pair stay in New Jersey, USA, she began a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design at HAW Hamburg in 2016 and went to KMITL in Bangkok for an interim semester from 2018 to 2019. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Hamburg, she moved to the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås for her Master’s degree in 2020, where she graduated in 2022. She was a scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation from 2019 to 2022. She gained practical experience through internships at Talbot Runhof and Kvadrat, among others. She has already shown her work in numerous international exhibitions such as the Dutch Design Week, the Milan Design Week and the International Biennal of Crafts and Creation in Paris. Leonie Burkhardt now works as a freelancer in the field of textile design. The core of her work is experimenting with textiles. Material and technology, innovation and craftsmanship are directly linked in her work: for example, she creates unusual projects and three-dimensional textile objects using both weaving and shrink yarn.

Justus Hilfenhaus (Product Design)
Justus Hilfenhaus was born in Offenbach in 1997. In 2016, he began studying product design at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, which he interrupted for a semester of industrial design at the Pratt Institute in New York. He also completed an internship at Studio Hanne Willmann in Berlin, where he continued to work as a designer after completing his bachelor’s degree in 2021. In 2022, he decided to study for a master’s degree in product design at the ECAL in Lausanne. Justus Hilfenhaus works in different product worlds as a matter of course: In the lights, electrical appliances or furniture he develops with great precision, the focus is always on designing products that offer exceptional and surprising added value.

Nicolas König (Architecture)
Nicolas König was born in Aachen in 1994. He studied architecture at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. In spring 2023, he completed his Master of Science with distinction as a DAAD scholarship holder at ETH Zurich under VOLUPTAS and Prof. Laurent Stalder. In addition to numerous engagements as a student assistant with Professors Christ & Gantenbein, Günther Vogt and Anne Holtrop, among others, he has already gained professional experience at OFFICE kgdvs in Brussels and at Muck Petzet and Felgendreher Olfs Köchling in Berlin. With his research-orientated work, Nicolas König pursues the goal of creating structures in the built environment that relate to and harmonise with the natural environment. His techno-ecological narratives move between physical fragments, experimental documentation and spatial investigations.

studio formagora (Product design / Participatory design)
studio formagora is a young studio for social design and transformative processes founded in Münster in 2022. studio formagora was founded by Finn Blankenberg (*1996 in Hamburg), Nick Potter (*1994 in Reinbeck) and Esra Heuermann (*1992 in Benkel). The three designers, who are also carpenters, met in their first semester at the Academy of Design of the Münster Chamber of Crafts and completed their studies in the same period from 2019 to 2022. studio formagora sees the design process as a tool and catalyst for change processes, whereby design is always understood politically by the three founders. Their thematic areas are socio-ecological change and participation. Encounters, furnishing public spaces and craftsmanship are core elements of their work.

Sebastian Winter (Communication Design / Digital Design)
Sebastian Winter was born in Stuttgart in 1996. Before he began studying media design at DHBW Ravensburg in 2017, he completed an apprenticeship as a graphic designer at the Johannes-Gutenberg vocational college in Stuttgart. In 2016, Winter began working as a trainee developer at Strichpunkt Design in Stuttgart, which accompanied him as a partner from the start of his dual study programme until his graduation in 2020. In 2020, Winter focussed on interaction design at Strichpunkt Design. He has been working as a freelance Interaction Designer & Creative Developer since December 2022. Since 2021, he has also been teaching interface design and creative coding in seminars and workshops at the HBK Essen, and currently also at the DHBW Ravensburg and the Bauhaus University Weimar on interface design. Sebastian Winter’s work aims to make complex content as accessible as possible, especially in the fields of education and science. The designer uses creative coding to promote interaction and open up a dialogue.

Further information under:  www.german-design-award.com/en/the-newcomer.html